The new class of soft robots known as Aquabots, primarily formed of liquids, was recently developed by scientists from Hong Kong University (HKU) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Since water and other aqueous solutions make up the majority of biological systems, the novel robots described in an article published in ACS Nano may find extensive use in biomedical and environmental fields.
Robotics Materials
Roboticists have recently created various robotic systems with multiple body types and functionalities in recent years. Steel, rubber, aluminum, kevlar, and biodegradable smart materials are among the materials that need to be considered, according to the Robot Report.
Ho Cheung (Anderson) Shum, Thomas P. Russell, and Shipei Zhu told TechXplore that they had been engaged in developing adaptive interfacial assemblies of materials at the water-water and oil-water interfaces using nanoparticles and polyelectrolytes.
They claimed their plan was to put the components together so that the interface and the assemblies would lock the liquids' forms. External forces can be used to make any shape, or all-liquid 3D printing can be used to spatially organize the assemblies, dictating the shapes.
To create artificial constructs that resemble biological systems, the researchers combined all-liquid 3D printing methods with aqueous two-phase assemblies (ATPS), a method for putting together 3D structures. The research team at HKU, led by Professor Shum, has made ATPS a major topic of concentration.
Development of Soft Robots
When Zhu began to consider the viability of integrating magnetic nanoparticles into ATPS assembly systems, the idea for the latest research first emerged. This would give them the ability to control the mobility of the ATPS constructions using external magnetic fields, resulting in robotic systems that are incredibly soft, flexible, and adaptable for different tasks.
According to the researchers, the present soft robots are composed of poly(dimethyl siloxanes), which have remarkable flexibility but drawbacks, such as how much they can be compressed. Functionalizing materials with certain chemical functionalities is crucial but challenging for the collection and distribution of materials. Aquabots get around these restrictions.
The robots that this group of researchers introduced were built in watery conditions. They can function in aquatic conditions and be modified to carry out particular activities using water-soluble substances.
ALSO READ : Autonomous Robots are Here: Robotics CEO Claims Businesses Want to Remove Human Labor Due to Labor Shortage
Aquabots offer new chances to reproduce materials and properties that are bio-inspired, such as dynamic permeability and compartmentalization. It is easy to conceive bio-applications within the body, where such constructs could be useful because the robots are entirely aquatic, with water inside and outside of them.
The researchers added that their study demonstrates the ability to construct robots and conduct robotic functions based on aqueous fabrication and inspires the design of similar aqueous robots for applications, such as biomedical micromanipulation.
Past Robotic Studies
In a PNAS published study, a little plastic robot that moves in response to light and magnetism was created in 2020 by researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology. Future versions of the wireless aquatic polyp should be able to draw in and collect contaminating particles from the liquid around it or pick up and transport cells for examination in diagnostic devices.
The scientist offered a method for developing devices that draw inspiration from marine animals and uses stimuli-responsive material assemblies capable of untethered object manipulation in an enclosed watery environment.
RELATED ARTICLE: Industrial Robots: How Are They Affecting the Mental Health of Human Co-Workers?
