Bioinspired Liquid Crystal Actuators Enable Programmable Climbing and Shape-Shifting Motion

Researchers from Jiangsu University have developed a light-responsive soft robotic platform based on liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) that enables programmable climbing and shape-shifting motion through hierarchical and topological structural programming. The work, reported on October 11, 2025, in the journal Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, demonstrates how controlling molecular orientation and topology can unlock motion patterns including curling, tightening, locomotion, and self-locking in soft robotic systems.

The study presents a hierarchical design strategy that engineers LCEs into programmable structures capable of reversible helix-plane transformation, NIR-controlled climbing, and topology-dependent locking behaviors. By integrating photothermal-responsive silver nanowires and mechanically pre-aligned LCEs, the actuators achieve remote operation, terrain-adaptive grasping, and even koala-like pole climbing. The researchers fabricated LCE films via a two-stage thiol-acrylate reaction and introduced helical pre-programming reaching 1000% strain, which significantly improved molecular alignment verified by Small-Angle X-ray Scattering patterns.

A tri-layer structure (AgNW/LCE/PI) enhanced NIR absorption through localized surface plasmon resonance, enabling efficient photothermal-mechanical conversion. These materials showed reversible helical-to-planar switching, allowing gripping of objects across multi-terrain platforms such as caves, hill slopes and canyons. Under illumination, the actuator contracts with controllable bending angles and stable cyclic performance. A vine-like actuator achieved light-driven climbing through sequential contraction of tail–body–head regions, driven by traveling temperature gradients during NIR scanning, with infrared imaging confirming coordinated heat transfer during climbing on vertical poles.

The team further introduced Möbius topological programming, where 180° twist structures enabled reversible actuation, while 360° twists produced self-locking deformation, forming concentric rings or "8-shaped" states depending on illumination. Based on this mechanism, a koala-inspired climbing device was developed, capable of advancing ~5–7 mm per cycle and climbing inclined rods, even while loaded with 1.6 g. The authors emphasize that the key breakthrough lies in integrating molecular orientation programming with light-triggered topological actuation, noting that hierarchical LCE structures allow actuation modes previously inaccessible to conventional soft robotics.

This design demonstrates how structural programming at molecular and geometric scales unlocks shape-shifting behaviors resembling biological tendrils and animals. The researchers believe the approach offers a general framework for designing future soft robotic systems capable of navigating complex three-dimensional environments. The study presents a scalable strategy for next-generation soft robotics, where a single material system can climb, grasp, anchor, and reconfigure without electronics or rigid actuators. Potential applications include pipeline inspection, minimally invasive surgical tools, environmental exploration, and micromanipulation under NIR guidance.

The programmable Möbius topology provides a new route for mechanical memory and locking structures, enabling energy-efficient locomotion and deployable devices. Future development may focus on integrating sensing modules, increasing response speed and extending operation to untethered autonomous platforms. The work highlights how bioinspired structural logic can transform LCEs into adaptive robotic systems. The research is documented in the journal article available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-025-3418-3.