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Lab on a Chip

Microfluidic & nanofluidic technologies for chemistry, physics, biology, and bioengineering




Paper

Lab Chip, 2007, 7, 1504 - 1508, DOI: 10.1039/b705367c


Establishment of a fabrication method for a long-term actuated hybrid cell robot

Jinseok Kim, Jungyul Park, Sungwook Yang, Jeongeun Baek, Byungkyu Kim, Sang Ho Lee, Eui-Sung Yoon, Kukjin Chun and Sukho Park


We developed a novel method to fabricate a crab-like microrobot that can actuate for a long period in a physiological condition. The microrobot backbone was built with a biocompatible and elastic material—polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)—by using a specially designed 3D molding aligner, and consisted of three strips of PDMS legs connected across a body. Cardiomyocytes were then plated on the grooved top surface of the backbone, resulting in a high concentration of pulsating cells. These key techniques enabled the microrobot to walk continuously for over ten days. The performance of our crab-like microrobot was measured at an average velocity of 100 µm s–1, and the estimated total distance it travelled was 50 m over a one-week period. Thus, we have demonstrated for the first time a walking robot that exhibited reliable and long-term actuation performances.

Graphical abstract image for this article  (ID: b705367c)