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Programmable motion of an enzyme-powered macroscale gel boat: a functional sensing platform
Vinay Ambekar Ranganath1, Indrajit Maity1
1Centre for Nano and Material Sciences, Jain (Deemed-to-be University), Jain Global Campus, Bangalore-562112, Karnataka, India. maityindrajitchem@gmail.com.
Materials Horizons
|September 24, 2025
Summary
Researchers created enzyme-powered hydrogel boats inspired by nature. These intelligent soft robots exhibit controlled motion and can sense amino acid chirality, paving the way for advanced functional materials.
Area of Science:
- Biomimetic engineering
- Soft robotics
- Enzyme-powered systems
Background:
- Nature-inspired strategies are crucial for developing advanced artificial systems.
- Enzyme-driven propulsion offers a promising avenue for microscale robotics.
- Hydrogel-based platforms provide versatile substrates for functional integration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To engineer enzyme-powered hydrogel boats capable of autonomous motion.
- To investigate methods for controlling the movement trajectories of these soft robots.
- To explore the potential of these systems for chiral sensing applications.
Main Methods:
- Customization of macroscale hydrogel boats with enzyme-powered engines.
- Utilizing non-homogeneous enzyme distribution to induce varied motion patterns.
- Structural remodeling and system configuration for directed and controlled movement.
- Translating chiral information from amino acids into variations in boat speed.
Main Results:
- Achieved enzyme-powered motion at the air-water interface.
- Demonstrated erratic, directed, controlled, turning, bi-directional, and rotational motion.
- Successfully sensed the chirality of D-amino acids versus L-amino acids.
- Observed speed variations in response to individual amino acid isomers.
Conclusions:
- Enzyme-powered hydrogel boats represent a novel class of intelligent soft robots.
- The developed system enables versatile motion control and chiral sensing capabilities.
- These bio-inspired robots hold potential for next-generation functional materials and applications.
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