The Polymer Society of Korea

Abstract

Living species use jumping to traverse complex terrains, inspiring soft robotic systems with embedded physical intelligence to mimic such motions. Among these, liquid crystalline polymers (LCPs) offer light-responsive, programmable deformation ideal for small-scale robotics. However, efficient energy release in snap-through motions is hindered by a trade-off between stiffness and initial curvature. Here, we spatially program mechanical stiffness of LCPs to overcome this limitation, achieving multi-modal photomechanical jumping under uniform light. Stiffness mismatch induces localized curvature, enhancing strain responsivity while preserving initial curvature. By controlling symmetry of adapted patterns, we demonstrate direction-selective jumping, corroborated by finite element simulations. Integrating stiffness variation with geometric asymmetry enables a dual-mode jumping, along with sequential and consecutive jumps, offering an adaptive strategy for high-performance soft actuators.