Minimally invasive medical procedures hold promise for transformation through small-scale robotic systems, yet current magnetic soft robots face a fundamental challenge: global magnetic fields do not lend themselves well to the independent control of individual robots during multi-robot assembly. Existing solutions often sacrifice the soft, biocompatible form factor or accept limited control authority within swarms. This work addresses this challenge through dual-stimulus control, combining global magnetic actuation with thermally reversible adhesion for selective anchoring. The objective is to demonstrate that magnetically actuated soft robots can achieve selective locking, unlocking, and cooperative motion by integrating external RF heating with a thermally reversible adhesive interface. This approach relies on a specific force hierarchy (Fadh,cold > Fmagnetic > Fadh,hot) that enables individual robots to be selectively anchored while neighbouring robots are manipulated, then released on demand through localised thermal activation.
To validate this principle, hexagonal soft robots were fabricated with an asymmetric magnetic polarity configuration and compliant hinges that enable controlled deformation. Systematic experimental characterisation quantified the magnetic interaction forces, thermal activation performance, and adhesion strength. Results established a robust force hierarchy where cold-state adhesion (5.40 ± 0.13 N normal, 7.21 ± 0.46 N shear) substantially exceeds the maximum magnetic coupling forces (3.5 N peak at near-contact), while hot-state adhesion drops to near zero above 80◦C. Integrated proof-of-concept demonstrations validated the selective control capabilities across progressively complex scenarios, including single-robot locking/unlocking, multi-robot line and ring assembly, and collective rotation under uniform magnetic fields. This work establishes that dual-stimulus control enables selective, on-demand reconfiguration of multi-robot assemblies, providing a foundation for future reconfigurable soft robotic systems capable of sequential assembly and cooperative motion.