Development of Novel Programmable Stimuli-responsive Polymers for Small-scale Soft Robots

用于小型软机器人的新型可编程刺激响应聚合物的开发

• 批准号: RGPIN-2021-02509
• 负责人: Shahsavan, Hamed
• 金额: $ 2.04万
• 依托单位: University of Waterloo
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=742023
• 关键词: Development; Novel; Programmable; Stimuli; responsive

The classical view of robots as bulky machines with rigid body and centralized brain has been shaken since the introduction of new generations of soft small-scale robots. Owing to their softness and size, such robots can perform a range of delicate tasks in tiny environments. Thus, they are expected to revolutionize healthcare by offering targeted and minimally invasive procedures such as drug delivery, cell manipulation, and biopsy. These robots are typically made of programmable stimuli-responsive polymers, which have embedded sensing and actuation capabilities, respond to external stimuli in programmable fashions, and can be miniaturized via different techniques. Today, the development of novel robotic materials and fabrication methods is one of the most pressing issues in small-scale robotics. Stimuli-responsive polymers are in significant demand in industries such as automotive, electronics, and biomedical technologies. They hold a booming share of the global market, with a compound annual growth rate of ~20%. Soft and small-scale robotics are the two fields largely relying on such polymers, with respective growth rates of ~40% and ~65%. Hence, it is extremely timely to consolidate Canada's global contribution to such emerging and highly competitive fields. In this research program, we aim to develop intelligent robotic materials that recapitulate the main features of organisms, such as softness, energy conversion, mobility, learning, and adaptation. Such materials are key to the development of highly sought-after autonomous robots. In the short term, we focus on the synthesis of novel programmable multi-stimuli-responsive polymers from liquid crystal networks (LCNs), and their miniaturization, molecular engineering, and shape-change programming using unconventional micro-additive manufacturing strategies. LCNs are chosen for their programmable and reversible response to various stimuli, such as heat and light, and proclivity for miniaturization. Despite their potential, LCNs have not yet realized a secure position in real-world applications due to challenges in the fabrication, actuation, and manipulation of LCN microrobots in confined flooded media. We will tackle these challenges by developing multi-stimuli-responsive composites of LCNs and magnetic nanoparticles, making multi-material microrobots with locally controlled properties, decoupling robotic locomotion from robotic functions, spatiotemporal control over parts of robots, and employing medically established technologies for their powering, navigation, and function to expand their applicability. Students trained in this program will benefit from unique multidisciplinary research making them experts in the field of smart polymers but with vast knowledge and experience in other disciplines like optics, microfabrication, robotics, control, and instrumentation. Such a training portfolio will put them in a strong position for research and leadership roles in industry and academia.

自从引入新一代柔软的小规模机器人以来，机器人作为具有刚体和集中式大脑的笨重机器的经典视图就一直在动摇。由于它们的柔软度和尺寸，此类机器人可以在微小的环境中执行一系列微妙的任务。因此，预计他们将通过提供针对性和微创手术（例如药物输送，细胞操纵和活检）来彻底改变医疗保健。这些机器人通常是由可编程刺激响应性聚合物制成的，这些聚合物嵌入了感应和驱动功能，对可编程时尚的外部刺激做出了反应，并且可以通过不同的技术进行微型化。如今，新型机器人材料和制造方法的开发是小型机器人技术中最紧迫的问题之一。刺激反应性聚合物在汽车，电子和生物医学技术等行业中需求量很大。他们在全球市场中拥有蓬勃发展的份额，复合年增长率约为20％。软和小规模的机器人技术主要依赖于此类聚合物，各自的增长率约为40％和约65％。因此，巩固加拿大对这种新兴和竞争激烈的领域的全球贡献是极其及时的。在该研究计划中，我们旨在开发智能机器人材料，以概括有机体的主要特征，例如柔软，能量转换，移动性，学习和适应性。这种材料是开发高度享受的自动驾驶机器人的关键。在短期内，我们专注于液晶网络（LCN）的新型可编程多刺激响应聚合物的合成及其小型化，分子工程和形状变化的编程，并使用非常规的微添加性制造策略进行了更改。选择LCN是因为它们对各种刺激的可编程和可逆反应（例如热量和光）以及微型化的倾向。尽管有潜力，但由于在受洪水泛滥的媒体中对LCN微型机器人的制造，驱动和操纵中的挑战，LCN尚未在现实​​世界应用中实现安全的立场。我们将通过开发LCN和磁性纳米颗粒的多刺激性复合材料来应对这些挑战，从而使具有本地控制特性的多物质微型机器人，从机器人功能，机器人的空间控制机器人的机器人控制以及使用医学上建立的机器人的机器人控制，并采用医学上建立的机器人，并采用医学上建立的技术，以及为扩展其适用性的动力，导航和功能。 在该计划中接受培训的学生将受益于独特的多学科研究，使其成为智能聚合物领域的专家，但在其他学科中拥有丰富的知识和经验，例如光学，微分联，机器人，控制和仪器。这样的培训组合将使他们在工业和学术界的研究和领导角色中处于强大的地位。