An insect-scale robot that jumps using only light has completed 188 continuous leaps without a single electronic component.
The soft machine bends, snaps and resets itself automatically, powered entirely by material physics instead of chips or wires.
The robot is built mainly from liquid crystal elastomers, a rubber-like material that changes shape when exposed to light. When illuminated, the material bends and stores elastic energy in a curved beam structure.
That stored energy releases in a snap, propelling the robot into the air. As it jumps, it casts a shadow that blocks the light source, allowing the material to cool and return to its original shape. The cycle then repeats.
There are no batteries, no onboard processors and no motors. The structure itself performs sensing, actuation and reset through geometry and material response.
The research was co-authored by Wenzhong Yan, who recently joined the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of California, Davis as an assistant professor.
His broader work focuses on soft robotics and mechanical intelligence, where materials are engineered to perform tasks typically handled by electronics.
Light drives the leap
The team initially expected the robot to jump only a handful of times under continuous illumination. Instead, it kept going. It completed 188 uninterrupted jumps in testing.
“That was exciting and a surprise,” Yan said. “I did not plan for that.”
The durability of the material also stood out. Researchers added extra weight to test performance limits. The robot showed no drop in function even when carrying up to 1,700 times its own body weight, roughly 300 milligrams.
The jumping mechanism relies on a simple physical principle: rapid deformation followed by snap-through instability. When light hits the liquid crystal elastomer, it contracts.
The curved beam stores that strain energy until it reaches a critical point, then releases it suddenly, launching the robot. The self-shadowing effect acts as a built-in control system, eliminating the need for circuitry.
Yan’s research trajectory has centered on this idea of embedding intelligence directly into materials. During his Ph.D., he developed folding robots that achieved autonomous behavior without computer chips, integrating sensing, control and actuation into structure.
Built-in mechanical intelligence
The light-powered jumper reflects that philosophy. Instead of programming movement, the team engineered geometry and material composition to create repetitive motion.
Beyond lab demonstrations, the researchers are exploring real-world deployment. One potential application is wildfire monitoring. The robots could carry sensors and move continuously across terrain.
“The rough idea is that they would [carry a sensor] and continuously jump. Once they detect smoke or a flame, they send a signal [to someone monitoring wildfires]. Basically, it would be a dynamic, distributed networking system that could detect lots of environmental factors.”
Such robots could also operate in collapsed buildings, radioactive zones or tight underground spaces where conventional machines struggle.
Yan is also investigating adaptive wearables that change stiffness on demand. “Imagine if your T-shirt could be very rigid if you needed it to be, to support you and whatever harm you are facing. When you don’t need it [to be supportive], it can be very flexible,” he said.