Ultrafast Soft Actuators

Hutmacher, Dietmar W.; Gorissen, Benjamin; Liponsky, Simon; Bertoldi, Katia; Shabab, Tara; Bas, Onur

doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-322598/v1

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 34 publications

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“…A third modality was incorporated by placing a hollow space between the two pillared PneuNets that, when pressurized, expands to create RD (Fig 3B & 3D). Future advancements in soft robotic design and fabrication, such as rapid fiber-reinforced actuators, will broaden the biomimicry applications of BSR bioreactors to new tissue and organ systems [43]. Additionally, improvements in BSR miniaturization will increase the feasibility of high throughput in-vitro models by reducing experimental material costs.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bio-hybrid Soft Robotic Bioreactors for Mimicking Multi-Axial Femoropopliteal Artery Mechanobiology

Fell

Brooks-Richards

Woodruff

et al. 2021

Preprint

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The emerging field of soft robotics aims to emulate dynamic physiological locomotion. Soft robotics' mimicry of naturally complex biomechanics makes them ideal platforms for exerting mechanical stimuli for patient-specific tissue maturation and disease modeling applications. Such platforms are essential for emulating highly flexible tissues such as the kneecap's femoropopliteal artery (FPA), one of the most flexible arteries in the body, which flexes and bends during walking, standing, and crouching movements. The FPA is a frequent site of disease, where 80% of all peripheral artery diseases manifest, affecting over 200 million people worldwide. The complex biomechanical and hemodynamic forces within the FPA have been implicated in the frequent occurrence of PAD and lead to debilitating morbidities, such as limb-threatening ischemia. To better mimic these complex biomechanics, we developed an in-vitro bio-hybrid soft robot (BSR). First, Platsil OO-20 was identified as an ideal hyperelastomer for both cell culture and BSR fabrication using 3D printed molds. Then, employing a simulation-based design workflow, we integrated pneumatic network (PneuNet) actuators cast with Platsil OO-20, which extend in angular, longitudinal, and radial dimensions. Pressurizing the BSR PneuNets enabled a range of mechanical stimuli to be dynamically applied during tissue culture to mimic normal and diseased FPA flexions during daily walking and sitting poses, the most extreme being radial distensions of 20% and angular flexions of 140°. Finally, these designed, manufactured, and programmed vascular BSRs were seeded with mesenchymal stem cells and conditioned for 24 hours to highlight the effect of dynamic conditioning on cultured cell alignment, as well as type IV collagen production and the upregulation of smooth muscle phenotypes. Soft robotic bioreactor platforms that accurately mimic patient-, disease-, and lifestyle-specific mechanobiology will develop fundamental disease understanding, preoperative laboratory simulations for existing therapeutics, and biomanufacturing platforms for tissue-engineered implants.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bio-hybrid Soft Robotic Bioreactors for Mimicking Multi-Axial Femoropopliteal Artery Mechanobiology

Fell

Brooks-Richards

Woodruff

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Robotic flytrap with an ultra-sensitive ‘trichome’ and fast-response ‘lobes’

Jiang,

Li,

Tong

et al. 2024

Bioinspir. Biomim.

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Nature abounds with examples of ultra-sensitive perception and agile body transformation for highly efficient predation as well as extraordinary adaptation to complex environments. Flytraps, as a representative example, could effectively detect the most minute physical stimulation of insects and respond instantly, inspiring numerous robotic designs and applications. However, current robotic flytraps face challenges in reproducing the ultra-sensitive insect-touch perception. In addition, fast and fully-covered capture of live insects with robotic flytraps remains elusive. Here we report a novel design of a robotic flytrap with an ultra-sensitive “trichome” and bistable fast-response “lobes”. Our results show that the “trichome” of the proposed robotic flytrap could detect and respond to both the external stimulation of 0.45 mN and a tiny touch of a flying bee with a weight of 0.12 g. Besides, once the “trichome” is triggered, the bistable “lobes” could instantly close themselves in 0.2 s to form a fully-covered cage to trap the bees, and reopen to set them free after the tests. We introduce the design, modeling, optimization, and verification of the robotic flytrap, and envision broader applications of this technology in ultra-sensitive perception, fast-response grasping, and biomedical engineering studies.

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Ultrafast Soft Actuators

Cited by 2 publications

References 34 publications

Bio-hybrid Soft Robotic Bioreactors for Mimicking Multi-Axial Femoropopliteal Artery Mechanobiology

Bio-hybrid Soft Robotic Bioreactors for Mimicking Multi-Axial Femoropopliteal Artery Mechanobiology

Robotic flytrap with an ultra-sensitive ‘trichome’ and fast-response ‘lobes’

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