Professor Anderson H.C. Shum from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and his team had collaborated with Prof. Thomas P Russell from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on the research for the topic “Responsive-Hydrogel Aquabots”. The research is recently published by Advanced Science on July 29, 2024.
Details of the publication:
Responsive-Hydrogel Aquabots
Shipei Zhu#, Huanqing Cui#, Yi Pan, Derek Popple, Ganhua Xie, Zachary Fink, Jiale Han, Alex Zettl, Ho Cheung Shum,* and Thomas P Russell*
Article in Advanced Science
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/advs.202401215
Abstract
It remains a challenge to produce soft robots that can mimic the responsive adaptability of living organisms. Rather than fabricating soft robots from bulk hydrogels, hydrogels are integrated into the interfacial assembly of aqueous two-phase systems to generate ultra-soft and elastic all-aqueous aquabots that exhibit responsive adaptability, that can shrink on demand and have electrically conductive functions. The adaptive functions of the aquabots provide a new platform to develop minimally invasive surgical devices, targeted drug delivery systems, and flexible electronic sensors and actuators.