Multi-material 3D printing of rigid-flexible heterogeneous coupling biomimetic magnetically driven high-speed soft robots
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Magnetically driven soft robots exhibit notable promise in biomedical and field exploration owing to their contactless actuation and high adaptability; however, they face challenges such as low velocity, complex architectures, and cumbersome fabrication. This study presents a simplified rigid-flexible heterogeneous coupling architecture that separates a magnetic composite film into an Ecoflex substrate and a high-magnetic-content unit (87 wt% NdFeB). The interfacial strength is enhanced by mesh‑grid interlocking, thereby constructing a rigid-flexible system. Moreover, the proposed architecture utilizes multi-material direct-writing 3D printing to address the limitations of conventional stepwise fabrication, realizing integrated molding of Ecoflex/NdFeB units and material-structure-function co-manufacturing. This design optimizes magnetic-force coupling efficiency, yielding a motion speed of 65.2 mm/s (2.14 body lengths/s) at 3.33 Hz. It outperforms existing counterparts (1.1 body lengths/s), and demonstrates stable performance on 45° inclines, rough surfaces, under load, and underwater. The quadruped robot derived from this design enables 8-DOF multidirectional motion, providing an innovative pathway for high-speed heavy-duty soft robot development.
Source: Additive Manufacturing Frontiers
Institution: Qingdao University of Technology
Language: English
Subfield: Biomedical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7222257929