Self-vectoring electromagnetic soft robots with high operational dimensionality

Soft robots capable of flexible deformations and agile locomotion similar to biological systems are highly desirable for promising applications, including safe human-robot interactions and biomedical engineering. Their achievable degree of freedom and motional deftness are limited by the actuation modes and controllable dimensions of constituent soft actuators. Here, we report self-vectoring electromagnetic soft robots (SESRs) to offer new operational dimensionality via actively and instantly adjusting and synthesizing the interior electromagnetic vectors (EVs) in every flux actuator sub-domain of the robots. As a result, we can achieve high-dimensional operation with fewer actuators and control signals than other actuation methods. We also demonstrate complex and rapid 3D shape morphing, bioinspired multimodal locomotion, as well as fast switches among different locomotion modes all in passive magnetic fields. The intrinsic fast (re)programmability of SESRs, along with the active and selective actuation through self-vectoring control, significantly increases the operational dimensionality and possibilities for soft robots. Achieving efficiently reprogrammable actuation and high operational dimensionality for soft robots with a limited number of actuators are challenging. Here, Li et al. use the vector control to manipulate electromagnetic soft robots enabling reprogrammable shape morphing and multimodal locomotion.