Bioinspired from butterfly wings: Programmable actuation of isolated rods architectures for magnetic-assisted microswitches

Nature-inspired actuators that can be driven by various stimuli are an emerging application in micro/nano sensors and soft robots. Using external fields to actuate architectures allows advanced functions. Programmable magnetic-assisted microswitches that were fabricated on a thin elastomer film with isolated rods architectures, provided self-regulated actuation and autonomous power supply within the platform, arising from the strong, directional response to external magnetic fields. The isolated rod of 500 μm diameter produced specific displacement of 1.2 mm, as well as open-circuit voltage of 67 mV, under the action of 15 mT magnetic fields, which ensured the application of microswitches without external power supply. For more practical applications, it was applied to magnetic fields detection with 0.1 mT resolution, and a novel TENG lighted up 17 commercial light-emitting diodes to investigate and demonstrate the capabilities of wireless powering for electronics. In this study, programmable microswitches provided improved performances, more complex behaviors and higher resolution for further development of self-powered magnetic sensors.