News and Events

A soft robot with wings and shaped like a ‘flying whale’ developed by researchers at Dartmouth College and Dr. SHI Peng of CityU has proven to enable programmed drug delivery to targeted cells. This plane-like swimming robot is a combination of cardiac tissue engineering and 3D printing with photosensitive hydrogels, and can change its mechanical structure to control its motion status.

With its wings coated with a light-sensitive hydrogel, the minuscule 3D-printed robot's tail is covered with a layer of heart muscle cells. The tail is able to move upward and downward, and the robot can propel in a liquid environment. Researchers also control start-stop motion of the robot via optical stimulation. This novel design of biohybrid soft robots is believed to open pathways for the development of the next‐generation multifunctional and intelligent soft robotic systems.

Press coverage:
(30 May 2019) Transformable drug-delivery robot could take a fantastic voyage through the bloodstream [createdigital.org.au]
(21 May 2019) Toy transformers and real-life whales inspire biohybrid robot [3D Printing Progress]
(20 May 2019) Toy Transformers and Real-Life Whales Inspire Biohybrid Robot [Electronic Component News]
(17 May 2019) Tiny "flying whale" robot is made to move within the human body [NEW ATLAS]
(16 May 2019) Shape-changing robot promises targeted drug delivery [theengineer.co.uk]
(25 Mar 2019) A Remotely Controlled Transformable Soft Robot Based on Engineered Cardiac Tissue Construct [Wiley Online Library]