Plant-based smart materials have been developed by a research team at the University of Waterloo in Ontario. These materials will serve as the foundation for a new generation of tiny medical microrobots.
These robots may be used to perform minimally invasive medical procedures like biopsy and the transportation of cells and tissues. They can carry light and delicate cargo, like tissues or cells, to a target location by moving through flooded and cramped environments, like the human body.
The minuscule soft robots are non-toxic and biocompatible, with a maximum length of one centimeter. The research, which was published in the journal Nature Communications, states that the robots are constructed from sophisticated hydrogel composites that contain plant-based, sustainable cellulose nanoparticles.
Hamed Shahsavan, a professor in the chemical engineering department, is leading this research, which presents a comprehensive method for the creation, synthesis, manufacturing, and control of microrobots.
When the hydrogel used in this project is subjected to outside chemical stimulation, it changes shape.
The ability to program such shape-change, which is essential for the creation of functional soft robots, is made possible by researchers’ ability to orient cellulose nanoparticles at will.
“We utilize conventional soft matter such as hydrogels, liquid crystals, and colloids to present novel microrobots,” stated Shahsavan.
The advanced smart material’s self-healing feature is another distinctive feature that enables a broad range of robot shapes to be programmed.
In order to form different shapes for different procedures, researchers can simply cut the material and paste it back together without the need for glue or other adhesives.
A magnetism that makes it easier for soft robots to navigate the human body can be added to the material.
Scaling the robot to submillimeter scales is the next stage of this research.
