Magnetically aware actuating composites: Sensing features as inspiration for the next step in advanced magnetic soft robotics

In this perspective, we explore the convergence of sensing and actuation in magnetic composites and its potential applications in various fields. There is a need for multifunctional mechanically flexible materials that can be easily processed into functional devices that respond to a wide range of physical stimuli, including magnetic fields. These characteristics aim for lightweight and mechanically imperceptible systems that help us to interact with technology and with each other without the need for a bulky gadget. Typically, magnetically responsive devices are constructed using materials that do not necessarily possess flexible properties, so magnetosensitive composites with tailored magnetic, conductive, and flexible properties arising from the combination of their constituents have been proposed. Such property tunability is, in turn, beneficial for achieving functional convergence. This perspective aims to address several of the challenges associated with magnetoresponsive soft composites while highlighting the synergistic Q2 convergence that will take further the applications of magnetically aware actuating composites.