Carbon nanotube yarns are used to make fast, multirotational torsional actuators.

A smart valve is created by 4D printing of hydrogels that are both mechanically robust and thermally actuating. The printed hydrogels are made up of an interpenetrating network of alginate and poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide). 4D structures are created by printing the “dynamic” hydrogel ink alongside other static materials.

Getting the most out of muscles: Materials that convert electrical, chemical, or thermal energy into a shape change can be used to form artificial muscles. Such materials include bimetallic strips or host-guest materials or coiled fibers or yarns (see the Perspective by Tawfick and Tang). Kanik et al. developed a polymer bimorph structure from an elastomer and a semicrystalline polymer where the difference in thermal expansion enabled thermally actuated artificial muscles. Iterative cold stretching of clad fibers could be used to tailor the dimensions and mechanical response, making it simple to produce hundreds of meters of coiled fibers. Mu et al. describe carbon nanotube yarns in which the volume-changing material is placed as a sheath outside the twisted or coiled fiber. This configuration can double the work capacity of tensile muscles. Yuan et al. produced polymer fiber torsional actuators with the ability to store energy that could be recovered on heating. Twisting mechanical deformation was applied to the fibers above the glass transition temperature and then stored via rapid quenching. Science , this issue p. 145 , p. 150 , p. 155 ; see also p. 125

In this review we highlight new developments in tough hydrogel materials in terms of their enhanced mechanical performance and their corresponding toughening mechanisms. These mechanically robust hydrogels have been developed over the past 10 years with many now showing mechanical properties comparable with those of natural tissues. By first reviewing the brittleness of conventional synthetic hydrogels, we introduce each new class of tough hydrogel: homogeneous gels, slip-link gels, double-network gels, nanocomposite gels and gels formed using poly-functional crosslinkers. In each case we provide a description of the fracture process that may be occurring. With the exception of double network gels where the enhanced toughness is quite well understood, these descriptions remain to be confirmed. We also introduce material property charts for conventional and tough synthetic hydrogels to illustrate the wide range of mechanical and swelling properties exhibited by these materials and to highlight links between these properties and the network topology. Finally, we provide some suggestions for further work particularly with regard to some unanswered questions and possible avenues for further enhancement of gel toughness.

Pump it up: Carbon nanotube yarns can be used as electrochemical actuators because infiltration with ions causes a contraction in length and an expansion in diameter. Either positive or negative ions can cause this effect. Chu et al. constructed an all-solid-state muscle that eliminated the need for an electrolyte bath, which may expand the potential for its use in applications. By infiltrating the yarns with charged polymers, the fibers start partially swollen, so the length can increase through the loss of ions. It is thus possible to increase the overall stroke of the muscle. Further, these composite materials show a surprising increase in stroke with scan rate. Science , this issue p. 494

Numerous soft grippers have been developed based on smart materials, pneumatic soft actuators, and underactuated compliant structures. In this article, we present a three-dimensional (3-D) printed omni-purpose soft gripper (OPSOG) that can grasp a wide variety of objects with different weights, sizes, shapes, textures, and stiffnesses. The soft gripper has a unique design that incorporates soft fingers and a suction cup that operate either separately or simultaneously to grasp specific objects. A bundle of 3-D-printable linear soft vacuum actuators (LSOVA) that generate a linear stroke upon activation is employed to drive the tendon-driven soft fingers. The support, fingers, suction cup, and actuation unit of the gripper were printed using a low-cost and open-source fused deposition modeling 3-D printer. A single LSOVA has a blocked force of 30.35 N, a rise time of 94 ms, a bandwidth of 2.81 Hz, and a lifetime of 26 120 cycles. The blocked force and stroke of the actuators are accurately predicted using finite element and analytical models. The OPSOG can grasp at least 20 different objects. The gripper has a maximum payload-to-weight ratio of 7.06, a grip force of 31.31 N, and a tip blocked force of 3.72 N.