Abstract
Algae cells can be considered as microrobots from the perspective of engineering. These organisms not only have a strong reproductive ability but can also sense the environment, harvest energy from the surroundings, and swim very efficiently, accommodating all these functions in a body of size on the order of dozens of micrometers. An interesting topic with respect to random swimming motions of algae cells in a liquid is how to precisely control them as microrobots such that they swim according to manually set routes. This study developed an ingenious method to steer swimming cells based on the phototaxis. The method used a varying light signal to direct the motion of the cells. The swimming trajectory, speed, and force of algae cells were analyzed in detail. Then the algae cell could be controlled to swim back and forth, and traverse a crossroad as a microrobot obeying specific traffic rules. Furthermore, their motions along arbitrarily set trajectories such as zigzag, and triangle were realized successfully under optical control. Robotize algae cells can be used to precisely transport and deliver cargo such as drug particles in microfluidic chip for biomedical treatment and pharmacodynamic analysis. The study findings are expected to bring significant breakthrough in biological drives and new biomedical applications.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
G. D. Bachand, S. B. Rivera, A. Carroll-Portillo, H. Hess, M. Bachand, Small 2, 381 (2006)
Á. Barroso, S. Landwerth, M. Woerdemann, C. Alpmann, T. Buscher, M. Becker, A. Studer, C. Denz, Biomed Microdevices 17, 1–8 (2015)
B. Behkam, M. Sitti, Appl Phys Lett 93, 223901 (2008)
N. F. Bouxsein, A. Carroll-Portillo, M. Bachand, D. Y. Sasaki, G. D. Bachand, Langmuir 29, 2992 (2013)
C. Y. Chen, C. F. Chen, Y. Yi, L. J. Chen, L. F. Wu, T. Song, Biomed Microdevices 16, 761–770 (2014)
S. Cho, S. J. Park, S. Y. Ko, J. O. Park, S. Park, Biomed Microdevices 14, 1019–1025 (2012)
M. R. Edwards, R. W. Carlsen, M. Sitti, Appl Phys Lett 102, 143701 (2013)
R. Fernandes, M. Zuniga, F. R. Sassine, M. Karakoy, D. H. Gracias, Small 7, 588 (2011)
K. W. Foster, R. D. Smyth, Microbiol Rev 44, 572 (1980)
Y. Hiratsuka, M. Miyata, T. Tada, T. Q. P. Uyeda, Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 103, 13618 (2006)
Y. Jia, W. Dong, X. Feng, J. Li, J. Li, Nanoscale 7, 82 (2015)
D. Kim, A. Liu, E. Diller, M. Sitti, Biomed Microdevices 14, 1009–1017 (2012)
M. Kojima, Z. Zhang, M. Nakajima, K. Ooe, T. Fukuda, Sensors Actuators B Chem 183, 395 (2013)
E. Lauga, T. R. Powers, Rep Prog Phys 72, 096601 (2009)
K. Y. Ma, P. Chirarattananon, S. B. Fuller, R. J. Wood, Science 340, 603 (2013)
S. Martel, C. C. Tremblay, S. Ngakeng, G. Langlois, Appl Phys Lett 89, 233904 (2006)
S. Martel, O. Felfoul, J. B. Mathieu, A. Chanu, S. Tamaz, M. Mohammadi, M. Mankiewicz, N. Tabatabaei, Int J Robot Res 28, 1169–1182 (2009a)
S. Martel, M. Mohammadi, O. Felfoul, Z. Lu, P. Pouponneau, Int J Robot Res 28, 571–582 (2009b)
V. D. Nguyen, J. W. Han, Y. J. Choi, S. Cho, S. Zheng, S. Y. Ko, J. O. Park, S. Park, Sensors Actuators B Chem 224, 217 (2016)
S. J. Park, H. Bae, J. Kim, B. Lim, J. Park, S. Park, Lab Chip 10, 1706 (2010)
S. J. Park, Y. K. Lee, S. Cho, S. Uthaman, I. K. Park, J. J. Min, S. Y. Ko, J. O. Park, S. Park, Biotechnol Bioeng 112, 769 (2015)
M. Persson, M. Gullberg, C. Tolf, A. M. Lindberg, A. Månsson, A. Kocer, PLoS One 8, e55931 (2013)
Y. Rondelez, G. Tresset, T. Nakashima, Y. Kato-Yamada, H. Fujita, S. Takeuchi, H. Noji, Nature 433, 773 (2005)
K. Shibata, M. Miura, Y. Watanabe, K. Saito, A. Nishimura, K. Furuta, Y. Y. Toyoshima, PLoS One 7, e42990 (2012)
H. L. Sweeney, A. Houdusse, Annu Rev Biophys 39, 539 (2010)
M. C. Tarhan, R. Yokokawa, F. Morin, H. Fujita, ChemPhysChem 14, 1618 (2013)
M. Ternes, C. P. Lutz, C. F. Hirjibehedin, F. J. Giessibl, A. J. Heinrich, Science 319, 1066 (2008)
M. Tortonese, R. C. Barrett, C. F. Quate, Appl Phys Lett 62, 834 (1993)
M. A. Traoré, A. Sahari, B. Behkam, Phys Rev E 84, 061908 (2011)
D. B. Weibel, P. Garstecki, D. Ryan, W. R. DiLuzio, M. Mayer, J. E. Seto, G. M. Whitesides, Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 102, 11963 (2005)
Y. Zhang, Y. Gao, L. Liu, N. Xi, Y. Wang, L. Ma, Z. Dong, U. C. Wejinya, Appl Phys Lett 101, 213101 (2012)
Acknowledgments
This research work was partially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61573339, 61304251 and 61503258), and the CAS-SAFEA International Partnership Program for Creative Research Teams.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Xie, S., Jiao, N., Tung, S. et al. Controlled regular locomotion of algae cell microrobots. Biomed Microdevices 18, 47 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10544-016-0074-y
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10544-016-0074-y