A workforce of robotic and acoustic engineers from the Institute of Robotics and Clever Methods, ETH Zurich, and Institut für Theoretische Physik, Middle for Gentle Nanoscience, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, has developed a microrobot that may be propelled by means of slender tubes utilizing sound waves. Of their paper revealed within the journal Science Advances the group describes how they designed their robots and the way properly they labored when examined.
For a few years, medical researchers have been in search of methods to introduce medicine into the physique in additional directed methods. Doing so would permit for sending medicine solely to the components of the physique that want drugs, thus stopping many undesired side-effects. Prior efforts have resulted within the growth of quite a lot of applied sciences, with a number of the most promising involving utilizing tiny robots managed by an exterior magnet.
Whereas such an method has proven promise, it nonetheless has issues that should be overcome, akin to precision management. On this new effort, the analysis workforce has as a substitute used sound waves to propel a tiny robotic, an method that might show extra appropriate to be used within the physique.
The concept behind the brand new robotic is to seize the vitality in sound waves as a way of propelling a motorless robotic. To realize that, the workforce 3D printed a little bit of non-toxic polymer within the form of a corkscrew. They then positioned their corkscrew within a glass tube filed with water (or alcohol). Subsequent, they fired sound waves on the corkscrew. The sound waves, the researchers be aware, make the molecules within the liquid vibrate, which creates a vortex, and that pushes the robotic ahead.
The analysis workforce discovered that they may additionally change the pace at which the robotic moved by means of the tube and its course by altering options of the sound waves. In addition they discovered that by rising the sound wave frequencies, they may push the robotic upwards by means of a tube tilted at a 45-degree angle.
The researchers subsequent plan to check their robotic in tubes made from extra versatile materials, to extra precisely simulate a human blood vessel. They be aware that also they are engaged on what they describe as an acoustic helmet, which they consider will give extra management over the robotic.
Extra info:
Yong Deng et al, An acoustically managed helical microrobot, Science Advances (2023). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh5260
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