North Carolina State University researchers develop light-powered soft robot

Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a soft robot capable of continuous jumping using only infrared light. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the device, dubbed the ‘Ring Leaper’, is constructed from a droplet-shaped band of liquid crystal elastomer with a rigid V-shaped aluminum component at one end.

The robot operates without internal electronics. An infrared lamp heats the elastomer surface, causing the material to contract and twist, thereby storing elastic energy. Once a critical level of twisting is reached, the rigid component snaps downward, propelling the ring into the air. During flight, the band untwists to its original shape, automatically resetting the device for the next jump.

According to Professor Jie Yin, a corresponding author of the study, the robot does not require external resetting between jumps, as it resets itself through its own mechanical design.