Monolithic Film Micro Robot Integrated with Temperature and Strain Sensor for Feedback Control Fabricated by Kinetic Electronics Technique

In recent years, soft robots composed of flexible materials and powered by soft actuators have attracted considerable attention due to their light weight, safety, and adaptability. We have developed a monolithic film robot, a type of soft robot that is lightweight, operates at low voltage, and exhibits high durability. The film robot consists of an actuator film made of polyimide and polypropylene, enabling large curvature changes and generating significant force relative to its weight. The actuator mechanism is a thermally driven bimorph controlled by an embedded electrical circuit. To form complex electronic circuitry, we developed two manufacturing processes: one using the stencil mask process with acrylic masks and the other using the photolithography process. This process enabled the integration of temperature and strain sensors on the film robot, demonstrating repeatability and durability over thousands of actuation cycles. Our research extends the potential of soft robotics to applications at the interface between organisms and machines. Future work will focus on improving photolithographic accuracy and further miniaturizing and enhancing soft microrobots.