• Molecular robots work cooperatively in s

    From ScienceDaily@1:317/3 to All on Wednesday, April 20, 2022 22:30:50
    Molecular robots work cooperatively in swarms

    Date:
    April 20, 2022
    Source:
    Hokkaido University
    Summary:
    Scientists have demonstrated that molecular robots are able to
    accomplish cargo delivery by employing a strategy of swarming,
    achieving a transport efficiency five times greater than that of
    single robots.



    FULL STORY ==========================================================================
    In a global first, scientists have demonstrated that molecular robots are
    able to accomplish cargo delivery by employing a strategy of swarming, achieving a transport efficiency five times greater than that of single
    robots.


    ========================================================================== Swarm robotics is a new discipline, inspired by the cooperative behavior
    of living organisms, that focuses on the fabrication of robots and
    their utilization in swarms to accomplish complex tasks. A swarm is an
    orderly collective behavior of multiple individuals. Macro-scale swarm
    robots have been developed and employed for a variety of applications,
    such as transporting and accumulating cargo, forming shapes, and building complex structures.

    A team of researchers, led by Dr. Mousumi Akter and Associate Professor
    Akira Kakugo from the Faculty of Science at Hokkaido University, has
    succeeded in developing the world's first working micro-sized machines utilizing the advantages of swarming. The findings were published in the journal Science Robotics. The team included Assistant Professor Daisuke
    Inoue, Kyushu University; Professor Henry Hess, Columbia University;
    Professor Hiroyuki Asanuma, Nagoya University; and Professor Akinori
    Kuzuya, Kansai University.

    A swarm of cooperating robots gains a number of characteristics which are
    not found in individual robots -- they can divide a workload, respond
    to risks, and even create complex structures in response to changes in
    the environment.

    Microrobots and machines at the micro- and nano-scale have very few
    practical applications due to their size; if they could cooperate in
    swarms, their potential uses would increase massively.

    The team constructed about five million single molecular machines. These machines were composed of two biological components: microtubules linked
    to DNA, which allowed them to swarm; and kinesin, which were actuators
    capable of transporting the microtubules. The DNA was combined with a light-sensitive compound called azobenzene that functioned as a sensor, allowing for control of swarming. When exposed to visible light, changes
    in the structure of azobenzene caused the DNA to form double strands and
    led to the microtubules forming swarms. Exposure to UV light reversed
    this process.

    The cargo used in the experiments consisted of polystyrene beads of
    diameters ranging from micrometers to tens of micrometers. These beads
    were treated with azobenzene-linked DNA; thus, the cargo was loaded when exposed to visible light and unloaded when exposed to UV light. However,
    the DNA and azobenzene used in the molecular machines and the cargo were different, so swarming could be controlled independently of cargo-loading.

    Single machines are able to load and transport polystyrene beads up to
    3 micrometers in diameter, whereas swarms of machines could transport
    cargo as large as 30 micrometers in diameter. Furthermore, a comparison
    of transport distance and transport volume showed that the swarms were up
    to five times more efficient at transport compared to the single machines.

    By demonstrating that molecular machines can be designed to swarm
    and cooperate to transport cargo with high efficiency, this study
    has laid the groundwork for the application of microrobots to various
    fields. "In the near future, we expect to see microrobot swarms used in
    drug delivery, contaminant collection, molecular power generation devices,
    and micro-detection devices," says Akira Kakugo.


    ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Hokkaido_University. Note: Content
    may be edited for style and length.


    ========================================================================== Related Multimedia:
    * Videos_and_images_of_molecular_deliveries ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
    1. M. Akter, J. J. Keya, K. Kayano, A. M. R. Kabir, D. Inoue,
    H. Hess, K.

    Sada, A. Kuzuya, H. Asanuma, A. Kakugo. Cooperative cargo
    transportation by a swarm of molecular machines. Science Robotics,
    2022; 7 (65) DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.abm0677 ==========================================================================

    Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220420151403.htm

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