A light-fueled self-rolling unicycle with a liquid crystal elastomer rod engine

Active materials hold substantial potential for self-sustaining motion, however, the dependency on movable light or extensive area illumination in current structures often restricts the design and practical deployment of such active machines. In this study, we report a novel zero-energy-mode, self-rolling unicycle equipped with a liquid crystal elastomer rod engine, which fueled by a fixed, small-area light source. By employing an elaborate dynamic model for liquid crystal elastomer, we derive the lateral curvature of the liquid crystal elastomer rod and the driving moment necessary for the unicycle's self-rolling. The study results demonstrate that the self-rolling of the unicycle is driven by a moment induced by the shift in the center of gravity of the curved liquid crystal elastomer rod. Our numerical simulations indicate the presence of a supercritical Hopf bifurcation point delineating the transition between the self-rolling mode and the static mode within the unicycle system. Additionally, the rolling velocity of the unicycle relies on a handful of key system parameters, notably including light intensity, light penetration depth, length of the liquid crystal elastomer rod, rolling friction coefficient, total mass of the unicycle, and wheel radius of the unicycle. The experimental validation of a self-rolling unicycle with zero-energy-mode has been conducted. The self-rolling unicycle constructed in this paper has excellent characteristics of simple structure, zero-energy-mode, horizontal constant light source, and small area light source, providing valuable insights for the utilization of photoresponsive liquid crystal elastomer rods in soft robotics, medical devices, energy harvesting systems, and actuators.