Programmable soft robot as well as preparation method and preparation mold thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a preparation method of a programmable soft robot. The preparation method comprises the following steps: mixing magnetic particles, Ecoflex, PDMS and a curing agent according to a certain mass ratio, and stirring to obtain a magnetic response soft material; preparing a male mold and a female mold, assembling to form a preparation mold, and curing the magnetic response soft material in the preparation mold to obtain the soft robot; the solidified magnetic response material is magnetized and heated at the same time, and the programmable soft-bodied robot is obtained; and after cooling to the room temperature, opening the preparation mold, and taking out the programmable soft robot. The invention further discloses the programmable soft-bodied robot and a preparation mold of the programmable soft-bodied robot. The process is simple, the manufacturing cost is low, a programmable three-dimensional magnetic domain distribution structure is rapidly achieved through an in-situ heat-assisted magnetizing method, magnetic domain distribution is accurately controlled, the programmable soft robot has the multi-mode movement capacity and can execute transportation tasks in the liquid environment, and directional operation and accurate control are achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of robot technology, and in particular to a programmable soft robot and a preparation method and a preparation mold thereof. Background Art

[0002] Soft robots have excellent flexibility and adaptability, can move in various complex environments, and are widely used in the biomedical field, especially in minimally invasive surgery and drug delivery. Magnetic drive technology provides a wireless and non-contact control method for soft robots. By embedding magnetic particles in soft materials, the robots can respond to external magnetic fields to achieve complex movements and deformations. Among them, constructing a programmable three-dimensional magnetic domain distribution structure in soft materials is a key technology to achieve the expected movement and deformation of soft robots under the action of external magnetic fields.

[0003] Current magnetic domain preparation technologies include dip coating, bioabsorption, direct ink writing, UV lithography, multi-material printing, and surface spraying. The process flow of dip coating, UV lithography, etc. is complex and the manufacturing efficiency is low. The accuracy and consistency of methods such as bioabsorption and direct ink writing are difficult to guarantee. The magnetic domain distribution of methods such as surface spraying is not uniform and stable enough. Although multi-material printing can achieve layered magnetic domains, it has high equipment requirements and low processing efficiency. These methods generally have problems such as complex processes, expensive equipment, high manufacturing costs, and difficulty in accurately controlling the magnetic domain distribution. Most of them are difficult to achieve programmable three-dimensional magnetic domain distribution structures, which seriously limits the functional realization and practical application of magnetically controlled soft robots. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the deficiencies in the prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide a programmable soft robot and a preparation method and a preparation mold thereof.

[0005] In order to achieve the above purpose, the technical solution provided by an embodiment of the present invention is as follows:

[0006] A method for preparing a programmable soft robot comprises the following steps:

[0007] (1) mixing magnetic particles, Ecoflex, PDMS and a curing agent in a certain mass ratio and stirring to obtain a magnetically responsive soft material;

[0008] (2) preparing a male mold having a first pouring hole, a female mold having a first cavity, a second cavity, a first receiving groove and a plurality of second receiving grooves, assembling the male mold and the female mold to form a preparation mold, slowly pouring the magnetic responsive soft material along the first pouring hole on the male mold, the magnetic responsive soft material entering the first cavity and the second cavity of the female mold, and then curing the magnetic responsive soft material to obtain a soft robot;

[0009] (3) magnetizing and heating the solidified magnetic responsive material to obtain a programmable soft robot;

[0010] (4) After cooling to room temperature, open the preparation mold and take out the programmable soft robot.

[0011] As a further improvement of the present invention, the step (1) includes: mixing NdFeB magnetic particles with a diameter of 5±0.5 μm, Ecoflex 00-30, PDMS and a curing agent in a mass ratio of 3:2:1:0.1, stirring to obtain a magnetically responsive soft material, degassing the magnetically responsive soft material, and when no bubbles appear on the surface of the magnetically responsive soft material, the degassing is considered to be completed.

[0012] As a further improvement of the present invention, the temperature for curing the magnetically responsive soft material in step (2) is 100-130° C. and the time is 1-1.5 h.

