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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 14, 2026

Rod-based Fabrication of Customizable Soft Robotic Pneumatic Gripper Devices for Delicate Tissue Manipulation

Rod-based Fabrication of Customizable Soft Robotic Pneumatic Gripper Devices for Delicate Tissue Manipulation

Published on: August 2, 2016

Bioinspired ultrasound-driven ultrafast soft microgripper.

Chengxi Zhong^1,2, Vincent Winderoll¹, Khemraj Gautam Kshetri³

¹Acoustic Robotics Systems Lab, Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, ETH Zurich, 8803 Rüschlikon, Switzerland.

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

|May 12, 2026

Summary

Scientists developed wireless artificial microcilia called SonoGrippers. These acoustically activated hydrogel microstructures enable ultrafast, remote gripping and manipulation of microscale objects for bioengineering applications.

Keywords:

bioinspired artificial microcilia sound–soft matter interaction ultrasound actuation

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Last Updated: May 14, 2026

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Published on: August 2, 2016

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Area of Science:

Soft matter physics
Microrobotics
Acoustic actuation

Background:

Acoustic wave interaction with soft matter is key for microscale control.
Achieving fast, precise, remote actuation in soft matter without compromising biocompatibility is challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

Introduce wireless artificial microcilia (SonoGrippers) for microscale manipulation.
Demonstrate ultrafast, reversible, and controllable actuation using acoustic waves.

Main Methods:

Designed dual microcilia hydrogel structures inspired by natural organisms.
Utilized acoustic excitation for triggering microcilia actuation.
Tuned structural designs and acoustic parameters to control deformation and response dynamics.

Main Results:

SonoGrippers demonstrated ultrafast (~2 ms) actuation for gripping and releasing objects.
Achieved reversible and controllable microscale manipulation wirelessly.
Exhibited diverse deformation modes and adaptable gripping performance.

Conclusions:

SonoGrippers offer a promising platform for next-generation biomedical manipulation and soft microrobotics.
The technology combines simple fabrication, additive-free operation, wireless control, and biocompatibility.
Demonstrated robust functionality with biological samples.