SGER: Protein Based Nano-Motors and Nano-Robots

本项目研究基于蛋白质的纳米马达和纳米机器人的发展。其目标是开发新颖和革命性的生物分子机器组件，这些组件可以组装并形成多自由度纳米设备，这些设备将能够施加力并操纵纳米世界中的物体，将信息从纳米世界传输到宏观世界，还能够在纳米环境中旅行。这些机器预计将是高效、经济的大规模生产，工作在很少的监督下，并且是可控的。他们的愿景是，这种超微型机器人系统和纳米机械设备将成为未来行星、军事或医疗任务的生物分子机电硬件。一些蛋白质，由于它们的结构特征和物理化学性质，是这一角色的潜在候选者。该项目的具体目标是：a)确定可用作纳米/微型机器和机械装置马达的蛋白质。我们将重点研究病毒蛋白质折叠或展开的机械特性，这取决于环境的pH水平。因此，我们得到了一种新的、强大的、线性的生物分子致动器类型，我们称之为：病毒蛋白线性马达(VPL)。将研究各种病毒蛋白，并从中生产不同的VPL马达；b)开发动态模型和逼真的模拟/动画，以准确预测建议的VPL马达的性能；c)进行一系列生物分子实验，以证明所建议的VPL马达概念的有效性；d)通过计算和实验研究建议的蛋白质马达与其他生物分子组件，如DNA关节和碳纳米管刚性连接的接口，以形成复杂的、多自由度的机器和机器人。该项目更广泛的影响和推广活动是：a)本科生开始研究；B)与新泽西州的科技高中建立关于纳米技术的合作项目，目的是吸引该领域的新学生；(C)在一年一度的ASME国际机械工程大会和博览会上组织一次关于纳米机器人的特别会议；(D)开发和维护一个关于生物纳米机器人系统的网页。

This project studies the development of protein-based nano-motors and nano-robots. The goal is to develop novel and revolutionary biomolecular machine components that can be assembled and form multi-degree of freedom nanodevices that will be able to apply forces and manipulate objects in the nanoworld, transfer information from the nano to the macro world and also be able to travel in the nanoenvironment. These machines are expected to be highly efficient, economical in mass production, work under little supervision and be controllable. The vision is that such ultra-miniature robotic systems and nano-mechanical devices will be the biomolecular electromechanical hardware of future planetary, military or medical missions. Some proteins, due to their structural characteristics and physicochemical properties constitute potential candidates for this role. The specific aims of this project are: a) To identify proteins that can be used as motors in nano / micro machines and mechanisms. We will focus our studies on the mechanical properties of viral proteins to fold or unfold depending on the pH level of environment. Thus, a new, powerful, linear biomolecular actuator type is obtained that we call: Viral Protein Linear (VPL) motor. Various viral proteins will be studied and from them different VPL motors will be produced; b) To develop dynamic models and realistic simulations / animations to accurately predict the performance of the proposed VPL motors; c) To perform a series of biomolecular experiments to demonstrate the validity of the proposed concept of VPL motors; d) To study, both computationally and experimentally, the interface of the proposed protein motors with other biomolecular components such as DNA joints and carbon-nanotube rigid links so that complex, multi-degree of freedom machines and robots are formed.The broader impact and outreach activities of this project are: a) the initiation of undergraduate students in research; b) the establishment of collaborative projects on nanotechnology with the science and technology high schools of New Jersey with the objective to attract new students in this field; c) the organization of a special session at the annual ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (IMECE) on nano-robotics; and d) the development and maintenance of a webpage on bio-nano-robotic systems.