Maria Guix | Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (original) (raw)

Papers by Maria Guix

Bioinspiration & Biomimetics

The past ten years have seen the rapid expansion of the field of biohybrid robotics. By combining... more The past ten years have seen the rapid expansion of the field of biohybrid robotics. By combining engineered, synthetic components with living biological materials, new robotics solutions have been developed that harness the adaptability of living muscles, the sensitivity of living sensory cells, and even the computational abilities of living neurons. Biohybrid robotics has taken the popular and scientific media by storm with advances in the field, moving biohybrid robotics out of science fiction and into real science and engineering. So how did we get here, and where should the field of biohybrid robotics go next? In this perspective, we first provide the historical context of crucial subareas of biohybrid robotics by reviewing the past 10+ years of advances in microorganism-bots and sperm-bots, cyborgs, and tissue-based robots. We then present critical challenges facing the field and provide our perspectives on the vital future steps toward creating autonomous living machines.

The Royal Society of Chemistry eBooks, Apr 28, 2011

CHAPTER 8 New Trends in DNA Sensors for Environmental Applications: Nanomaterials, Miniaturizatio... more CHAPTER 8 New Trends in DNA Sensors for Environmental Applications: Nanomaterials, Miniaturization, and Lab-on-a-Chip Technology ALFREDO DE LA ESCOSURA-MUNIZ, 1 MARIANA MEDINA1 AND ARBEN MERKOCI1, 2 1Nanobioelectronics & Biosensors Group, CIN2 ...

Advanced Materials Technologies

Biohybrid robots, or bio-bots, integrate living and synthetic materials following a synergistic s... more Biohybrid robots, or bio-bots, integrate living and synthetic materials following a synergistic strategy to acquire some of the unique properties of biological organisms, like adaptability or bio-sensing, which are difficult to obtain exclusively using artificial materials. Skeletal muscle is one of the preferred candidates to power bio-bots, enabling a wide variety of movements from walking to swimming. Conductive nanocomposites, like gold nanoparticles or graphene, can provide benefits to muscle cells by improving the scaffolds' mechanical and conductive properties. Here, we integrate boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs), with piezoelectric properties, in muscle-based bio-bots and demonstrate an improvement in their force output and motion speed. We provide a full characterization of the BNNTs, and we confirm their piezoelectric behavior with piezometer and dynamometer measurements. We hypothesize that the improved performance is a result of an electric field generated by the nanocomposites due to stresses produced by the cells during differentiation, which in turns improves their maturation. We back this hypothesis with finite element simulations supporting that this stress can generate a nonzero electric field within the matrix. With this work, we show that the integration of nanocomposite into muscle-based bio-bots can improve their performance, paving the way towards stronger and faster bio-hybrid robots. .

216 | Lab Chip, 2015, 15, 216–224 This journal is © The R a Institute for Integrative Nanoscience... more 216 | Lab Chip, 2015, 15, 216–224 This journal is © The R a Institute for Integrative Nanosciences, IFW Dresden, Helmholtzstr. 20, 01069 Dresden, Germany. E-mail: g.lin@ifw-dresden.de Material Systems for Nanoelectronics, Chemnitz University of Technology, Reichenhainerstr. 70, 09107 Chemnitz, Germany Max Bergmann Center of Biomaterials, Dresden University of Technology, Budapesterstr. 27, 01069 Dresden, Germany Division of IT Convergence Engineering, POSTECH, Pohang, Korea † Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/ c4lc01160k Cite this: Lab Chip, 2015, 15, 216

Science Robotics, 2021

Urease-powered nanobots demonstrate swarming, collective motion, and fluid mixing in vitro and in... more Urease-powered nanobots demonstrate swarming, collective motion, and fluid mixing in vitro and in vivo.

Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany), Jan 4, 2016

An electrochemical approach for manufacturing light-driven nanostructured titanium dioxide (TiO2 ... more An electrochemical approach for manufacturing light-driven nanostructured titanium dioxide (TiO2 ) microengines with controlled spatial architecture for improved performance is reported. The microengines based on microscale arrays of TiO2 nanotubes with variable (50-120 nm) inner diameter show a quasi-ordered arrangement of nanotubes, being the smallest tubular entities for catalytic microengines reported to date. The nanotubes exhibit well defined crystalline phases depending upon the postfabrication annealing conditions that determine the microengines' efficiency. When exposed to UV-light, the microarrays of TiO2 nanotubes exhibiting conical internal shapes show directed motion in confined space, both in the presence and absence of hydrogen peroxide. In the former case, two different motion patterns related to diffusiophoresis and localized nanobubble generation inside of the tubes due to the photocatalytic decomposition of H2 O2 are disclosed. Controlled pick-up, transport, a...

