Self-Propelled\nNanocellulose Aerogel Eco-Robots for\nSelf-Powered Aquatic Environment Perception

Untethered robots utilizing environmental energy for\naquatic information\nperception are significant for human–robot–environment\ninteractions, which require strategies to reconcile self-powered locomotion\nand autonomous sensation. Inspired by rove beetles with Marangoni\npropulsion, we developed a self-propelled nanocellulose aerogel eco-robot\nwith a parallelly patterned electrode array with equal gaps, demonstrating\ncontinuous locomotion on water and simultaneous electricity generation\nvia an unreported continuous solid–liquid sliding contact electrification\nmechanism with sufficient charge transfer. Systematically studying\nthe charge transfer mechanism between the locomotive robot and water\nsurface at different robot geometry, motion status, and diversified\nwater contamination conditions, the self-powered robot achieves locomotion\nstatus self-monitoring and water contaminant concentration detection\nwith a high sensitivity of 99.6%. It also demonstrates water–organism\ninteraction including fish motion perception and monitoring. This\nwork proposes a concept for constructing a smart aquatic ecosystem\nutilizing robots with self-powered mechanical–electrical cooperativity,\ndemonstrating autonomous environmental energy utilization for information\nacquisition and interaction.