[0013] As a further improvement of the present invention, the step (3) includes: respectively embedding a plurality of first permanent magnets into a first receiving groove and a plurality of second receiving grooves of a master mold, and heating the mold to a temperature of 100-130° C. and a heating time of 8-12 minutes to prepare magnetic domains; or placing a preparation mold containing a solidified magnetically responsive soft material between two second permanent magnets aligned up and down, and axially magnetizing the whole mold, and heating the mold to a temperature of 100-130° C. and a heating time of 8-12 minutes to prepare magnetic domains.

[0014] As a further improvement of the present invention, the preparation mold in step (2) is made by a 3D printer, the exposure time of the overexposure layer is 40-60 seconds, the number of layers is 7-10 layers, the exposure time of the solidified layer is 2s, and the layer thickness is 0.05mm.

[0015] A programmable soft robot, using the method for preparing the programmable soft robot, comprising:

[0016] a base portion, the base portion being magnetized in an axial direction;

[0017] A plurality of feet are connected to the base at intervals along the circumferential direction, and each of the feet is magnetized along its normal direction or each of the feet is magnetized along the axial direction.

[0018] As a further improvement of the present invention, the base is in a spherical crown shape; and / or the foot is in an outwardly convex arc shape; and / or the number of the foot is four.

[0019] A preparation mold, used for preparing the programmable soft robot, comprising:

[0020] A male mold, the male mold comprising a male mold body, a plurality of first pouring holes arranged on the male mold body, at least one exhaust hole and at least one first positioning portion, and a convex portion is arranged at the center of the male mold body;

[0021] A mother mold, the mother mold comprising a mother mold body, a concave cavity arranged on the mother mold body, a plurality of second pouring holes and at least one second positioning portion, the bottom wall of the concave cavity is provided with a first cavity, the side walls of the concave cavity are provided with a plurality of second cavities at intervals along the circumferential direction, the first cavity is connected with the second cavity, the convex portion is fitted in the concave cavity, the first pouring hole corresponds to the second pouring hole, the second pouring hole is connected with the corresponding second cavity, and the first positioning portion is matched with the second positioning portion.

[0022] As a further improvement of the present invention, the outer bottom wall of the mother mold body is provided with a first accommodating groove, and the first accommodating groove is arranged corresponding to the first cavity. The outer side wall of the mother mold body is circumferentially provided with a plurality of second accommodating grooves, and the plurality of second accommodating grooves are arranged corresponding to the plurality of second cavities.

[0023] As a further improvement of the present invention, the first positioning portion is a first positioning pin or a first positioning hole, and the second positioning portion is a second positioning hole or a second positioning pin matched with the first positioning pin or the first positioning hole.

[0024] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0025] (1) Through the in-situ heat-assisted magnetization method, a programmable three-dimensional magnetic domain distribution structure is quickly realized, the magnetic domain distribution is precisely controlled, and the molding of the soft robot and the preparation of the magnetic domain are carried out simultaneously, realizing the integration of the soft robot molding and the preparation of the magnetic domain. This not only simplifies the manufacturing process, but also realizes the construction of a three-dimensional programmable magnetic domain distribution structure. The magnetic domain can be prepared for a three-dimensional multifunctional robot with a complex structure, which is of great significance to promoting the development and practical application of magnetically controlled soft robot technology.

[0026] (2) Magnetic domains in different directions can be prepared for various parts of the soft robot so that the prepared soft robot has multi-modal complex motion functions. The programmable soft robot of the present invention has multi-modal motion capabilities such as rolling and crawling, and can perform transportation tasks in a liquid environment, achieving directional operation and precise control.

[0027] (3) Combining simple materials, low-cost molds and efficient molding processes, it overcomes the traditional high-precision equipment requirements and the complexity of magnetic domain design. The process route is simple, the magnetic domain design method is simple, the cost is low, no complex and expensive equipment is required, and the manufacturing efficiency is high.

