Continuous and controlled shape morphing is essential for soft machines to conform, grasp, and move while interacting safely with their surroundings. Shape morphing can be achieved with two-dimensional (2D) sheets that reconfigure into target 3D geometries, for example, using stimuli-responsive materials. However, most existing solutions lack the ability to reprogram their shape, face limitations on attainable geometries, or have insufficient mechanical stiffness to manipulate objects. Here, we develop a soft, robotic surface that allows for large, reprogrammable, and pliable shape morphing into smooth 3D geometries. The robotic surface consists of a layered design composed of two active networks serving as artificial muscles, one passive network serving as a skeleton, and cover scales serving as an artificial skin. The active network consists of a grid of strips made of heat-responsive liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) containing stretchable heating coils. The magnitude and speed of contraction of the LCEs can be controlled by varying the input electric currents. The 1D contraction of the LCE strips activates in-plane and out-of-plane deformations; these deformations are both necessary to transform a flat surface into arbitrary 3D geometries. We characterize the fundamental deformation response of the layers and derive a control scheme for actuation. We demonstrate that the robotic surface provides sufficient mechanical stiffness and stability to manipulate other objects. This approach has potential to address the needs of a range of applications beyond shape changes, such as human-robot interactions and reconfigurable electronics.

连续和受控的形状变形对于软机器在与周围环境安全交互的同时顺应、抓取和移动是必不可少的。形状变形可以通过重新配置为目标 3D 几何形状的二维 (2D) 片材来实现，例如，使用刺激响应材料。然而，大多数现有解决方案缺乏重新编程其形状的能力，面临可达到的几何形状的限制，或者机械刚度不足以操纵物体。在这里，我们开发了一种柔软的机器人表面，可以将大型、可重新编程和柔韧的形状变形为平滑的 3D 几何形状。机器人表面采用分层设计，由两个作为人造肌肉的主动网络、一个作为骨架的被动网络和作为人造皮肤的覆盖鳞片组成。主动网络由包含可拉伸加热线圈的热响应液晶弹性体 (LCE) 制成的条带网格组成。LCE 收缩的幅度和速度可以通过改变输入电流来控制。LCE 条带的一维收缩激活平面内和平面外变形；这些变形都是将平面转换为任意 3D 几何形状所必需的。我们表征了层的基本变形响应，并推导出驱动控制方案。我们证明机器人表面提供足够的机械刚度和稳定性来操纵其他物体。这种方法有可能满足除形状变化之外的一系列应用的需求，例如人机交互和可重新配置的电子设备。