Key points from article :
Liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) technology used to demonstrate micro-tools grown on optical fibers.
LCEs are smart materials that can reversibly change shape under illumination with visible light.
The 200-micrometer gripers are controlled remotely, without electric wiring or pneumatic tubing.
It is via green light delivered through the fibers.
Absorbed light energy is directly converted into the gripper jaws'action.
The device was built by growing two bending jaws on the tips of hair-sized optical fibers.
The mechanical response depends on orientation of molecules inside the elastomer element.
This tech offers a variety of micrometer-scale, remotely controlled functional structures.
Researchers from University of Warsaw, published in Advanced Materials.