[0028] In summary, the present invention provides an in-situ thermally assisted magnetization method, which integrates thermally assisted magnetization and mold preparation technology, proposes a low-cost, easy-to-operate three-dimensional magnetic domain programming scheme, and realizes the precise construction of three-dimensional programmable magnetic domain distribution and the simultaneous forming of soft robots, greatly simplifies the process and improves efficiency, thereby realizing the efficient preparation of complex magnetic structures of soft robots; by optimizing the material ratio and the process parameters of the thermally assisted magnetization temperature, the magnetic response ability is significantly enhanced while maintaining excellent mechanical properties and flexibility, and the effect is comparable to the magnetization effect of commercial magnetization equipment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0030] Figure 1 A flowchart of a method for preparing a programmable soft robot according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 2 The graphs of the magnetic flux density and thermal auxiliary temperature of magnetically responsive soft materials at different temperatures;

[0032] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a programmable soft robot according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 4 A front view of a programmable soft robot according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 5 A bottom view of a programmable soft robot according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a state in which the base of a programmable soft robot according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is magnetized along the axial direction and each foot is magnetized along its normal direction;

[0036] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the overall axial magnetization of the programmable soft robot, a magnetic domain distribution diagram, and an action diagram of applying an external magnetic field according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 8 A posture diagram of a programmable soft robot before and after a magnetic field is applied to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Fig. 9 A magnetic flux density distribution diagram of a programmable soft robot when a magnetic field is applied to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Fig.10 A programmable soft robot of a preferred embodiment of the present invention forms a variation diagram of a first type of robot performing a tumbling motion;

[0040] Fig.11 A programmable soft robot according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention forms a variation diagram of a first type of robot performing crawling motion;

[0041] Fig.12 Forming a motion graph for a programmable soft robot to perform a second type of robot-object transport task;

[0042] Fig.13 A schematic structural diagram of a male mold for preparing a mold according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Fig.14 A top view of a male mold for preparing a mold according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Fig.15 A front view of a male mold for preparing a mold according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] Fig.16 A schematic structural diagram of a master mold for preparing a mold according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0046] Fig.17 A top view of a master mold for preparing a mold according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] Fig.18 for Fig.17 BB section view;

[0048] In the figure: 1. Programmable soft robot, 2. Base, 3. Foot, 4. Preparation mold, 5. Male mold, 51. Male mold body, 52. First pouring hole, 53. Exhaust hole, 54. First positioning portion, 55. Protrusion, 6. Female mold, 61. Female mold body, 611. First accommodating groove, 612. Second accommodating groove, 62. Concave cavity, 63. Second pouring hole, 64. Second positioning portion, 65. First cavity, 66. Second cavity. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in the present invention, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0050] The present application embodiment discloses a method for preparing a programmable soft robot 1, comprising the following steps:

[0051] (1) mixing magnetic particles, Ecoflex, PDMS and a curing agent in a certain mass ratio and stirring to obtain a magnetically responsive soft material;

[0052] (2) preparing a male mold having a first pouring hole, a female mold having a first cavity, a second cavity, a first receiving groove and a plurality of second receiving grooves, assembling the male mold and the female mold to form a preparation mold, slowly pouring the magnetic responsive soft material along the first pouring hole on the male mold, the magnetic responsive soft material entering the first cavity and the second cavity of the female mold, and then curing the magnetic responsive soft material to obtain a soft robot;

[0053] (3) magnetizing and heating the solidified magnetic responsive material to obtain a programmable soft robot 1;

[0054] (4) After cooling to room temperature, open the preparation mold and take out the programmable soft robot 1.

[0055] The preparation method of the present invention is simple, has a low preparation cost, does not require expensive equipment, and improves the magnetic permeability at high temperature through an in-situ heat-assisted magnetization method, thereby more efficiently achieving precise alignment of the magnetic moments of the particles, greatly increasing the magnetization effect of the magnetically responsive soft material. Compared with room temperature, the magnetization effect under heating is greatly improved, and a programmable three-dimensional magnetic domain distribution structure is quickly realized, and the magnetic domain distribution is precisely controlled, so that the prepared programmable software robot is integrated with the in-situ molding and creation of the programmable three-dimensional magnetic domain structure in the preparation mold, thereby improving the preparation efficiency.

[0056] Preferably, step (1) comprises: mixing NdFeB magnetic particles with a diameter of 5±0.5 μm, Ecoflex 00-30, PDMS and a curing agent in a mass ratio of 3:2:1:0.1, stirring to obtain a magnetically responsive soft material, degassing the magnetically responsive soft material, and when no bubbles appear on the surface of the magnetically responsive soft material, the degassing is considered to be completed.

