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Femtosecond laser programmed artificial musculoskeletal systems
Zhuo-Chen Ma1,2, Yong-Lai Zhang3, Bing Han2
1State Key Laboratory of Integrated Optoelectronics, College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun, 130012, China.
Nature Communications
|September 11, 2020
Summary
Researchers developed programmable artificial musculoskeletal systems for 3D microbots. This novel approach uses femtosecond laser-based 3D printing to integrate distinct materials for advanced micro-robotics.
Area of Science:
- Robotics and Micro-engineering
- Materials Science
- Biomimetic Systems
Background:
- Natural musculoskeletal systems inspire advanced microbot design.
- Micro-scale artificial musculoskeletal systems face fabrication challenges due to multi-material integration needs.
- Current methods struggle with precise assembly of diverse materials into 3D micro/nanostructures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a method for fabricating 3D microbots with artificial musculoskeletal systems.
- To enable precise integration of materials with distinct properties for microbot prototyping.
- To create a universal protocol for multi-material 3D microbot fabrication.
Main Methods:
- Utilized femtosecond laser-based 3D printing for microbot fabrication.
- Employed SU-8 (stiff skeleton) and bovine serum albumin (BSA, pH-responsive muscle).
- Implemented a successive on-chip two-photon polymerization (TPP) strategy for sequential material structuring.
Main Results:
- Successfully prototyped pH-responsive spider microbots.
- Demonstrated a 3D smart micro-gripper capable of controlled grabbing and releasing.
- Validated a universal protocol for direct printing of multi-material 3D microbots.
Conclusions:
- Femtosecond laser programming offers a viable route for artificial musculoskeletal systems.
- The developed TPP strategy facilitates programmable integration of diverse materials.
- This work provides a foundational protocol for advanced multi-material 3D microbot design and fabrication.
