1
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Dikici Y, Daltorio K, Akkus O. Nodes for modes: nodal honeycomb metamaterial enables a soft robot with multimodal locomotion. Bioinspir Biomim 2024; 19:046002. [PMID: 38631362 DOI: 10.1088/1748-3190/ad3ff8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Soft-bodied animals, such as worms and snakes, use many muscles in different ways to traverse unstructured environments and inspire tools for accessing confined spaces. They demonstrate versatility of locomotion which is essential for adaptation to changing terrain conditions. However, replicating such versatility in untethered soft-bodied robots with multimodal locomotion capabilities have been challenging due to complex fabrication processes and limitations of soft body structures to accommodate hardware such as actuators, batteries and circuit boards. Here, we present MetaCrawler, a 3D printed metamaterial soft robot designed for multimodal and omnidirectional locomotion. Our design approach facilitated an easy fabrication process through a discrete assembly of a modular nodal honeycomb lattice with soft and hard components. A crucial benefit of the nodal honeycomb architecture is the ability of its hard components, nodes, to accommodate a distributed actuation system, comprising servomotors, control circuits, and batteries. Enabled by this distributed actuation, MetaCrawler achieves five locomotion modes: peristalsis, sidewinding, sideways translation, turn-in-place, and anguilliform. Demonstrations showcase MetaCrawler's adaptability in confined channel navigation, vertical traversing, and maze exploration. This soft robotic system holds the potential to offer easy-to-fabricate and accessible solutions for multimodal locomotion in applications such as search and rescue, pipeline inspection, and space missions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusuf Dikici
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States of America
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bartın University, Bartın, Turkey
| | - Kathryn Daltorio
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States of America
| | - Ozan Akkus
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States of America
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, United States of America
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2
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Hu F, Zhang C. Origami Polyhedra-Based Soft Multicellular Robots. Soft Robot 2024; 11:244-259. [PMID: 37870759 DOI: 10.1089/soro.2023.0012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The reconfigurable and modular method, and the adaptive morphology method are two main methodologies to achieve the multimodal robots. Basically, the former method mimics the biological multicellular systems, while the latter is mostly inspired by the multimodal animals. Herein inspired by the rhombic dodecahedron (RDD) origami model, a novel type of soft multicellular robots with multimodal locomotion is presented. Morphologically, the combinable and expandable three-dimensional (3D)-printed soft RDD cells are assembled into several typical patterns: in-line, cross shaped, oblong shaped, and parallelogra shaped. The kinematics based on the sequential monolithic deformations of soft RDDs is analyzed to generate multimodal locomotion: peristaltic crawling, two-anchor crawling, crawling with turning functions, and omnidirectional crawling through the propagating waves in two orthogonal directions. More encouragingly, without reorganizing the pattern or reshaping the morph, the in-line multicellular robots manifest excellent climbing abilities, where the built-in rhombic meshes alternately tighten and loosen the pole-like structures to provide the gripping forces reliably without sacrificing mobility. To wrap up, owing to the monolithic and hierarchical deformability, high reconfigurability, and 3D-printable manufacturability of the RDD, we anticipate that the soft multicellular robot can potentially manifest further contributions to the advanced robotics with embodied intelligence, such as task-oriented self-assembly robots, self-reconfigurable robotic systems, and goal-directed metamorphosis robots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuwen Hu
- Department of Mechatronics, School of Mechanical and Material Engineering, North China University of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Chun Zhang
- Department of Mechatronics, School of Mechanical and Material Engineering, North China University of Technology, Beijing, China
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3
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Liu Y, Huang J, Liu C, Song Z, Wu J, Zhao Q, Li Y, Dong F, Wang L, Xu H. Soft Millirobot Capable of Switching Motion Modes on the Fly for Targeted Drug Delivery in the Oviduct. ACS Nano 2024; 18:8694-8705. [PMID: 38466230 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c09753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Small-scale magnetic robots with fixed magnetizations have limited locomotion modes, restricting their applications in complex environments in vivo. Here we present a morphology-reconfigurable millirobot that can switch the locomotion modes locally by reprogramming its magnetizations during navigation, in response to distinct magnetic field patterns. By continuously switching its locomotion modes between the high-velocity rigid motion and high-adaptability soft actuation, the millirobot efficiently navigates in small lumens with intricate internal structures and complex surface topographies. As demonstrations, the millirobot performs multimodal locomotion including woodlouse-like rolling and flipping, sperm-like rotating, and snake-like gliding to negotiate different terrains, including the unrestricted channel and high platform, narrow channel, and solid-liquid interface, respectively. Finally, we demonstrate the drug delivery capability of the millirobot through the oviduct-mimicking phantom and ex vivo oviduct. The magnetization reprogramming strategy during navigation represents a promising approach for developing self-adaptive robots for performing complex tasks in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Liu
- Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, P. R. China, 1068 Xueyuan Avenue, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Jing Huang
- Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, P. R. China, 1068 Xueyuan Avenue, Shenzhen 518055, China
- Department of Polymer Materials and Engineering, College of Materials and Metallurgy, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Chu Liu
- Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, P. R. China, 1068 Xueyuan Avenue, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Zhongyi Song
- Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, P. R. China, 1068 Xueyuan Avenue, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Jiandong Wu
- Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, P. R. China, 1068 Xueyuan Avenue, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Qilong Zhao
- Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, P. R. China, 1068 Xueyuan Avenue, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yingtian Li
- Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, P. R. China, 1068 Xueyuan Avenue, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Fuping Dong
- Department of Polymer Materials and Engineering, College of Materials and Metallurgy, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Lei Wang
- Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, P. R. China, 1068 Xueyuan Avenue, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Haifeng Xu
- Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, P. R. China, 1068 Xueyuan Avenue, Shenzhen 518055, China
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Mahkam N, Aghakhani A, Sheehan D, Gardi G, Katzschmann R, Sitti M. Acoustic Streaming-Induced Multimodal Locomotion of Bubble-Based Microrobots. Adv Sci (Weinh) 2023; 10:e2304233. [PMID: 37884484 PMCID: PMC10724404 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202304233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Acoustically-driven bubbles at the micron scale can generate strong microstreaming flows in its surrounding fluidic medium. The tunable acoustic streaming strength of oscillating microbubbles and the diversity of the generated flow patterns enable the design of fast-moving microrobots with multimodal locomotion suitable for biomedical applications. The acoustic microrobots holding two coupled microbubbles inside a rigid body are presented; trapped bubbles inside the L-shaped structure with different orifices generate various streaming flows, thus allowing multiple degrees of freedom in locomotion. The streaming pattern and mean streaming speed depend on the intensity and frequency of the acoustic wave, which can trigger four dominant locomotion modes in the microrobot, denoted as translational and rotational, spinning, rotational, and translational modes. Next, the effect of various geometrical and actuation parameters on the control and navigation of the microrobot is investigated. Furthermore, the surface-slipping multimodal locomotion, flow mixing, particle manipulation capabilities, the effective interaction of high flow rates with cells, and subsequent cancerous cell lysing abilities of the proposed microrobot are demonstrated. Overall, these results introduce a design toolbox for the next generation of acoustic microrobots with higher degrees of freedom with multimodal locomotion in biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nima Mahkam
- Physical Intelligence DepartmentMax Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems70569StuttgartGermany
- Institute for Biomedical EngineeringETH ZurichZurich8092Switzerland
| | - Amirreza Aghakhani
- Physical Intelligence DepartmentMax Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems70569StuttgartGermany
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomolecular SystemsUniversity of Stuttgart70569StuttgartGermany
| | - Devin Sheehan
- Physical Intelligence DepartmentMax Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems70569StuttgartGermany
| | - Gaurav Gardi
- Physical Intelligence DepartmentMax Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems70569StuttgartGermany
| | - Robert Katzschmann
- Department of Mechanical and Process EngineeringETH ZurichZurich8092Switzerland
| | - Metin Sitti
- Physical Intelligence DepartmentMax Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems70569StuttgartGermany
- Institute for Biomedical EngineeringETH ZurichZurich8092Switzerland
- School of MedicineKoç UniversityIstanbul34450Turkey
- College of EngineeringKoç UniversityIstanbul34450Turkey
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5
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Li P, Chen B, Liu J. Multimodal steerable earthworm-inspired soft robot based on vacuum and positive pressure powered pneumatic actuators. Bioinspir Biomim 2023; 19:016001. [PMID: 37913552 DOI: 10.1088/1748-3190/ad089c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
