The ability to grip and handle small objects, from sub-millimeter electronic components to single-micrometer living cells, is vital for numerous ever-shrinking technologies. Mechanical grippers, powered by electric, pneumatic, hydraulic or piezoelectric servos, are well suited for the job at larger scales, but their complexity and need for force transmission prevent their miniaturization and remote control in tight spaces. Using liquid crystal elastomer microstructures that can change shape quickly and reversibly in response to light, a light-powered gripping tool-optical pliers-is built by growing two bending jaws on the tips of optical fibers. By delivering UV light to trigger polymerization via a micrometer-size fiber core, structures of similar size can be made without resorting to any microfabrication technology, such as laser photolithography. The tool is operated using visible light energy supplied through the fibers, with no force transmission. The elastomer growth technique readily offers micrometer-scale, remotely controlled functional structures with different modes of actuation as building blocks for the microtoolbox.
Keywords: liquid crystal elastomers; microgrippers; microrobotics; microtools; photomechanics.
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