Pressure‐Perceptive Actuators for Tactile Soft Robots and Visual Logic Devices

TLDR

Soft actuators with sensing capabilities are crucial for intelligent robots and human–computer interactions, yet existing perceptive actuators require multiple functional units and complex circuitry. The authors present a new pressure‑perceptive actuator that integrates sensing, actuation, and decision‑making at the material level without complex combinations. The actuator consists of a CNT‑silk‑polymer composite actuating unit driven by low‑voltage Joule heating and a pressure‑sensing unit whose current is modulated by tactile pressure. The integrated actuator modulates deformation amplitude through applied pressure, enabling a portable tactile‑activated gripper and visual logic gates (AND, OR, NOT) that convert tactile inputs into visible deformations, offering a new route for intelligent soft robots and next‑generation logic devices.

Abstract

Abstract Soft actuators with sensing capabilities are important in intelligent robots and human–computer interactions. However, present perceptive actuating systems rely on the integration of multiple functional units with complex circuit design. Here, a new‐type pressure‐perceptive actuator is reported, which integrates functions of sensing, actuating, and decision making at material level without complex combination. The actuator is composed of an actuating unit and a pressure‐sensing unit, both of which are fabricated by carbon nanotube (CNT), silk, and polymer composite. On the one hand, the actuating unit can be driven by low voltages (<13 V), owing to a Joule‐heating effect. On the other hand, the current passing the pressure‐sensing unit can be controlled by tactile pressure. In the integrated actuator, it is able to control the deformation amplitude of actuating unit by applying different pressures on the pressure‐sensing unit. A portable tactile‐activated gripper is fabricated to operate an object through pressure control, demonstrating its application in tactile soft robots. Finally, three visual logic gates (AND, OR, and NOT) are proposed, which convert “tactile” inputs into “visible” deformation outputs, using the CNT‐silk‐based material for sensing and actuating in the decision‐making process. This study provides a new path for intelligent soft robots and new‐generation logic devices.