Stimuli-responsive hydrogels, that respond to an external trigger (e.g., temperature, light, pH), are promising materials for applications in soft robotics, as they are able to safely interact with soft matter. [1] One of the most studied stimuli-responsive hydrogels is poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM), which undergoes a reversible volume phase transition upon heating above its lower critical solution temperature (LCST). Hence, the hydrogel has been widely researched as soft actuator material. The remaining challenges are to provide fast actuation times, high volume changes and exerted forces for a large work output as well as suitable trigger options, while maintaining the soft character of the hydrogel. In this work, we present a micro-and nanoengineering approach for the fabrication of a PNIPAM-exfoliated graphene (EG) composite hydrogel with improved deswelling and swelling kinetics and high exerted forces (+862 %) compared to bulk PNIPAM. By incorporating an interconnected network of hollow graphene tubes into the hydrogel matrix [2], the water transport kinetics are strongly enhanced, allowing for increased volume change (+394 %) and reduction of swelling times. The low graphene concentration of only 0.35 vol% ensures that the soft properties of the hydrogel are maintained, while exhibiting an electrical conductivity of about 2 S/m. Thus, the graphene network additionally enables both photothermal and Joule-heating [3] of the hydrogel, making it a versatile material for soft actuators.