[0057] Preferably, the temperature for curing the magnetically responsive soft material in step (2) is 100-130°C, the time is 1-1.5h, and the air trapped in the first cavity 65 and the second cavity 66 is discharged from the exhaust hole 53 on the male mold 5. Preferably, the preparation mold 4 in step (2) is made by a 3D printer, the exposure time of the overexposure layer is 40-60 seconds, the number of layers is 7-10 layers, the exposure time of the cured layer is 2s, and the layer thickness is 0.05mm.

[0058] Preferably, step (3) comprises: embedding a plurality of first permanent magnets 71 into the first receiving groove 611 and a plurality of second receiving grooves 612 of the master mold 6, respectively, and heating the plurality of first permanent magnets 71 at a temperature of 100-130° C. for a heating time of 8-12 minutes to prepare magnetic domains; or

[0059] The preparation mold containing the solidified magnetically responsive soft material is placed between two second permanent magnets 72 aligned vertically, and the whole is axially magnetized while heating at a temperature of 100-130° C. for 8-12 minutes to prepare magnetic domains.

[0060] In order to better illustrate the method for preparing the programmable soft robot of this embodiment, the preparation steps are described in detail below. Figure 1 shown.

[0061] Step 1: Prepare magnetically responsive soft materials. NdFeB magnetic particles with a diameter of 5 μm, Ecoflex 00-30, PDMS and curing agent are mixed in a beaker at a mass ratio of 3:2:1:0.1, stirred at a speed of 1000 r / min for 10 minutes with an electric stirrer, and finally placed in a vacuum dryer and degassed with a vacuum pump. After 10 minutes, no bubbles appear on the surface of the mixture, and degassing is completed to obtain a magnetically responsive soft material.

[0062] Step 2, preparation of the mold. The mold is manufactured using a light-curing 3D printer with an accuracy of 0.05mm. The printing material is a high-temperature resistant photosensitive resin, which can prevent the mold 4 from deforming or cracking during the heat-assisted magnetization process. In the slicing step, the male mold 5 and the female mold 6 are rotated 45° clockwise along the x-axis of the printer, and supports are added. The exposure time of the overexposed layer is 50 seconds, the number of layers is 8, the exposure time of the cured layer is 2s, and the layer thickness is 0.05mm. The printed mold is then placed in alcohol to clean the residual resin, and ultraviolet light is used for deep curing to improve the strength and hardness of the mold. Finally, XTC-3D is used to brush the inside of the mold cavity to eliminate the layer lines, ensure that the cavity is smooth and easy to demold.

[0063] Step 3: First, assemble the male mold and the female mold into a preparation mold, and slowly pour the magnetically responsive soft material along the first pouring hole on the male mold. Put the preparation mold into an electric constant temperature vacuum drying oven at 120° C. for curing for 1 hour.

[0064] Step four, embed a first permanent magnet 71 into the first receiving groove 611 on the mother mold 6, and embed four second permanent magnets 72 into the four second receiving grooves 612 on the mother mold 6 respectively, continue to heat at 120°C for 10 minutes to prepare magnetic domains to obtain a programmable soft robot, and finally wait for it to cool naturally to room temperature, open the preparation mold 4, and use plastic tweezers to extract the programmable soft robot.

[0065] Among them, step four can also adopt the following steps: place the preparation mold 4 containing the solidified magnetic responsive soft material between two third permanent magnets 73 aligned up and down, and axially magnetize the whole, and heat it at 120°C for 10 minutes to prepare magnetic domains to obtain another programmable soft robot, and finally wait for it to cool naturally to room temperature, open the preparation mold 4, and extract the programmable soft robot with plastic tweezers.

[0066] In order to verify the effectiveness of the thermally assisted magnetization method, the magnetic flux density of magnetically responsive soft materials at different temperatures was tested. Figure 2 As shown, with the increase of temperature, the magnetic flux density of the sample shows a trend of first increasing rapidly and then tending to stabilize. When the temperature increases from 20°C to 120°C, the magnetic flux density increases from 4.7mT to 9.5mT, an increase of about 200%. When the temperature continues to increase to 160°C, the magnetic flux density remains basically stable at around 9.5mT. This shows that 120°C is the optimal thermally assisted magnetization temperature. It also shows that by increasing the magnetic permeability at high temperatures, the precise alignment of the magnetic moments of the particles can be more efficiently achieved, greatly increasing the magnetization effect of the magnetically responsive soft material. Compared with room temperature, the magnetization effect at 120°C is increased by 200%.

