Abstract
A design, manufacturing, and control methodology is presented for the transduction of ultrasound into frequency‐selective actuation of multibody hydrogel mechanical systems. The modular design of compliant mechanisms is compatible with direct laser writing and the multiple degrees of freedom actuation scheme does not require incorporation of any specific material such as air bubbles. These features pave the way for the development of active scaffolds and soft robotic microsystems from biomaterials with tailored performance and functionality. Finite element analysis and computational fluid dynamics are used to quantitatively predict the performance of acoustically powered hydrogels immersed in fluid and guide the design process. The outcome is the remotely controlled operation of a repertoire of untethered biomanipulation tools including monolithic compound micromachinery with multiple pumps connected to various functional devices. The potential of the presented technology for minimally invasive diagnosis and targeted therapy is demonstrated by a soft microrobot that can on‐demand collect, encapsulate, and process microscopic samples.
Highlights
A design, manufacturing, and control methodology is presented for the therapeutic procedures.[2,3,4,5,6,7,8] Remote control has been recently achieved with flexible transduction of ultrasound into frequency-selective actuation of multibody piezoelectric actuators powered by tiny bathydrogel mechanical systems
Two-photon polymerization emerged as a feasible solution for printing polymers in complex forms with nanometer scale resolution.[18,19,20]
Bubbles and sharp-edged solid structures excited by acoustic waves generate steady streaming in liquids,[28,29,30,31] providing a minimally invasive and scalable solution for powering untethered micromachines in vivo.[32,33,34,35,36]
Summary
A design, manufacturing, and control methodology is presented for the therapeutic procedures.[2,3,4,5,6,7,8] Remote control has been recently achieved with flexible transduction of ultrasound into frequency-selective actuation of multibody piezoelectric actuators powered by tiny bathydrogel mechanical systems. Instantaneous flow velocity was extracted from the particle movement in the middle plane of the engine ≈30–50 μm behind the sharp tip, a region we denote as the observation site (Figure S1a, Supporting Information). The corresponding vibration modes showed large displacement at the tip of the wedge while reporting negligible deformation on the rest of the structure (Figure S3, Supporting Information).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
