Super-adaptive electroactive programmable adhesive materials to challenging surfaces: From intelligent soft robotics to XR haptic interfaces

Abstract

Recently, the intelligent strategies for adapting to multiple challengeable surfaces of electroactive programmable materials integrated with bio-inspired architectures offer expanded directions beyond traditional limitations in soft grippers, medical mobile robots, and XR (Extended Reality) interfaces. These electroactive programmable adhesive materials are adaptively designed for a variety of complex surfaces, including soft, wet, non-flat, or contamination-susceptible feature such as bio-surfaces and vulnerable objects. They can be produced via solution-based methods of replica coating or 3/4-dimensional printing. The integration of electroactive programmable materials and intelligent adhesive architecture enables super-adaptive switchable adhesion to a variety of complex surfaces through control of physical deformation and mechanical properties at the adhesive interface, presenting a breakthrough in soft electro-robotics and extended reality (XR) Haptic interfaces technology. These surface-adaptive platform can provide multiple functionalities that can efficiently control physical deformations of soft bioinspired architectures or transfer physical energy (heat, vibration, pressure) into the engaged surfaces in a lightweight and human-friendly form. This review focuses on intelligent strategies, principles, design, and fabrication methods of super-adaptive electroactive programmable materials intelligently combined with bioinspired switchable adhesives for next-generation human–robot interaction devices, along with current challenges and prospects.