Abstract
Metachronal waves commonly exist in natural cilia carpets. These emergent phenomena, which originate from phase differences between neighbouring self-beating cilia, are essential for biological transport processes including locomotion, liquid pumping, feeding, and cell delivery. However, studies of such complex active systems are limited, particularly from the experimental side. Here we report magnetically actuated, soft, artificial cilia carpets. By stretching and folding onto curved templates, programmable magnetization patterns can be encoded into artificial cilia carpets, which exhibit metachronal waves in dynamic magnetic fields. We have tested both the transport capabilities in a fluid environment and the locomotion capabilities on a solid surface. This robotic system provides a highly customizable experimental platform that not only assists in understanding fundamental rules of natural cilia carpets, but also paves a path to cilia-inspired soft robots for future biomedical applications. Show more
Permanent link
https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000416847Publication status
publishedExternal links
Journal / series
Nature CommunicationsVolume
Pages / Article No.
Publisher
NatureSubject
Applied physics; Biological physics; Engineering; Fluid dynamicsOrganisational unit
03627 - Nelson, Bradley J. / Nelson, Bradley J.
03734 - Jackson, Andrew / Jackson, Andrew
09700 - Ahmed, Daniel / Ahmed, Daniel
08705 - Gruppe Pané Vidal
Funding
743217 - Soft Micro Robotics (EC)
185039 - Arbeitstitel Soft Magnetic Robots: Modeling, Design and Control of Magnetically Guided Continuum Manipulators (SNF)
179834 - The role of ambient flow and physico-chemical microenvironment in determining the microstructure of the biofilm matrix (SNF)
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