Artificial intelligence has reached such a level of performance that it can replace human activity in various jobs, from assembly lines to biomedical research laboratories. In the latter field, recent years have seen a great effort towards the miniaturisation of processes employing advanced tools specifically for diagnostics and therapy at the level of individual cells.

At the same time, modern microfabrication techniques make it possible to construct complex three-dimensional mechanisms comparable in size to cells. However, in addition to a mechanical frame, a microrobot needs independently controllable motors to perform a complex task.

A new study, coordinated by the Department of Physics of Sapienza University of Rome, demonstrates the possibility of creating bio-hybrid robots and programming their movement using structured light.

The combination of experiments and mathematical models show that these micro-robots can exploit the way bacteria swim to move and that their movement can be controlled remotely by exploiting specific proteins that act like nano-solar panels.

"Our micro-robots," says Nicola Pellicciotta of Sapienza, "resemble microscopic tanks, which instead of tracks, have two propulsion units powered by the rotation of bacterial flagella. The rotation speed can be controlled by light, thanks to genetic modifications. In this way, we could control the direction of movement of these microbots by illuminating the two propulsion units with light of different intensity."

"Like in Amazon's warehouses," adds Roberto Di Leonardo of Sapienza University, "hundreds of these microbots could one day navigate within a micro-depot where the items to be organised and distributed are individual cells in a biological sample."

The research paves the way for the possibility of using microbots within miniaturised biomedical laboratories, particularly in organising and transporting single cells in vitro.

References:

Light Controlled Biohybrid Microbots, Nicola Pellicciotta, Ojus Satish Bagal, Viridiana Carmona Sosa, Giacomo Frangipane, Gaszton Vizsnyiczai, Roberto Di Leonardo, Advanced Functional Materials, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202214801

Further Information

Nicola Pellicciotta
Department of Physics
nicola.pellicciotta@uniroma1.it

Roberto Di Leonardo
Department of Physics
roberto.dileonardo@uniroma1.it