Fig. 2: High-speed actuation.

a Bending motion of the fluidic robot. The robot’s electrodes are shown in Supplementary Fig. 5b, c. b Finite element simulation analysis of the bending fluidic robot. The color bar represents the displacement of the deformation, where the unit is mm. c Bending angle curve for the bending fluidic robot. The amplitude of the voltage is 14 kV, and the frequency is 2 Hz. The dielectric breakdown voltages of the EHD pump is ~17 kV. d Twisting motion of the fluidic robot. The robot’s electrodes are shown in Supplementary Fig. 5d, e. The angle between the two battens is zero while the robot is not in motion; it is recorded as a positive twisting angle when it generates counterclockwise twisting motion, and as a negative twisting angle when it generates clockwise twisting motion. e Finite element simulation analysis of the twisting fluidic robot. The color bar represents the displacement of the deformation, where the unit is mm. f Twisting angle curve for the twisting fluidic robot. The amplitude of the voltage is 14 kV, and the frequency is 2 Hz. g Contracting motion of the fluidic robot. The robot’s electrodes are shown in Supplementary Fig. 5d, e. h Finite element simulation analysis of the contracting fluidic robot. The color bar represents the displacement of the deformation, where the unit is mm. i Actuation stroke curve for the contracting fluidic robot. The amplitude of the voltage is 14 kV, and the frequency is 1 Hz. j Frequency tests for the fluidic robot. The elastic band was secured to the end of the robot to provide a restoring force. k Frequency curve for the fluidic robot at a 14-kV applied voltage. l The stroke response curve for the fluidic robot under a PID closed-loop control.