That’s the unusual premise of a new experiment by researchers at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, who have constructed a miniature actuator that can bend, grasp and lift objects underwater.
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that → ’ → objects
The work offers a glimpse of such a future, where living organisms could become an active part of the robotic systems.
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organisms → offer → systems
Living cell robot
Phys Org reports that the soft robotic strip is tiny, about two centimeters long and one millimeter thick, but its movement is surprisingly sophisticated.
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movement → live → robot
The actuator consists of two layers of hydrogel that respond differently when the chemical environment changes and microalgae grow over the surface of the actuator, the research report says.
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report → consist → actuator
The report, published by Nature Communications, states the device utilizes the biological activity of the algae to generate movement rather than a traditional motor.
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device → publish → motor
They photosynthesize in the presence of light, converting light and carbon dioxide into energy.
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They → photosynthesize → energy
They also use nitrogen to grow their cells.
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They → use → cells
This activity changes the chemical environment inside the hydrogel.
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activity → change → hydrogel
The result is a change of pH which causes different degrees of swelling of the two gel layers.
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which → cause → layers
That imbalance makes the strip bend and curve.
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strip → make → ?
The control system is lightweight
By simply changing the lighting conditions, the researchers can control the movement, the study report from Phys Org and Nature Communications says.
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report → change → Org
When the light is turned off, the biological processes inside the algae change the pH in the opposite direction and the actuator starts bending back.
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actuator → turn → direction
This is quite a quick response, the strip beginning to move back in the opposite direction in about 10 seconds.
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strip → begin → seconds
This gives the little device a kind of biological control system.
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This → give → system
Instead of sending electrical signals to a motor, researchers can use light to induce a physical response generated through the metabolism of living organisms.
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researchers → send → organisms
From bending to taking
The researchers wanted to see if this movement could do more than just demonstrate an unusual biological response, according to Nature Communications.
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movement → bend → Communications
For the underwater experiments the actuator was designed for simple manipulation tasks, such as hooking and lifting a rubber ring and grasping a small metal ball.
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actuator → design → ball
Soft robotic structures could more flexibly interact with fragile objects and changing environment than rigid mechanical systems.
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structures → interact → systems
The technology could also result in devices that imitate movements found in nature.
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that → result → nature
Light responsive mechanisms could someday be used for things like blinds that can change their orientation automatically or agricultural systems that can change their position based on environmental conditions.
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that → use → conditions
The researchers are investigating a wider region where living cells are incorporated directly into functional materials, enabling biological processes to yield useful mechanical behavior.
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cells → investigate → behavior
Microalgae are of particular interest since they can use light as an energy source by photosynthesis.
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they → use → photosynthesis
This opens the way to soft robotic systems that need less conventional external energy, but practical applications are a longer-term prospect.
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applications → open → energy
The research, published in Nature Communications, is an early proof of concept, not a ready-to-use robotic technology.
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research → publish → concept
But it points to an interesting direction in engineering: machines that don’t just copy biology, but actually collaborate with living things to move.
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that → point → things
Inside this tiny underwater arm, light does more than illuminate; it is the signal that converts biological activity into motion.
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that → do → motion
The Aporia
