Collaborative Research: Biologically Inspired Cilia-Driven Microscale Robots

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Robotics and Computer Vision ProgramDivision of Information and Intelligent SystemsAbstractPROPOSAL NUMBER: 0328274INSTITUTION: University of Nevada RenoPRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Kim, Kwang J. PROPOSAL NUMBER: 0328275INSTITUTION: University of Nevada Las VegasPRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Yim, WoosoonPROPOSAL TITLE: Collaborative Research: Biologically Inspired Cilia-Driven Microscale RobotsRecent advances in smart electroactive polymers have created a unique opportunity to combine microscale science, robotic engineering and biomimetics. These materials can be applied to microscale structures of arbitrary shape with biomimetic features. Largely inspired by nature, we propose an approach in integrating electroactive materials and control into a new class of cilia-driven microscale robots. The objective of the proposed research is to investigate key scientific issues on: i) materials development and identification, ii) biomimetic design of microscale cilia structures, and iii) robotic controls. The proposed cilia-driven microscale robot systems have a wide spectrum of future engineering applications such as drug delivery micro-robots and micro-colonoscopy systems.The goal of the proposed research program is to provide students with the expertise to broadly address the future needs of industry and academia in small-scale science and engineering as well as robotics on small scales. Also, the proposed study will help increase the diversity in the research and educational mission of this effort.