Journal
SMALL
Volume 18, Issue 15, Pages -Publisher
WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH
DOI: 10.1002/smll.202105414
Keywords
cell robots; chain-like swarm; in vivo biocompatibility; magnetic control; transportation
Categories
Funding
- National Key R&D Program of China [2019YFB1309700]
- Beijing Nova Program of Science and Technology [Z191100001119003]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
This study proposes macrophage template-based microrobots (cell robots) that can be individually controlled or work in chain-like swarms for object transportation and manipulation. By loading nanomagnetic particles, these robots can generate a flow field under the influence of an external magnetic field and transport microspheres and sperm. Additionally, they can form chain-like swarms to transport large objects.
Border-nearing microrobots with self-propelling and navigating capabilities have promising applications in micromanipulation and bioengineering, because they can stimulate the surrounding fluid flow for object transportation. However, ensuring the biosafety of microrobots is a concurrent challenge in bioengineering applications. Here, macrophage template-based microrobots (cell robots) that can be controlled individually or in chain-like swarms are proposed, which can transport various objects. The cell robots are constructed using the phagocytic ability of macrophages to load nanomagnetic particles while maintaining their viability. The robots exhibit high position control accuracy and generate a flow field that can be used to transport microspheres and sperm when exposed to an external magnetic field near a wall. The cell robots can also form chain-like swarms to transport a large object (more than 100 times the volume). This new insight into the manipulation of macrophage-based cell robots provides a new concept by converting other biological cells into microrobots for micromanipulation in biomedical applications.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available