Light – Driven Soft Microrobots Based Smart Materials: Development and Prospects

Abstract

From biomedical devices to industrial automation, light-driven soft microrobots based on smart materials are transforming soft robotics by allowing flexible, adaptable, and bioinspired movement, therefore rendering them indispensable for advanced applications. By providing increased compliance, lightweight design, and enhanced functionality, these actuators—which use smart materials and innovative technologies—overcome the constraints of conventional rigid actuators. Still major obstacles to their general acceptance, nevertheless, are energy economy, durability, and exact control. Focusing on their mechanisms, materials, and uses in soft robotics, this research attempts to offer a thorough assessment of the most recent developments in artificial actuators in biomedical applications. Using secondary data gathered from websites such IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect, and SpringerLink using a qualitative approach, the study Examining publications from 2018 to 2025 guarantees a current assessment of technical trends, new materials, and innovative actuation methods in the literature. Recent developments in biomedical applications have underlined notable progress in using dielectric elastometers, electroactive polymers, shape memory alloys, and fluid-driven actuators, stressing their potential in wearable robotics, assistive technologies, biohybrid robots, and industrial automation. Mostly by photothermal and photomechanical phenomena, light-driven soft microrobots actuate using optical energy. Promising uses in biomedical and micro-manipulation applications, hydrogel and liquid crystal elastomer (LCE)-based microrobots leverage these mechanisms for controlled motion. This work investigates their driving systems, benefits, and drawbacks, so advancing micro-scale robotics. Notwithstanding these developments, outstanding problems of response time, power consumption, and integration with real-time sensors call for more creativity. By integrating current advancements and pointing up important issues and future prospects in artificial actuator research, this review adds to the increasing body of knowledge. The results have major ramifications for soft robotics development, encouragement of automation innovation, and improvement of applications in manufacturing, healthcare, and other sectors.