Magnetic Joint-Mediated Assembly of Optically Actuated Soft Robots with Adaptable Modal Switching

Soft robots based on optically responsive smart materials have attracted extensive research interest for their unique capabilities. However, achieving adaptive, multifunctional mode switching remains challenging. Inspired by wrist rotation, considering the high response speed, miniaturization, and discrete programmability of magnetic actuators, we designed magnetic joints with different magnetization profiles. An assembly method was further proposed, utilizing magnetic actuator materials as joints and optical actuator materials as the skeleton. This approach enables functional synergy while realizing actuation decoupling. Through this functional allocation, the optical skeleton focuses on functional execution, while the magnetic joints concentrate on multimodal adjustment, thereby designing complex and hybrid driving behaviors. This endows soft robots with enhanced maneuverability through multimodal switching capabilities, demonstrating excellent adaptability across diverse operational environments. This approach can provide solutions for the future expansion of soft robot application scenarios and their integration with other functional devices.