Click-Beetles-Inspired Light-Driven Continuous Jumping Robots Based on Janus Azobenzene Polymer Films

Azobenzene-mesogen photo-actuator is frequently utilized in diverse bionic motions due to their unparalleled advantages of wireless and reversible actuation. The realm of jumping behavior remains unexplored for azobenzene-based actuators. Inspired by the Click-beetles, here a Janus light-driven jumping robot is achieved through the integration effect of an azobenzene molecule (with a short thermal relaxation time) and a splay alignment. The prepared Azobenzene liquid crystal films exhibit remarkable light-driven continuous jumping capabilities, with jumping heights of 35 body lengths (BL) and takeoff speeds of 0.67 m s −1 (670 BL s −1 ), these data currently surpass the performance of small-mass jumping robots. This research will be helpful for the design of novel actuators and broaden of the application scenarios of azobenzene actuators.