Biofabrication, 2021

Three-dimensional engineering of skeletal muscle is becoming increasingly relevant for tissue eng... more Three-dimensional engineering of skeletal muscle is becoming increasingly relevant for tissue engineering, disease modeling and bio-hybrid robotics, where flexible, versatile and multidisciplinary approaches for the evaluation of tissue differentiation, functionality and force measurement are required. This works presents a 3D-printed platform of bioengineered human skeletal muscle which can efficiently model the three-dimensional structure of native tissue, while providing information about force generation and contraction profiles. Proper differentiation and maturation of myocytes is demonstrated by the expression of key myo-proteins using immunocytochemistry and analyzed by confocal microscopy, and the functionality assessed via electrical stimulation and analysis of contraction kinetics. To validate the flexibility of this platform for complex tissue modeling, the bioengineered muscle is treated with tumor necrosis factor α to mimic the conditions of aging, which is supported by morphological and functional changes. Moreover, as a proof of concept, the effects of Argireline® Amplified peptide, a cosmetic ingredient that causes muscle relaxation, are evaluated in both healthy and aged tissue models. Therefore, the results demonstrate that this 3D-bioengineered human muscle platform could be used to assess morphological and functional changes in the aging process of muscular tissue with potential applications in biomedicine, cosmetics and bio-hybrid robotics.

Experimental data files used in the manuscript "Guided accumulation of active particles by t... more Experimental data files used in the manuscript "Guided accumulation of active particles by topological design of a second-order skin effect". Collective guidance of out-of-equilibrium systems without using external fields is a challenge of paramount importance in active matter, ranging from bacterial colonies to swarms of self-propelled particles. Designing strategies to guide active matter and exploiting enhanced diffusion associated to its motion will provide insights for application from sensing, drug delivery to water remediation. However, achieving directed motion without breaking detailed balance, for example by asymmetric topographical patterning, is challenging. Here we engineer a two-dimensional periodic topographical design with detailed balance in its unit cell where we observe spontaneous particle edge guidance and corner accumulation of self-propelled particles. This emergent behaviour is...

Two-Photon Polymerization (TPP) is a fabrication technique based on the localized linking of phot... more Two-Photon Polymerization (TPP) is a fabrication technique based on the localized linking of photosensitive materials resulting from femtosecond – a quadrillionth of a second – exposure to a laser. Such materials are based on building blocks named monomers that combine under certain stimuli (i.e. light) to form chains or complex networks. Utilization of TPP as a method for micro-3D printing has expanded the field of microrobotics, which presents medical solutions for minimizing procedure invasiveness as well as increasing treatment and diagnosis accuracy. One of the challenges in achieving desired accuracies is designing trackable features onto a microrobot. With the capabilities of TPP, we propose the construction of patterns on microrobot surfaces, mimicking color-expressing nanostructures present on beetles and butterflies. In this study, a tracking point is defined by these patterns on top of a surface on a helical microswimmer. A side-by-side comparison of various patterns dete...

Science Robotics, 2021

A skeletal muscle–based biobot with a self-stimulating serpentine spring skeleton demonstrates hi... more A skeletal muscle–based biobot with a self-stimulating serpentine spring skeleton demonstrates high-performance inertial swimming.

Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems, 2019

The field of bio-hybrid robotics aims at the integration of biological components with artificial... more The field of bio-hybrid robotics aims at the integration of biological components with artificial materials in order to take advantage of many unique features occurring in nature, such as adaptability, self-healing or resilience. In particular, skeletal muscle tissue has been used to fabricate bio-actuators or bio-robots that can perform simple actions. In this paper, we present 3D bioprinting as a versatile technique to develop these kinds of actuators and we focus on the importance of optimizing the designs and properly characterizing their performance. For that, we introduce a method to calculate the force generated by the bio-actuators based on the deflection of two posts included in the bio-actuator design by means of image processing algorithms. Finally, we present some results related to the adaptation, controllability and force modulation of our bio-actuators, paving the way towards a design- and optimization-driven development of more complex 3D-bioprinted bio-actuators.

