A Versatile Dual-Responsive Shape-Memory Gripper via Additive Manufacturing Toward High-Performance Cross-Scale Objects Maneuvering

Smart grippers serving as soft robotics have garnered extensive attentions owing to their great potentials in medical, biomedical, and industrial fields. Though a diversity of grippers that account for manipulating the small objects (e.g., tiny micrometer-scale droplets) or the big ones (e.g., centimeter-scale screw) has been proposed, however, cross-scale maneuvering of these two species leveraging an all-in-one intelligent gripper is still challenging. Here, a magnet/light dual-responsive shape-memory gripper (DR-SMG) is reported, based on the hybrid of Fe-nanoparticles and shape-memory polymers. Thanks to its photothermal effect, the closed-state DR-SMG switches to the open state under the synergetic cooperation of near-infrared-ray (NIR) and a circinate magnetic field, referring to the temporary state. On the other hand, once the NIR is loaded, the temporary opened DR-SMG would reconfigure to its permanent closed state owing to shape-memory effect. Leveraging this principle, DR-SMG can grasp and release diverse cross-scale objects ranging from micrometers to centimeters including metals, glass balls, polymers, and small liquids. Significantly, this versatile DR-SMG is capable of spatially delivering multifunctional chemical droplets and conductive liquid metals, thereby enabling lab-on-chip and electrical switch applications. This work provides new insights into intelligent grippers and further advances the field of soft robotics.