[0067] See also Figure 3-Figure 5 The embodiment of the present application discloses a programmable soft robot 1, comprising a base 2 and a plurality of feet 3. The base 2 is magnetic, and the base 2 is magnetized in the axial direction. The plurality of feet 3 are all magnetic, and the plurality of feet 3 are connected to the base 2 at intervals in the circumferential direction, and each foot 3 is magnetized in the normal direction thereof or each foot 3 is magnetized in the axial direction.

[0068] In this embodiment, the base 2 and the plurality of feet 3 are integrally connected, which improves the connection stability between the base 2 and the plurality of feet 3 and facilitates the movement of the programmable soft robot. The base 2 and the plurality of feet 3 are both made of magnetically responsive soft materials.

[0069] In this embodiment, the base 2 is in a spherical crown shape, and a plurality of feet 3 are respectively connected to the lower edge of the base 2. The feet 3 are in an outwardly convex arc shape, which improves the stability of the feet 3 on the work surface and facilitates the deformation of the feet 3. The number of the feet 3 is four, but it can be understood that the number of the feet 3 can be set to three, five or even more according to actual needs.

[0070] See also Figure 6 , showing a programmable soft robot 1 whose base 2 is magnetized axially and each foot 3 is magnetized along its normal direction to create a programmable three-dimensional magnetic domain distribution structure, forming the first type of robot, which is capable of rolling and crawling movements.

[0071] See also Figure 7 -(a) shows a schematic diagram of the state in which the programmable soft robot 1 is axially magnetized as a whole, that is, the base 2 and each foot 3 are axially magnetized. The overall magnetic domain distribution is as follows Figure 7 -(b), the directions of the magnetic moments of various parts are consistent to form a second type of robot. Figure 7 - (c) shows that when a small external magnetic field is applied, the four feet 3 of the second type of robot gather toward the center of the magnetic field to form a grasping action. This second type of robot can perform object transportation tasks.

[0072] Figure 8 -(a) is the initial posture of the first type of robot when it is not affected by the magnetic field, Figure 8 -(b) is the deformation that occurs when an external magnetic field is applied in the Z-axis direction. Fig. 9 The magnetic flux density distribution measured at the matrix points on the surface of the first type of robot is shown, clearly showing that the locations with the highest magnetization intensity are at the top of the robot base 2 and the four feet 3.

[0073] The first type of robot has stable tumbling motion capability. By applying an external magnetic field of 20mT and controlling the magnetic field to rotate counterclockwise, the robot can achieve continuous 360-degree clockwise tumbling. Fig.10 As shown, the direction of the external magnetic field begins to rotate, and the robot lifts one foot 3 to form a tilted posture; the external magnetic field is gradually increased, the center of gravity of the robot moves in the tilted direction, and the robot begins to roll. The four feet 3 are lifted one by one under the drive of the magnetic field, and a continuous rolling effect is generated. When the strength and direction of the external magnetic field are adjusted to the initial state, the robot completes a 360-degree flip, and the robot moves about 50 mm in each rolling cycle.

[0074] The first type of robot can also imitate the crawling of inchworms. Fig.11 As shown in the figure, by controlling the external magnetic field to change back and forth between 20-100mT, the robot can perform periodic stretching and contraction movements to achieve forward crawling movement, with each crawling step moving forward about 3mm. During the crawling movement, the robot's height can be maintained at 2-4mm, which greatly compresses the movement space compared to the 9mm height in the initial posture, demonstrating its ability to move flexibly in a highly narrow space.

