How can we build tiny, soft machines that move and coordinate without batteries, wires or complex electronics? This project explores materials that convert light into motion and motion into chemical messages to create simple, life‑like behaviours. The scientific need is two-fold: (i) light‑powered locomotion at small scales, and (ii) ways for soft devices to store, send, and receive information through their environment. These capabilities matter for future lab‑on‑a‑chip, smart surfaces, a top-down approach for controlling chemical reactions, and targeted release systems where devices must work safely, precisely, and with minimal energy.
The project’s objectives are: (1) design and fabricate photo‑responsive soft walkers—miniature structures that bend and walk under controlled light; (2) engineer functional hydrogels that act as a “chemical message bus,” storing and transporting molecules on demand; (3) couple walkers and hydrogels so that motion can trigger, route and time chemical signals across space; and, overall, extract general design rules (materials, geometry, illumination) that others can reuse. During the first phase, we achieved light‑driven walking on surfaces (a walker rather than the initially envisioned swimmer) and established hydrogel thin film platforms for controllable reaction diffusion capabilities.
By turning light into coordinated function at the micro‑ to mesoscale, the project advances soft robotics and responsive materials. Expected impacts include cleaner actuation (light as an external, on‑demand input), programmable communication between devices, and reusable protocols and datasets to accelerate innovation. These outcomes support broader priorities on sustainable, digitised technologies by enabling precise control of materials and processes with low-footprint methods.
