The development of stimuli-responsive soft actuators, a task largely undertaken by material scientists, has become a major driving force in pushing the frontiers of microrobotics. Devices made of soft active materials are oftentimes small in size, remotely and wirelessly powered/controlled, and capable of adapting themselves to unexpected hurdles. However, nowadays most soft microscale robots are rather simple in terms of design and architecture, and it remains a challenge to create complex 3D soft robots with stimuli-responsive properties. Here, it is suggested that kirigami-based techniques can be useful for fabricating complex 3D robotic structures that can be activated with light. External stress fields introduce out-of-plane deformation of kirigami film actuators made of liquid crystal networks. Such 2D-to-3D structural transformations can give rise to mechanical actuation upon light illumination, thus allowing the realization of kirigami-based light-fuelled robotics. A kirigami rolling robot is demonstrated, where a light beam controls the multigait motion and steers the moving direction in 2D. The device is able to navigate along different routes and moves up a ramp with a slope of 6°. The results demonstrate a facile technique to realize complex and flexible 3D structures with light-activated robotic functions.

中文翻译：

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基于Kirigami的光诱导形状变形和运动。

刺激响应性软致动器的开发是材料科学家的主要任务，已成为推动微型机器人领域前沿的主要动力。由软活性材料制成的设备通常尺寸较小，可以通过远程和无线方式供电/控制，并且能够适应意外的障碍。但是，当今大多数软微型机器人在设计和架构上都相当简单，并且创建具有刺激响应特性的复杂3D软机器人仍然是一个挑战。在这里，建议基于kirigami的技术可用于制造可以被光激活的复杂3D机器人结构。外部应力场会导致由液晶网络制成的激折膜致动器的平面外变形。这种2D到3D的结构转换可以在光照时引起机械驱动，因此可以实现基于激进的以光为燃料的机器人技术。演示了一个激进的滚动机器人，其中光束控制多步态运动并以2D方向控制运动方向。该设备能够沿着不同的路线导航，并以6°的坡度向上倾斜。结果表明，采用光激活的机器人功能可以轻松实现复杂而灵活的3D结构。该设备能够沿着不同的路线导航，并以6°的坡度向上倾斜。结果表明，采用光激活的机器人功能可以轻松实现复杂而灵活的3D结构。该设备能够沿着不同的路线导航，并以6°的坡度向上倾斜。结果表明，采用光激活的机器人功能可以轻松实现复杂而灵活的3D结构。