[0075] The second type of robot has the ability to perform object transportation tasks. Fig.12As shown, in the experiment in the liquid environment, the robot can move horizontally under the action of an external magnetic field of 10mT in the initial posture. Through the gap between the feet, a regular tetrahedron, a cube and a sphere with a width of 5mm can be covered. When the external magnetic field strength is increased to 100mT, the four feet 3 of the robot gather toward the center to complete the grasping of the object. The robot can maintain the grasping action and move horizontally under an external magnetic field of 100mT to complete the transportation task. After reaching the target location, the external magnetic field strength is reduced to 10mT, and the four feet 3 of the robot open and return to their original state. In addition, the robot can slightly move the position of the object by adjusting one of the feet 3 to ensure the precise placement of the object.

[0076] See also Figure 13-Figure 18 The embodiment of the present application also discloses a preparation mold 4 for preparing a programmable soft robot 1, including a male mold 5 and a female mold 6. The male mold 5 includes a male mold body 51, a plurality of first pouring holes 52 arranged on the male mold body 51, at least one exhaust hole 53 and at least one first positioning portion 54, and a convex portion 55 is arranged at the center of the male mold body 51. The female mold 6 includes a female mold body 61, a concave cavity 62 arranged on the female mold body 61, a plurality of second pouring holes 63 and at least one second positioning portion 64, a first cavity 65 is arranged on the bottom wall of the concave cavity 62, a plurality of second cavities 66 are arranged on the side wall of the concave cavity 62 at intervals along the circumferential direction, the first cavity 65 is connected with the second cavity 66, the convex portion 55 is matched in the concave cavity 62, the first pouring hole 52 corresponds to the second pouring hole 63, the second pouring hole 63 is connected with the corresponding second cavity 66, and the first positioning portion 54 is matched with the second positioning portion 64.

[0077] The preparation mold 4 provided by the present invention can facilitate the molding of the programmable soft robot 1, and can be magnetized during molding to achieve a complex distributed magnetic domain distribution, while enabling large-scale production.

[0078] The assembly of the preparation mold 4 is completed by the close cooperation of the first positioning portion 54 and the second positioning portion 64. The magnetically responsive soft material flows from the first pouring hole 52 of the male mold 5 into the second pouring hole 63 of the female mold 6, and then flows into the multiple second cavities 66 and the first cavity 65. The setting of the convex portion 55 can prevent the magnetically responsive soft material from being filled in the concave cavity 62. The setting of the exhaust hole 53 of the male mold 5 is used for degassing after the pouring is completed, so as to improve the molding quality of the programmable soft robot. It is formed by curing in the first cavity 65 and the multiple second cavities 66.

[0079] Preferably, the outer bottom wall of the female mold body 61 is provided with a first receiving groove 611, and the first receiving groove 611 is arranged corresponding to the first cavity 65. The outer side wall of the female mold body 61 is provided with a plurality of second receiving grooves 612 along the circumferential direction, and the plurality of second receiving grooves 612 are arranged corresponding to the plurality of second cavities 66. By embedding the first permanent magnet 71 in the first receiving groove 611 and embedding the plurality of second permanent magnets 72 in the plurality of second receiving grooves 612, please refer to Fig.17 , so that the base 2 of the programmable soft robot 1 is axially magnetized and each foot 3 is magnetized along its normal direction, realizing a complex distributed magnetic domain distribution, integrating in-situ forming with the creation of a programmable three-dimensional magnetic domain structure, and improving manufacturing efficiency.

[0080] Alternatively, the preparation mold 4 may be placed between two third permanent magnets 73 aligned vertically, see Figure 4 , achieving overall axial magnetization of the base 2 and multiple feet 3.

[0081] Preferably, the first positioning portion 54 is a first positioning pin, and the second positioning portion 64 is a first positioning hole. However, it is understandable that the first positioning portion 54 may also be a second positioning hole, and the second positioning portion 64 may be a second positioning pin matched with the second positioning hole.

[0082] The number of the second cavities 66 corresponds to the feet 3 of the programmable soft robot 1 to be formed. When the number of the feet 3 is four, the number of the second cavities 66 is four; when the number of the feet 3 is three, five or more, the number of the second cavities 66 is three, five or more.

[0083] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above and that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential features of the invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered exemplary and non-limiting in all respects, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, and it is intended that all variations falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims be included in the invention. Any reference numeral in a claim should not be considered as limiting the claim to which it relates.

