Science Daily May 18, 2018
During the printing a walker, an international team of researchers (USA – Rutgers University, South Korea) projected light on a light-sensitive solution that becomes a gel. The hydrogel was placed in an electrolyte. Two thin wires applied electricity to trigger motion – walking forward, reversing course and grabbing and moving objects. The speed of the smart gel’s movement is controlled by changing its dimensions (thin is faster than thick), and the gel bends or changes shape depending on the strength of the salty water solution and electric field. It has applications in biomedical engineering and underwater inspections… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
A human-like 3D-printed smart gel walks underwater. Credit: Daehoon Han/Rutgers University-New Brunswick