Bionic Muscle with Dual-Mode Sensing Function Inspired by Plant Tendrils

Abstract

In the fields of intelligent sensing and actuation, the development of bioinspired systems integrating multimodal sensing and high-performance actuation has been a significant challenge. Inspired by the sensory and actuation properties of plant tendrils, this study presents a novel bioinspired artificial muscle system that combines temperature and strain dual-modal sensing functions while exhibiting exceptional actuation performance. The temperature-sensing module is designed based on a combination of magnetic fiber pile and polyvinylidene difluoride ion gel, demonstrating high-sensitivity and excellent linear response, enabling precise detection of environmental temperature variations. The strain-sensing module utilizes a combination of liquid metal and a confinement layer to achieve linear strain detection within a 0–80% strain range, with a sensitivity of 0.01761 and a fitting degree of 0.99601. In terms of actuation performance, the bioinspired artificial muscle generates a maximum output force of 1.75 N under an air pressure of 80 kPa and is capable of driving a bioinspired robotic arm for precise motion control. Furthermore, the system holds great potential for applications in smart agriculture, successfully realizing temperature-sensing-based intelligent regulation of a sunshade umbrella’s opening and closing, thereby providing environmental protection for plants. This research overcomes the limitations of traditional sensors and artificial muscle systems in terms of sensitivity, integration, and durability, offering an innovative solution for flexible robotics and smart agriculture, while also providing valuable insights for the design of future multimodal bioinspired systems.