Soft robots typically rely on rigid pumps and tethered supplies to actuate their fluid-driven components, which limits how they move and where they can be deployed. In this work, the team reports a soft profiled fiber pump that remains functional when bent or twisted and can be manufactured in different shapes and sizes using a low-cost 3D printing process.
The design is informed by the way the lymphatic system moves fluid through a distributed array of vessels with one-way valves instead of a single central pump. Using this biological model, the researchers created soft fiber pumps that are compact and mechanically robust, suitable for embedding into soft robotic structures and textiles.
The group produced two main variants: a higher-output version using spiral electrodes to enhance pumping performance, and a longer-life version with parallel electrodes that reflects the segmented structure of lymphatic vessels. Both versions are intended to balance flow rate, durability, and ease of integration depending on the application.
To eliminate the need for a separate power supply, the team integrated a disc-shaped triboelectric nanogenerator so that simple rotational motion generates the electrical input required to drive the pump. As a result, ambient sources such as wind, flowing water, or human movement can provide enough energy to sustain pump operation without wired connections or batteries.
"This turns everyday motion into a power source," explained Professor Jun Zou, co-lead of the project. "It's a key step toward making soft machines that are genuinely self-sustaining."
"We're moving toward a future of soft machines that can interact safely with people and adapt to complex environments," said Professor Wei Tang, one of the lead researchers. "But their 'hearts'-the pumps that drive movement-have remained a bottleneck. Our goal was to create a soft, efficient, and truly autonomous pump to change that."
The researchers tested the fiber pump in several demonstration systems to show how it could be used in practice. In one setup, the pump drove an artificial muscle that lifted a weight, illustrating its potential as a compact actuator driver for soft robots.
In another configuration, the pump controlled fluid flow in a small-scale environment relevant to microfluidic or lab-on-a-chip devices, indicating possible roles in biomedical analysis and diagnostics. The team also built a wearable glove in which the pump circulated fluid to regulate temperature, pointing to applications in smart clothing and personalized thermal management.
These demonstrations suggest that a distributed network of such pumps could function as a circulatory system for soft machines, providing localized fluid control where it is needed. The approach could support medical devices that draw power from a patient's movements, search-and-rescue robots that operate in remote terrain, and everyday wearables that avoid rigid power hardware.
"By combining nature's design with innovative energy harvesting," said Professor Tang, "we're not just building better machines-we're building smarter, more independent systems that can enhance our lives in countless ways."
Research Report:Lymphatic-Inspired and TENG-Powered Soft Fiber Pumps for Soft Robots
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