This article presents a multimodal steerable earthworm-inspired soft robot based on vacuum and positive pressure powered pneumatic actuators capable of crawling both inside pipelines and on planar surfaces. The optimized modular vacuum pressure-driven actuator can generate deformation and anchoring motion through a unified structure under low vacuum pressure, giving it significant speed advantages and multi-modal locomotion capabilities. Meanwhile, the positive pressure powered actuator (PPPA) enables the robot to achieve controlled multi-directional and multi-degrees-of-freedom steering, moreover, enhances the consistency of the driving mechanism. The incorporation of front-end pressure sensing enables the robot to autonomously detect and evaluate pressure, facilitating automatic obstacle avoidance through the activation of corresponding turning units of PPPA. In the process of optimizing motion parameters, the overall motion efficiency has been improved by 16.7% by improving the control law. Through adjustments and optimizations of the interval time (cycle time), the robot is able to achieve a speed of 7.16 mm s-1during planar locomotion and 1.94 mm s-1during in-pipe locomotion. Using the developed robot, we conducted a series of turning experiments, including surface obstacle avoidance and cross-plane crawling, which demonstrated its enhanced capability in cross-plane steering and locomotion. Its related speed indicators showcase superior overall performance compared to other developed robots of the same type.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengcheng Li
- Key Laboratory of Mechanism Theory and Equipment Design of Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People's Republic of China
| | - Baojun Chen
- Key Laboratory of Mechanism Theory and Equipment Design of Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianbin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Mechanism Theory and Equipment Design of Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People's Republic of China
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6
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Chen X, Tian C, Zhang H, Xie H. Biodegradable Magnetic Hydrogel Robot with Multimodal Locomotion for Targeted Cargo Delivery. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2023. [PMID: 37283440 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c02703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Recent strides in the development of untethered miniature robots have shown the advantages of diverse actuation methods, flexible maneuverability, and precise locomotion control, which has made miniature robots attractive for biomedical applications such as drug delivery, minimally invasive surgery, and disease diagnosis. However, biocompatibility and environmental adaptability are among the challenges for further in vivo applications of miniature robots due to the sophisticated physiological environment. Herein, we propose a biodegradable magnetic hydrogel robot (BMHR) that possesses precise locomotion with four stable motion modes, namely tumbling mode, precession mode, spinning-XY mode, and spinning-Z mode. Using a homemade vision-guided magnetic driving system, the BMHR can achieve flexible conversion between the different motion modes to cope with changes in complex environments, and its superior ability to cross obstacles is demonstrated. In addition, the transformation mechanism between different motion modes is analyzed and simulated. Benefiting from the diverse motion modes, the proposed BMHR has promising applications in drug delivery, showing remarkable effectiveness in targeted cargo delivery. The BMHR's biocompatible property, multimodal locomotion, and functionality with drug-loaded particles can provide a new perspective to combine miniature robots with biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and Systems, Harbin Institute of Technology, 2 Yikuang, Harbin 150080, China
| | - Chenyao Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and Systems, Harbin Institute of Technology, 2 Yikuang, Harbin 150080, China
| | - Hao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and Systems, Harbin Institute of Technology, 2 Yikuang, Harbin 150080, China
| | - Hui Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and Systems, Harbin Institute of Technology, 2 Yikuang, Harbin 150080, China
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Javeed M, Mudawi NA, Alabduallah BI, Jalal A, Kim W. A Multimodal IoT-Based Locomotion Classification System Using Features Engineering and Recursive Neural Network. Sensors (Basel) 2023; 23:4716. [PMID: 37430630 DOI: 10.3390/s23104716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
Locomotion prediction for human welfare has gained tremendous interest in the past few years. Multimodal locomotion prediction is composed of small activities of daily living and an efficient approach to providing support for healthcare, but the complexities of motion signals along with video processing make it challenging for researchers in terms of achieving a good accuracy rate. The multimodal internet of things (IoT)-based locomotion classification has helped in solving these challenges. In this paper, we proposed a novel multimodal IoT-based locomotion classification technique using three benchmarked datasets. These datasets contain at least three types of data, such as data from physical motion, ambient, and vision-based sensors. The raw data has been filtered through different techniques for each sensor type. Then, the ambient and physical motion-based sensor data have been windowed, and a skeleton model has been retrieved from the vision-based data. Further, the features have been extracted and optimized using state-of-the-art methodologies. Lastly, experiments performed verified that the proposed locomotion classification system is superior when compared to other conventional approaches, particularly when considering multimodal data. The novel multimodal IoT-based locomotion classification system has achieved an accuracy rate of 87.67% and 86.71% over the HWU-USP and Opportunity++ datasets, respectively. The mean accuracy rate of 87.0% is higher than the traditional methods proposed in the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madiha Javeed
