Programmable motion of an enzyme-powered macroscale gel boat: a functional sensing platform
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Assessing Neural Stem Cell Motility Using an Agarose Gel-based Microfluidic Device
Published on: February 11, 2008
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.
Abstract:
An augmented strategy for constructing intelligent soft robots includes the transfer of biogenic features from nature to man-made artificial systems serving a range of life-like functions. Inspired by living technology, we have customized macroscale hydrogel boats by encoding them with an enzyme-powered engine that can convert chemical information into a mechanical response to create motion at the air-water interface. The engine's non-homogeneous enzyme distribution causes erratic motion along straight lines, random turns, and turns with high or low curvature-like trajectories. Nevertheless, the structural remodeling of the boat as well as the working system's configuration can permit directed, controlled, turning, bi-directional, rotation and run-and-tumble-like motion. Intriguingly, this boat is capable of sensing the precise chirality of amino acids (D-amino acid vs.L-amino acid) from individual isomer samples by translating the chiral information into variations in the boat's speed. Therefore, such miniaturized enzyme-powered boats are anticipated to be an advantage for the upcoming next-generation materials with a broader spectrum of functionalities.
Related Concept Videos
Transducer Mechanism: G Protein–Coupled Receptors
GPCRs are also called heptahelical, 7TM, or...
Transducer Mechanism: Enzyme-Linked Receptors
Major types that are helpful drug targets include:
Heterogeneous Catalysis
Control Systems: Applications
In modern vehicles, control systems manage various functions to enhance performance and safety. The steering wheel and accelerator are primary inputs in a car's control system. The direction...
Bioreactor Controls-I
Bioreactor Controls-II

