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Innovative ‘Claw Machine’ Developed by KAUST Researchers
Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia have engineered an innovative miniature claw machine capable of manipulating a marble-sized ball in response to different chemical vapors. This advancement was detailed in a study published on July 12 in the journal Chem.
The research highlights a significant improvement in soft actuator technology—the components that enable machines to move. Traditional soft actuators have been limited in functionality, often performing only a single type of motion. However, this new composite film exhibits versatility, altering its shape and movement depending on the chemical vapor it encounters.
“It can bend and stretch depending on molecular interactions, which is very sophisticated at this size range,” commented Niveen M. Khashab, a Chemistry Professor at KAUST and one of the authors of the study. She expressed hopes that these findings could pave the way for advanced soft robotics capable of precise and adaptable movements across diverse environments, indicating potential applications in medical devices, industrial automation, and environmental monitoring tools.
To assess the functionality of their claw machine, the researchers first introduced it to acetone vapor. The device successfully grasped a red cotton ball and maneuvered to drop it into a box. When exposed to ethanol vapor, it was able to retrieve the cotton ball from the box, demonstrating its capability for dual-tasking.
Unlike traditional rigid actuators commonly found in hard robots, which are typically constructed from metals or durable plastics, soft actuators offer flexibility and adaptability. This characteristic allows them to perform tasks that are often impractical for their rigid counterparts, leading to their increasing use in advanced fields such as precision agriculture, deep-sea exploration, and wearable technology.
Despite their advantages, soft actuators traditionally face limitations in movement options—they can bend, twist, or stretch, but not in multiple ways simultaneously. While there have been efforts to enhance the range of motion for these devices, many approaches involve integrating various materials, complicating manufacturing processes and raising the likelihood of mechanical failure.
To tackle these limitations, Khashab and her team crafted a claw machine using a polymer matrix embedded with molecular cages containing the organic compound urea. Urea was selected for its ability to form multiple hydrogen bonds, facilitating rapid reconfiguration when exposed to different vapors. This allows precise control over the material’s properties, enabling customizable functionality.
The study suggests that the material can be “effectively programmed to achieve complex movements by judiciously controlling the type and concentration of the vapor stimulus,” the authors noted. “The most remarkable finding was the unique actuation behavior where the soft actuator performed a complex motion involving ‘curvature, stretching, and reverting,’ which had not been reported previously,” Khashab added.
Moving forward, Khashab and her colleagues aim to investigate the energy density of the claw machine and its energy conversion efficiency to further optimize its performance. Additionally, they plan to explore the potential for the claw machine to generate electrical signals when combined with energy-producing materials, with the long-term objective of creating flexible wearable electronic devices.
This research was conducted under the auspices of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).
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