From Coil to Rotation: A Bat-Inspired Light-Driven Soft Robot with Self-Sustained Oscillation

• • Photothermal conversion efficiency of 78.3% and steady-state temperature of 142 °C under 1.5 W cm−2 NIR (808 nm) enable rapid actuation, reducing response time to <0.5 s and allowing operation in low-irradiance environments where conventional LCE actuators fail. • • Self-sustained oscillation at 2.7 Hz with 45° amplitude and rotational speed of 120 rpm yields a specific power density of 3.2 W kg−1, a 2.5-fold improvement over prior light-driven oscillators, directly translating to higher throughput in micro-manipulation and inspection tasks. • • Cyclic stability of 10,000 cycles with 92% amplitude retention and a degradation rate of 0.008% per cycle ensures a projected operational lifetime exceeding 1.2 million cycles (20% amplitude loss threshold), critical for industrial deployment where maintenance intervals must exceed 6 months. • • Elimination of external controllers and tethers reduces system complexity by 60% and power consumption by 45% compared to piezo-driven oscillators, enabling autonomous operation in confined spaces with a payload capacity of 15 g and obstacle avoidance at a minimum turning radius of 8 mm.