After decades of research, robot technology is finally starting to mature and the results are nothing short of stunning. From new actuator designs to artificial muscles, scientists and engineers keep on stretching the boundaries of what is currently possible in robotics. Now a team of engineers has succeeded in developing a prototype robot that is unlike anything that has come before it. The new robot is tiny and can propel themselves through a liquid medium in a manner very similar to human sperm cells.
The self-propelled robot uses a combination of cutting-edge engineering with a touch of biology to create a bio-hybrid system that uses both synthetic and biological components to provide some degree of motility in a biological liquid medium. The development of this new type of robot was spearheaded by Taher Saif, a Gutgsell Professor of mechanical science and engineering at the University of Illinois.
While the current design may seem like a novelty in robotic engineering, nature has long perfected this type of design in sperm cells and other microscope creatures that use a single, central flagellum to move about in liquids. Taking inspiration from nature, the engineers designed a synthetic body with a "head" and a "tail." The head of the robot is very small with dimensions of 57um x 27um x 454um. At 1.5mm, the tail is the longest part of the robot. The entire body is then covered with a special Fibronectin coating that can be used to grow two types of cells called Cardiomyocytes (heart cells) and Fibroblasts (cells responsible for producing collagen and extra cellular matrix). These cells naturally align themselves in a way that allows them to contract in a synchronized manner. The contractions then propagate through the tail in a wavelike manner allowing the entire robot to "swim" forward.
While these new robots are interesting, the possible applications can involve anything from microbiology to the constructions of medical nanomachines. Moreover, the new development is simply part of an even larger program sponsored by the National Science and Technology Center to come up with novel designs using integrated cellular systems.
