To achieve remote control over the swelling/deswelling transition, chemically exfoliated MoS₂ nanosheets with photothermal properties are successfully incorporated into poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) hydrogel by in situ polymerization. Different from the conventional thermal-responsive PNIPAM hydrogel, the MoS₂/PNIPAM composite hydrogel here shows a reversible volumetric change in response to near-infrared (NIR) illumination. Based on this new composite hydrogel, a microfluidic device actuated remotely by NIR laser is also demonstrated.