Self‐Sustained, Continuous Jumping of a Light‐Driven Electronics‐Free Insect‐Scale Soft Robot

Abstract

Abstract Insects scavenge energy from the environment for self‐sustained operation, and some species use repeated jumping to traverse varied terrain. Such capabilities are desirable for surveillance, disaster recovery, environmental monitoring, and hazardous environment exploration. However, insect‐scale (sub‐gram) robots are typically limited to few jumps due to inefficient integration of energy, actuators, and control. Here, insect‐scale (301 mg) soft robots capable of continuous, autonomous jumping with energy harvesting, actuation, and control embedded in their physical structure without electronics are introduced. Powered by constant light, a single robot achieves 188 nonstop jumps and accumulates over 800 jumps in a year without diminished performance. This behavior is enabled by self‐sustained, repeated snapping (SSRS), a light‐driven mechanism from a self‐shadowing‐induced feedback loop based on dynamic light–material interplay. The SSRS exploits snap‐through instability and self‐shadowing of photoresponsive liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs), enabling untethered, perpetual actuation, and the snapping dynamics are investigated through simulations and experiments. Beyond sustained motion, the robot demonstrates self‐righting, directional jumping, obstacle negotiation, hazardous gas sensing, and extreme load‐bearing (≈1700 times its weight), highlighting potential for disaster recovery, confined‐space exploration, and environmental monitoring. This work advances insect‐scale robotics toward fully autonomous, long‐lived micro‐robots.