A new class of polymer materials has been developed that can convert light energy directly into mechanical work, and show a variety of three-dimensional movements simply from exposure to light. These polymer materials can be fabricated into any shape and size using photolithographic methods and it is expected they will be developed for various applications. In this paper recent progress of this interesting class of polymer material is reviewed.

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DOI: 10.1016/S1369-7021(11)70212-7