Abstract
Many organisms leverage an interplay between shape and activity to generate motion and adapt to their environment. Embedding such mechanical feedback into synthetic micrometer-sized robots could eliminate the need for sensors, software, and actuators. Current active micrometer-scale systems, however, do not possess a flexible body with which they can autonomously sense and react to their environment. Here, we experimentally realize active and flexible structures by concatenating anisotropic micrometer-sized units using 3D microprinting and activating them using AC fields. We demonstrate that this minimal design integrates mechanical feedback between activity and shape, resulting in a rich array of modes of motion-including railway and undulatory locomotion, rotation, and beating. It furthermore gives rise to emergent sense-response abilities, which enable autonomous reorientation, navigation, and collision avoidance. Our approach offers a versatile platform for designing biomimetic model systems and autonomously operating microrobots with embodied intelligence.