3D Printed Organisms Enabled by Aspiration-Assisted Adaptive Strategies.

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology and Bioengineering
• Robotics and Automation
• Cell Biology and Cryopreservation

Background:

• Deterministic positioning of organisms is crucial for advancements in bioimaging, cybernetics, cryopreservation, and organism-integrated devices.
• Current methods lack the precision and adaptability needed to handle live, moving organisms in complex arrangements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an automated system for tracking, harvesting, and relocating living organisms with high precision.
• To enable adaptive strategies for organism placement, accommodating dynamic visual and spatial data.

Main Methods:

• An aspiration-assisted adaptive printing system was engineered, incorporating a pick-and-place mechanism.
• The system utilizes real-time visual and spatial feedback to continuously adapt organism relocation strategies.
• Demonstrated capabilities include handling single static, multiple in droplets, and single moving organisms.

Main Results:

• Successfully demonstrated deterministic positioning of various organism configurations on target spaces.
• Showcased applications such as printing vitrification-ready organisms, sorting live from dead organisms, and positioning on curved surfaces.
• Exemplified organism integration with materials and devices for customizable shapes and organism-powered displays.

Conclusions:

• The developed adaptive printing strategies offer a robust solution for precise organism manipulation.
• This technology paves the way for autonomous biomanufacturing, enabling diverse single and multi-organism applications.
• Potential impact spans advanced biofabrication, regenerative medicine, and novel bio-hybrid devices.