Liquid Metal-Enabled Soft Logic Devices

The controllable manipulation of gallium-based liquid metal (LM) droplet presents a promising option toward the goal of making fully soft machines, which features an autonomy via external administration apparatus. While most current endeavors mainly concentrate on LM-assisted actuations for soft robots, it is noteworthy that the peculiar behavior and LM droplet circuits thus enabled can be adopted as intelligent elements. Such characteristics will pave a way to innovate conventional logic devices and emancipate soft robots from the existing rigid machinery. Herein, LM-based soft logic systems are described which are capable of regulating soft machines on macroscale. The core element is a LM-based switch (LMS) with two specific types, both utilizing the LM droplet as a conducting medium. Soft logic gates of AND, OR, NOT, NAND, and NOR thus fabricated are demonstrated to generate electrical outputs as an integration of random inputs, and these signals can be adapted for electronic devices. For practical illustration, a logic accumulator is further constructed which can effectively regulate a pneumatic soft gripper within four states of inflation. The present LM-enabled logic devices are expected to offer a feasible strategy to manipulate future soft machines without the participation of traditional rigid controlling elements.