https://phys.org/news/2018-07-scientists-materials-response.html

"We could combine these simple movements into more complex motion, like crawling, walking, or swimming," said Fiorenzo Omenetto, Ph.D., corresponding author of the study and the Frank C. Doble Professor of Engineering in the School of Engineering at Tufts. "And these movements can be triggered and controlled wirelessly, using light."

Omenetto's team demonstrated some of these complex movements by constructing soft grippers that capture and release objects in response to light illumination. "One of the advantages of these materials is that we can selectively activate portions of a structure and control them using localized or focused light," said Meng Li, the first author of the paper, "And unlike other light actuated materials based on liquid crystals, these materials can be fashioned to move either toward, or away from the direction of the light. All of these features add up to the ability to make objects large and small with complex, coordinated movements."