Descrizione del progetto
Polimeri dalla forma cangiante conducono a un cambio di paradigma nella robotica
I materiali sintetici realistici plasmeranno il futuro della robotica. Tuttavia, prima che ciò accada, è importante analizzare in che modo le interazioni sensomotorie biologiche possono favorire lo sviluppo di materiali robotici. Il progetto MULTIMODAL, finanziato dal Consiglio europeo della ricerca, si propone di sviluppare materiali autonomi e interattivi in grado di adattarsi a contesti diversi. Sarà inoltre possibile addestrarli affinché svolgano azioni specifiche, e sapranno autorigenerarsi e prendere decisioni semplici proprio come gli organismi viventi. Per farlo, il progetto impiegherà reti di cristalli liquidi, ossia materiali polimerici capaci di trasformare la propria morfologia e proprietà in risposta a stimoli esterni. I materiali sviluppati saranno utilizzati per progettare robot morbidi con proprietà autonome e interattive.
Obiettivo
WHAT:
MULTIMODAL will develop sensory-motorized material systems that perceive several coupled environmental stimuli and respond to a combination of these via controlled motor functions, shape-change or locomotion. The sensory-motorized materials will be “trained” to strengthen upon repetitive action, they can “heal” upon injury, and mechanically adapt to different environments. They will be utilized in the design of soft robots with autonomous and interactive functions.
HOW:
We will utilize shape-changing liquid crystal networks (LCNs) that undergo controlled untethered motions in response to photochemical, (photo)thermal, and humidity-triggered activation. Coupling between these stimuli will allow for gated control strategies over the shape changes. I expect that the gated control strategies, in combination with stimuli-induced diffusion from surface to bulk of the LCN, will enable advanced robotic functionalities. The diffusion process will be used for supramolecular crosslinking and formation of interpenetrated dynamic polymer networks with the LCN, to allow for trainable gaiting for versatile locomotion control. We will also make mechanically adaptable amphibious grippers for autonomous object recognition.
WHY:
Technological disruptions are often due to new materials and fabrication technologies. Paradigm changes on how materials are perceived have profound effects on our society, well-being, and the ways we see the world. Here, we strive for a paradigm change in robotic materials. By taking inspiration from biological sensory-motor interactions, we will develop MULTIMODAL materials with autonomous and interactive features. These features go far beyond the capabilities of conventional stimuli-responsive materials, allowing us to take inanimate, shape-changing materials one ambitious step closer to motor functions of living species.
Campo scientifico
Programma(i)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
ERC - Support for frontier research (ERC)Istituzione ospitante
33100 Tampere
Finlandia