- Department of Computer Science, Air University, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
| | - Naif Al Mudawi
- Department of Computer Science, College of Computer Science and Information System, Najran University, Najran 55461, Saudi Arabia
| | - Bayan Ibrahimm Alabduallah
- Department of Information Systems, College of Computer and Information Sciences, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmad Jalal
- Department of Computer Science, Air University, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
| | - Wooseong Kim
- Department of Computer Engineering, Gachon University, Seongnam 13120, Republic of Korea
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8
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Abstract
Animals have long captured the inspirations of researchers in robotics with their unrivaled capabilities of multimodal locomotion on land and in water, achieved by functionally versatile limbs. Conventional soft robots show infinite degrees-of-freedom (DOFs), making it hard to be actuated and conduct multiple movements especially for multimodal locomotion in different environments. An origami robot, which is capable of reversibly transforming the robotic shape by simple creases folding/unfolding, reveals advantages for imitating flexible movements of animals, thus drawing more and more attention. However, it poses substantial technological challenges for bioinspired design, sensing, and actuation of origami robots that can generate multimodal locomotion through performing complex morphologic deformation in different scenarios such as land and water. To relieve this issue, we propose a novel bioinspired amphibious origami machine with body sensing for multimodal locomotion. In this work, inspired by the peristalsis of inchworm and human swimming behaviors, a unique origami body with legs and origami arms is developed to enable the integrated robot to move both on land and in water. Instead of traditional electronic sensors, we design highly stretchable and foldable layer resistive sensor with conductive polymers coated onto the origami body to achieve robotic sensing such as obstacle detection. In addition, with detailed analysis, a self-designed pneumatic system of time division, multiplexing, and serialization is adopted to efficiently control the robot with high DOF. We eventually demonstrate that the fabricated origami robot successfully moves in amphibious environments, which is capable of crawling forward, turning right/left, and swimming. We expect that this work indicates contributions to advanced origami design, actuation control, and body sensor of the bioinspired robot with multimodal locomotion for broadly practical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huixu Dong
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Haitao Yang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Shuo Ding
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Tong Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Haoyong Yu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore
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Huang H, Feng Y, Yang X, Yang L, Shen Y. An Insect-Inspired Terrains-Adaptive Soft Millirobot with Multimodal Locomotion and Transportation Capability. Micromachines (Basel) 2022; 13:1578. [PMID: 36295931 PMCID: PMC9610805 DOI: 10.3390/mi13101578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Inspired by the efficient locomotion of insects in nature, researchers have been developing a diverse range of soft robots with simulated locomotion. These robots can perform various tasks, such as carrying medicines and collecting information, according to their movements. Compared to traditional rigid robots, flexible robots are more adaptable and terrain-immune and can even interact safely with people. Despite the development of biomimetic principles for soft robots, how their shapes, morphology, and actuation systems respond to the surrounding environments and stimuli still need to be improved. Here, we demonstrate an insect-scale soft robot with multi-locomotion modes made by Ecoflex and magnetic particles, which can be actuated by a magnetic field. Our robot can realize four distinct gaits: horizontal tumbling for distance, vertical tumbling for height, imitation of gastropod writhing, and inchworm-inspired crawling for cargo delivery. The soft compliant structure and four locomotion modes make the robot ideal for maneuvering in congested or complex spaces. In addition to linear motion (~20 mm/s) and turning (50°/s) on a flat terrain, the robot can also maneuver on various surface conditions (such as gaps, smooth slopes, sand, muddy terrain, and water). These merits, together with the robot's high load-carrying capacity (5 times its weight), low cost, obstacle-crossing capability (as high as ~50% its length), and pressure resistance (70 kg), allow for a wide variety of applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Huang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999017, China
