Nov 4, 2022
Incorporating nanoparticles into a porous hydrogel to propel an aquabot with minimal voltage
Posted by Saúl Morales Rodriguéz in categories: biotech/medical, nanotechnology, robotics/AI
A team of researchers from Korea University, Ajou University and Hanyang University, all in the Republic of Korea, has created a tiny aquabot propelled by fins made of a porous hydrogel imbued with nanoparticles. In their paper published in the journal Science Robotics, the group describes how the hydrogel works to power a tiny boat and reveals how much voltage was required.
Scientists and engineers have been working for several years to build tiny, soft robots for use in medical applications and have found that hydrogels are quite suitable for the task. Unfortunately, such materials also have undesirable characteristics, most notably, poor electro-connectivity. In this new effort, the researchers took a new approach to making hydrogels more amenable for use with electricity as a power source —adding conductive nanoparticles.