Transient strain-crystallization simultaneously strengthens and toughens block polyester elastomers while conserving recyclability. Using controlled polymerization catalysis and commercial monomers, ...

A microphase crosslinking strategy, leveraging aziridine-based crosslinkers, is used to render organic thermoelectric materials stretchable and elastic.

Newswise — The past decade has brought remarkable progress in insect-scale robotics: bio-inspired crawlers, swimmers, and fliers have demonstrated diverse locomotion capabilities. Soft materials like shape-memory alloys, dielectric elastomers, and liquid crystal elastomers enable large deformations and stimuli-responsive behaviors. Novel powering methods—from chemical fuels to biofuel cells—have been proposed to keep these tiny machines running. Yet none of these engineering breakthroughs have fully resolved the critical problem of achieving autonomous, adaptive behavior in unstructured, unpredictable environments. Due to these persistent challenges, an in-depth investigation into how physical form and computational strategy can be co-designed is urgently needed. Now, a team of researchers from the University of Macau's Department of Electromechanical Engineering and Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics has published (DOI: 10.1016/j.esci.2026.100549) a comprehensive perspective on this very question. In the journal eScience (Volume 6, Issue 4, July 2026), the team lays out a roadmap for achieving embodied intelligence in insect‑scale robots—charting a course from laboratory prototypes to practical, intelligent systems. The paper dissects the problem across three interconnected levels. At the physical level, the authors advocate for "physical intelligence"—where smart materials, adaptive structures, and bio-inspired morphologies do the heavy lifting with minimal computation. Origami and kirigami structures can transform...

Medical elastomers are flexible, resilient polymeric materials designed to provide elasticity, durability, chemical resistance, and biocompatibility for use in medical devices, healthcare equipment, and patient-care applications. The Medical Elastomers Market size was valued at US$ 19.59 Billion in 2025 and is projected to reach US$ 33.95 Billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 7.12% during 2026–2033. The increasing use of flexible and durable materials in medical devices is supporting demand for elastomer-based solutions across healthcare applications.

Increasing the diversity of bio-based polymers is needed to address the combined problems of plastic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The magnitude of the problems necessitates rapid discovery...

Bottlebrush polymers, defined as polymers densely grafted with polymer side chains, have gained much attention for their unique mechanical properties. When cross-linked into a bottlebrush polymer netw...