All-in-One Design of Soft Machines

In our world filled with human innovation and technology we hardly scratch the surface of what has been formed in nature. While we have increased our control and capabilities of machines in the thrust for biomimicry, the use of soft structures to accomplish complex tasks is still primarily the handiwork of biology. To bridge the gap on nature, we introduce an all-in-one approach to building soft machines. Using the powerful rules of fluid mechanics and silicone elastomers, fluid-mediated networks can be “frozen” to provide unique functional materials. Here a Bretherton-like technique is explored as an elongated bubble deposits a polymer melt film on the inside of tubes. The residual film undergoes drainage as the polymer melt cures into an elastic solid. We characterize these elastic networks, comprised of pneumatic bending actuators, through experiments and predictive models of their constituent parts. By means of this deep integration between the non-linear actuation and the far from equilibrium shape-morphing we reverse engineer targeted soft machines.