Abstract
Cilia are finger-like cell-surface organelles that are used by certain varieties of aquatic unicellular organisms for motility, sensing and object manipulation. Initiated by internal generators and external mechanical and chemical stimuli, coordinated undulations of cilia lead to the motion of a fluid surrounding the organism. This motion transports micro-particles towards an oral cavity and provides motile force. Inspired by the emergent properties of cilia possessed by the pond organism P. caudatum, we propose a novel smart surface with closed-loop control using sensor-actuators pairings that can manipulate objects. Each vibrating motor actuator is controlled by a localised microcontroller which utilises proximity sensor information to initiate actuation. The circuit boards are designed to be plug-and-play and are infinitely up-scalable and reconfigurable. The smart surface is capable of moving objects at a speed of 7.2 millimetres per second in forward or reverse direction. Further development of this platform will include more anatomically similar biomimetic cilia and control.
Highlights
Cilia are finger-like cellular projections possessed by a wide variety of eukaryotic cell types; there is a high degree of ciliary homology between different species[1]
In multi-ciliated cells, these organelles possess the ability to beat with a whip-like motion[2]: this primarily serves to provide motile force in unicellular organisms[3] or otherwise drives fluid movements in multicellular organisms, such as the mucociliary escalator in Preprint submitted to Bionic Engineering human bronchial epithelial tissues [[4]]
Cilia arrays are a prime target for the fabrication of bio-inspired sensorial-actuation systems; the investigation detailed here is presented in context with our aims to develop a smart actuation surface inspired by the cilia possessed by the protozoan P. caudatum
Summary
Cilia are finger-like cellular projections possessed by a wide variety of eukaryotic cell types; there is a high degree of ciliary homology between different species[1]. In multi-ciliated cells, these organelles possess the ability to beat with a whip-like motion[2]: this primarily serves to provide motile force in unicellular organisms (ciliated protozoa and algae)[3] or otherwise drives fluid movements in multicellular organisms, such as the mucociliary escalator in Preprint submitted to Bionic Engineering human bronchial epithelial tissues [[4]]. As each cilium is a discrete sensing element and actuator in its own right; a ciliated cell may be viewed as a parallel actuator array with decentralised control. The ability of ciliated cells for spontaneously generating metachronal waves, sequential travelling wave patterns of ciliary beating, demonstrates the capacity these systems possess for facilitating emergent behaviour in the absence of a centralised control system. Cilia arrays are a prime target for the fabrication of bio-inspired sensorial-actuation systems; the investigation detailed here is presented in context with our aims to develop a smart actuation surface inspired by the cilia possessed by the protozoan P. caudatum
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