Introduction: Scientists from Cornell University have created a swimming micro-robot that can provide human body treatment. The researchers used a design model inspired by bacteria and sperm that can use ultrasound to move around the body to help deliver drugs to specific areas. These cell-sized “rocket ships” are driven and guided by high-frequency sound waves.
△Scientists at Cornell University have created a cell-sized swimming robot that can be guided by ultrasound
It turns out that creating a remote-controlled robot that can navigate the human body is challenging, partly because it cannot carry a power source.Now Cornell University researchers have been studying microbiologyAfter pushing my own way, I have come up with a solution.
The author of the study, Mingming Wu, a professor of biological and environmental engineering at Cornell University’s School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, explained in a statement: “We have been studying the ways in which microorganisms, from bacteria to cancer cells, migrate and communicate with the environment. Despite their small size, these swimming micro-robots, whose motion is inspired by bacteria and sperm, could one day become a powerful new tool for targeted drug delivery.”
△A cell-sized swimming robot under a scanning electron microscope can be driven and guided by ultrasound.Image source: Cornell University
First, the researchers tried to design and3D printingRobots mimic the way bacteria use their tails (called flagella) to propel themselves. But their efforts failed. The main obstacle is to find a way to power these little robots, they must get energy before they can start swimming.
“Bacteria and sperm basically consume the organic matter in the surrounding liquid, which is enough to power them. But for engineering robots, this is difficult because if they carry batteries, it is too heavy for them to move. “Wu said.
One promising option is to use high-frequency sound waves becausefoodAnd the Drug Administration thinks they are inclinicalThey are safe in research and very quiet, making them easy to use in laboratory experiments. The researchers created a triangular miniature robotic swimmer that looks like a “combination of insects and rocket ships.” Its most important feature is the pair of cavities on its back, which repel water through hydrophobic resin.
Once the robot is submerged, it will automatically form a bubble and be trapped in these cavities. When exposed to ultrasound, these bubbles begin to oscillate, creating eddy currents, also known as flows, which push the robot forward. Although engineers have successfully manufactured a “single bubble” swimming robot before, this is the first time a version with two bubbles has been manufactured.
The researchers say the next challenge is to make the robots biocompatible so that they can navigate blood cells of similar size. They will also be made of biodegradable materials, allowing many robots to be dispatched at once. Just as fertilization requires a sperm cell, for a robot to perform its tasks, volume is the key.
Wu concluded: “For drug delivery, you can have a group of micro-robot swimmers. If one person fails during the journey, that’s not a problem. This is how nature survives. To a certain extent, it’s more A powerful system. Smaller does not mean weaker. Know that a group of people is unbeatable. I think these tools inspired by nature are usually more sustainable because nature has proven it to be effective.”
The research paper is titled: “Biologically inspired micro-robotic swimmers remotely controlled by ultrasonic waves” and was published in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s “Lab on a Chip” magazine.
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