Abstract

Abstract Normally, robots and micro devices are designed by integrating technologies such as mechanical engineering, control engineering, electronics and information engineering, etc. Recently, inspired by biological motion, soft robots that are capable of moving like living creatures have been developed in robotics. Several kinds of soft actuators, made of soft materials, have been developed. They are They undergo unique motions without the use of mechanical parts such as motors, drive shafts and gears, etc. On the other hand, in biological systems, there are several autonomic phenomena exhibiting spontaneous oscillation that do not require any on?off switching of external stimuli. Examples of these include bowel peristalses and heart beats. Here, I present novel gels and chemical actuators that generate autonomous motions. These motions are powered by the chemical energy of the oscillating reaction.

Biography Shingo Maeda received his B.S., M.S. and D.E. degrees in the Applied Physics from Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan, in 2003, 2005 and 2008 respectively. He has been an Associate Professor with the Engineering Science and Mechanics Department, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan. From 2014 to present, he is a Visiting Professor with the BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Italy. His research interests are polymer gels, soft actuators, and chemical robots.