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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 14, 2025

Origami Inspired Self-assembly of Patterned and Reconfigurable Particles

Origami Inspired Self-assembly of Patterned and Reconfigurable Particles

Published on: February 4, 2013

Reconfigurable microbots folded from simple colloidal chains.

Tao Yang¹, Brennan Sprinkle², Yang Guo¹

¹Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

|July 19, 2020

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Flexible microrobots made from colloidal chains can change shape and movement using magnetic fields. This adaptability allows them to navigate complex environments, mimicking natural organisms for potential in vivo applications.

Keywords:

chain colloids directed assembly magnetic field microbot

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Area of Science:

Biomimetic microrobotics
Colloidal self-assembly
Soft matter physics

Background:

Low-Reynolds-number flow presents challenges for microrobotic propulsion.
Existing microrobotic systems often lack the environmental adaptability of biological organisms.
Biomimetic approaches are crucial for developing versatile micro-scale devices.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop adaptable microrobotic systems inspired by microbial motility.
To investigate the shape transformation and propulsion mechanisms of one-dimensional colloidal chains.
To demonstrate the potential of reconfigurable microdevices for navigating complex microenvironments.

Main Methods:

Experimental fabrication and characterization of one-dimensional colloidal chains.
Computational simulations to model chain behavior and propulsion.
Application of external magnetic fields to control morphology and motion.
Testing navigation capabilities in simulated microchannels.

Main Results:

Colloidal chains can fold into diverse complex morphologies (helices, lassos, coils).
Propulsion mechanisms are controllable and switchable (bulk vs. surface-enabled) via magnetic fields.
Demonstrated biomimetic locomotion, including flagellar-like and inchworm-like movements.
Successfully navigated through 3D and narrow channels, simulating in vivo conditions.

Conclusions:

Flexible, reconfigurable microdevices based on colloidal chains offer versatile shape and motility control.
The ability to adapt shape and propulsion is beneficial for operation in complex in vivo environments.
This work provides a foundation for designing advanced, adaptable microrobots for biomedical applications.