Nature Communications, 2021

Collective guidance of out-of-equilibrium systems without using external fields is a challenge of... more Collective guidance of out-of-equilibrium systems without using external fields is a challenge of paramount importance in active matter, ranging from bacterial colonies to swarms of self-propelled particles. Designing strategies to guide active matter and exploiting enhanced diffusion associated to its motion will provide insights for application from sensing, drug delivery to water remediation. However, achieving directed motion without breaking detailed balance, for example by asymmetric topographical patterning, is challenging. Here we engineer a two-dimensional periodic topographical design with detailed balance in its unit cell where we observe spontaneous particle edge guidance and corner accumulation of self-propelled particles. This emergent behaviour is guaranteed by a second-order non-Hermitian skin effect, a topologically robust non-equilibrium phenomenon, that we use to dynamically break detailed balance. Our stochastic circuit model predicts, without fitting parameters,...

Enzyme powered nanomotors hold great potential for biomedical applications, as they show improved... more Enzyme powered nanomotors hold great potential for biomedical applications, as they show improved diffusion and navigation within biological environments using endogenous fuels. Yet, understanding their collective behavior and tracking them in vivo is paramount for their clinical translation. Here, we report on the in vitro and in vivo study of swarms of self-propelled enzyme-nanomotors and the effect of collective behavior on the nanomotors distribution within the bladder. For that purpose, mesoporous silica nanomotors were functionalized with urease enzymes and gold nanoparticles. Two radiolabeling strategies, i.e. absorption of 124I on gold nanoparticles and covalent attachment of an 18F-labeled prosthetic group to urease, were assayed. In vitro experiments using optical microscopy and positron emission tomography (PET) showed enhanced fluid mixing and collective migration of nanomotors in phantoms containing complex paths. Biodistribution studies after intravenous administration...

Advanced Intelligent Systems, 2020

Robotics, 2019

This paper presents our work over the last decade in developing functional microrobotic systems, ... more This paper presents our work over the last decade in developing functional microrobotic systems, which include wireless actuation of microrobots to traverse complex surfaces, addition of sensing capabilities, and independent actuation of swarms of microrobots. We will discuss our work on the design, fabrication, and testing of a number of different mobile microrobots that are able to achieve these goals. These microrobots include the microscale magnetorestrictive asymmetric bimorph microrobot ( μ MAB), our first attempt at magnetic actuation in the microscale; the microscale tumbling microrobot ( μ TUM), our microrobot capable of traversing complex surfaces in both wet and dry conditions; and the micro-force sensing magnetic microrobot ( μ FSMM), which is capable of real-time micro-force sensing feedback to the user as well as intuitive wireless actuation. Additionally, we will present our latest results on using local magnetic field actuation for independent control of multiple mic...

IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, 2018

This article reports the design and fabrication of wirelessly controlled mobile microrobots with ... more This article reports the design and fabrication of wirelessly controlled mobile microrobots with an on-board visionbased 2D micro-force sensor for use in force-guided micromanipulation tasks. The micro-force sensing mobile microrobots (µFSMM) presented here exhibit compliant end-effectors with different stiffnesses and color tracking fiducials which are used in conjunction with computer vision algorithms to provide real-time micro-force feedback to the user when performing teloperated micromanipulation tasks. The stiffness of the compliant springs has been tailored to provide an in situ micro-Newton level force detection capability with sub-µN resolution for the first time to mobile microrobots. The µFSMMs can be used in the fields of mechanobiology, theranostics, and for force-guided micromanipulation tasks with delicate structures, such as biological cells.

Micromachines, 2019

Soft, untethered microrobots composed of biocompatible materials for completing micromanipulation... more Soft, untethered microrobots composed of biocompatible materials for completing micromanipulation and drug delivery tasks in lab-on-a-chip and medical scenarios are currently being developed. Alginate holds significant potential in medical microrobotics due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, and drug encapsulation capabilities. Here, we describe the synthesis of MANiACs—Magnetically Aligned Nanorods in Alginate Capsules—for use as untethered microrobotic surface tumblers, demonstrating magnetically guided lateral tumbling via rotating magnetic fields. MANiAC translation is demonstrated on tissue surfaces as well as inclined slopes. These alginate microrobots are capable of manipulating objects over millimeter-scale distances. Finally, we demonstrate payload release capabilities of MANiACs during translational tumbling motion.

Bioinspiration & Biomimetics

The Royal Society of Chemistry eBooks, Apr 28, 2011

Advanced Materials Technologies

Science Robotics, 2021

Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany), Jan 4, 2016

Biofabrication, 2021

Science Robotics, 2021

Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems, 2019

Nature Communications, 2021

Advanced Intelligent Systems, 2020

Robotics, 2019

IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, 2018

Micromachines, 2019