Soft robots have emerged for applications requiring safe interactions, particularly in environments with frequent human contact. However, many soft robotic systems rely on synthetic rubbery materials produced using toxic chemicals and result in nondegradable end products. Now, writing in Science Advances, Junqiang Lu, Lei Wang, Hanqing Jiang and co-authors demonstrate a self-sensing robot constructed entirely from sustainable, biodegradable materials.

In this work, cellulose extracted from cotton is dissolved and cast into films, which are then treated with glycerol to mitigate brittleness. Glycerol acts as a plasticizer by weakening the hydrogen bonds between the cellulose chains, thereby increasing chain mobility and yielding films that are both robust and flexible. The cellulose films then form the structural backbone of the origami modules.