[0084] In addition, it should be understood that although the present specification is described according to implementation modes, not every implementation mode contains only one independent technical solution. This description of the specification is only for the sake of clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each embodiment may also be appropriately combined to form other implementation modes that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a programmable soft robot, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: (1) mixing magnetic particles, Ecoflex, PDMS and a curing agent in a certain mass ratio and stirring to obtain a magnetically responsive soft material; (2) preparing a male mold having a first pouring hole, a female mold having a first cavity, a second cavity, a first receiving groove and a plurality of second receiving grooves, assembling the male mold and the female mold to form a preparation mold, slowly pouring the magnetic responsive soft material along the first pouring hole on the male mold, the magnetic responsive soft material entering the first cavity and the second cavity of the female mold, and then curing the magnetic responsive soft material to obtain a soft robot; (3) magnetizing and heating the solidified magnetic responsive material to obtain a programmable soft robot; (4) After cooling to room temperature, open the preparation mold and take out the programmable soft robot.

2. The method for preparing a programmable soft robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step (1) comprises: mixing NdFeB magnetic particles with a diameter of 5±0.5 μm, Ecoflex 00-30, PDMS and a curing agent in a mass ratio of 3:2:1:0.1, stirring to obtain a magnetically responsive soft material, and degassing the magnetically responsive soft material. When no bubbles appear on the surface of the magnetically responsive soft material, the degassing is considered to be completed.

3. The method for preparing a programmable soft robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the step (2), the temperature for curing the magnetically responsive soft material is 100-130° C. and the time is 1-1.5 h.

4. The method for preparing a programmable soft robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step (3) comprises: embedding a plurality of first permanent magnets into a first receiving groove and a plurality of second receiving grooves of a master mold respectively, and heating the plurality of first permanent magnets at a temperature of 100-130° C. for a heating time of 8-12 minutes to prepare magnetic domains; or The preparation mold containing the solidified magnetically responsive soft material is placed between two second permanent magnets aligned up and down, and the whole is axially magnetized. At the same time, the heating temperature is 100-130°C and the heating time is 8-12 minutes to prepare magnetic domains.

5. The method for preparing a programmable soft robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The preparation mold in step (2) is made by a 3D printer, the exposure time of the over-exposure layer is 40-60 seconds, the number of layers is 7-10 layers, the exposure time of the solidified layer is 2 seconds, and the layer thickness is 0.05 mm.

6. A programmable soft robot, characterized in that: The method for preparing a programmable soft robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5 comprises: a base portion, the base portion being magnetized in an axial direction; A plurality of feet are connected to the base at intervals along the circumferential direction, and each of the feet is magnetized along its normal direction or each of the feet is magnetized along the axial direction.

7. The soft robot according to claim 6, characterized in that: The base is spherical; and / or The foot is in an outwardly convex arc shape; and / or The number of the feet is four.

8. A preparation mold, characterized in that: For preparing a programmable soft robot as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 7, comprising: A male mold, the male mold comprising a male mold body, a plurality of first pouring holes arranged on the male mold body, at least one exhaust hole and at least one first positioning portion, and a convex portion is arranged at the center of the male mold body; A mother mold, the mother mold comprising a mother mold body, a concave cavity arranged on the mother mold body, a plurality of second pouring holes and at least one second positioning portion, the bottom wall of the concave cavity is provided with a first cavity, the side walls of the concave cavity are provided with a plurality of second cavities at intervals along the circumferential direction, the first cavity is connected with the second cavity, the convex portion is fitted in the concave cavity, the first pouring hole corresponds to the second pouring hole, the second pouring hole is connected with the corresponding second cavity, and the first positioning portion is matched with the second positioning portion.

9. The preparation mold according to claim 8, characterized in that: The outer bottom wall of the mother mold body is provided with a first accommodating groove, and the first accommodating groove is arranged corresponding to the first cavity. The outer side wall of the mother mold body is circumferentially provided with a plurality of second accommodating grooves, and the plurality of second accommodating grooves are arranged corresponding to the plurality of second cavities.

10. The preparation mold according to claim 8, characterized in that: The first positioning portion is a first positioning pin or a first positioning hole, and the second positioning portion is a second positioning hole or a second positioning pin matched with the first positioning pin or the first positioning hole.

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