| | - Yu Feng
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999017, China
| | - Xiong Yang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999017, China
| | - Liu Yang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999017, China
| | - Yajing Shen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999017, China
- Shenzhen Research Institute of City University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518057, China
- Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong 999077, China
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Li S, Liu D, Hu Y, Su Z, Zhang X, Guo R, Li D, Lu Y. Soft Magnetic Microrobot Doped with Porous Silica for Stability-Enhanced Multimodal Locomotion in a Nonideal Environment. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2022; 14:10856-10874. [PMID: 35188736 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c25102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
As an emerging field of robotics, magnetic-field-controlled soft microrobot has broad application prospects for its flexibility, locomotion diversity, and remote controllability. Magnetic soft microrobots can perform multimodal locomotion under the control of a magnetic field, which may have potential applications in precision medicine. However, previous research studies mainly focus on new locomotion in a relatively ideal environment, lacking exploration on the ability of magnetic microrobot locomotion to resist external disturbances and proceed in a nonideal environment. Here, a porous silica-doped soft magnetic microrobot is constructed for enhanced stability of multimodal locomotion in the nonideal biological environment. Porous silica spheres are doped into a NdFeB-silicone elastomer base, improving adhesion properties and refining the comprehensive mechanical properties of the microrobot. Multimodal locomotions are achieved, and the influence of porous silica doping on the stability of each locomotion in a nonideal environment is explored in depth. Motions in nonideal circumstances such as climbing, loading, current rushing, wind blowing, and obstacle hindering are conducted successfully with porous silica doping. Such a stability-enhanced multimodal locomotion system can be used in biocatalysis and thrombus removal, and its prospect for precision medicine is highlighted by in vivo demonstration of multimodal locomotion with nonideal disturbance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shangsong Li
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Dong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yuping Hu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Zhijie Su
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Xinai Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Beijing No.4 High School International Campus, Beijing 100034, China
| | - Ruirui Guo
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- College of Bioengineering, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Dan Li
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yuan Lu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
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11
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Abstract
Liquid-vapor phase change materials (PCMs), capable of significant volume change, are emerging as attractive actuating components in forming advanced soft composites for robotic applications. However, the novel and functional design of these PCM composites is significantly limited due to the lacking of the fundamental understanding of the mechanical properties, which further inhibits the broad applications of PCM based materials in the engineering structures requiring large deformation and high loading capacity. In this study we fabricate PCM-elastomer composites exhibiting large deformation and high output stress. Thermomechanical properties of these composites are experimentally and theoretically investigated, demonstrating enhanced deformation and loading capacity due to the induced vapor pressure. By controlling the distribution and content of the PCM inclusions, structures with tunable deformability under a relatively small strain in comparison with traditional soft materials are fabricated. Accompanying with the asymmetrical friction and deformation, complex locomotion and adaptable grabbing function are achieved with excellent performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiying Li
- State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex Systems, Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, BIC-ESAT, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Huiling Duan
- State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex Systems, Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, BIC-ESAT, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China.,CAPT, HEDPS and IFSA Collaborative Innovation Center of MoE, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Pengyu Lv
- State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex Systems, Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, BIC-ESAT, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Xin Yi
- State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex Systems, Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, BIC-ESAT, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
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