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Chapter 8 - Micro- and nanorobots in Newtonian and biological viscoelastic fluids

2017

Book Chapter

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Swimming microorganisms are a source of inspiration for small scale robots that are intended to operate in fluidic environments including complex biomedical fluids. Nature has devised swimming strategies that are effective at small scales and at low Reynolds number. These include the rotary corkscrew motion that, for instance, propels a flagellated bacterial cell, as well as the asymmetric beat of appendages that sperm cells or ciliated protozoa use to move through fluids. These mechanisms can overcome the reciprocity that governs the hydrodynamics at small scale. The complex molecular structure of biologically important fluids presents an additional challenge for the effective propulsion of microrobots. In this chapter it is shown how physical and chemical approaches are essential in realizing engineered abiotic micro- and nanorobots that can move in biomedically important environments. Interestingly, we also describe a microswimmer that is effective in biological viscoelastic fluids that does not have a natural analogue.

Author(s): Palagi, Stefano and (Walker) Schamel, Debora and Qiu, Tian and Fischer, Peer
Book Title: Microbiorobotics
Pages: 133 - 162
Year: 2017
Month: March
Day: 24
Series: Micro and Nano Technologies
Publisher: Elsevier

Department(s): Micro, Nano, and Molecular Systems
Bibtex Type: Book Chapter (incollection)

Address: Boston
Chapter: 8
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-32-342993-1.00015-X
Edition: Second edition
State: Published
URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B978032342993100015X

BibTex

@incollection{2017palagi,
  title = {Chapter 8 - Micro- and nanorobots in Newtonian and biological viscoelastic fluids },
  author = {Palagi, Stefano and (Walker) Schamel, Debora and Qiu, Tian and Fischer, Peer},
  booktitle = {Microbiorobotics},
  pages = {133 - 162},
  chapter = {8},
  series = {Micro and Nano Technologies},
  edition = {Second edition},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address = {Boston},
  month = mar,
  year = {2017},
  doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-32-342993-1.00015-X},
  url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B978032342993100015X},
  month_numeric = {3}
}