Autonomous stimuli responsive gel crawlers
JHU Ref #: C17788
Value Proposition:
· Unidirectional crawler without necessity of wiring, external power supply, or patterned surface.
· 3D-printed, cheap and easy to mass produce.
· Direction and speed can be controlled by strategic gel design.
· Minimally invasive and could be used as a medical device for diagnosing, imaging, or delivering drugs to targeted sites.
· Possibly used to monitor aqueous environments for pollution.
Technology Description
· Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have developed 3D-printed gels that crawl directionally in response to a stimulus. Untethered hydrogel robots can be mass-produced, are maneuverable in tight spaces, and can operate in the absence of wiring, external power sources, or patterned surfaces. These autonomous crawlers rely on the swelling and shrinking of the gel in response to temperature to move unidirectionally. The gel crawlers can operate in aqueous conditions between 30°C to 60°C, which allows for use in human physiological and ambient conditions. Direction and speed can also be controlled by strategic gel design.
Unmet Need
· Stimuli-responsive, untethered gels that can move in aqueous environments may have important biomedical applications as a medical device for diagnosing, imaging, or delivering drugs to targeted sites. Previously reported robots use fluidic or pneumatic signals to control their movement, but are tethered, which restricts application. Therefore, there is a strong need for the development of stimuli-responsive hydrogels that are able to function untethered in physiologically relevant conditions.
Stage of Development
· Prototype was demonstrated.
Publication
· Pantula A, Datta B, Shi Y, Wang M, Liu J, Deng S, Cowan NJ, Nguyen TD, Gracias DH. Untethered unidirectionally crawling gels driven by asymmetry in contact forces. Sci Robot. 2022 Dec 21;7(73):eadd2903. doi: 10.1126/scirobotics.add2903. Epub 2022 Dec 14. PMID: 36516274.
