Figure 7. Cargo transport and maze navigation by a magnetically responsive and dual temperature-responsive hydrogel gripper.

1. The gripper, initially outside the entrance to the maze, is fully contracted by heating it to 60°C. The fully contracted gripper can be pulled through a narrow channel at the entrance using a magnetic field. 2. Once inside the maze, it is cooled to room temperature, causing it to swell and straighten, before being heated to 42°C, allowing it to grip a cargo (coloured red). The cargo was a large PNIPAm hydrogel droplet containing AuNPs to improve visibility and PEGDAAm to minimise contraction at the temperature ranges used. 3. With the cargo in its grip, it is transported to the other end of the maze using a magnetic field. 4. Upon reaching the end of the maze, it is cooled to room temperature so that it releases the cargo. 5. The gripper is subsequently fully contracted at 60°C so that it can be pulled through the narrow channel at the exit of the maze. 6. The gripper reswells at room temperature. The images from each location have been stitched together to demonstrate the full path. Scale bar corresponds to 4 mm. See Supplementary Figure 12 for cargo transport and navigation through a more complex maze by a magnetically responsive and dual temperature-responsive hydrogel gripper. See Supplementary Figure 13 and 14 for a reproduction of the composite image with borders of stitched images indicated and uncropped individual images, respectively.