We are looking for motivated Bc, Msc and PhD. students!
Currently one funded PhD. position available!
This project combines chemical and lithographic approaches to create interactive autonomous hydrogel microcrawlers that locomote through periodic actuation when exposed to an appropriate stimulus (light, magnetic field). The crawlers’ trajectories are controlled by external field gradients in a similar manner to photo, chemo and magnetotaxis in unicellular organisms, which allows controlling simultaneously position of multiple crawlers in both space and time. Such crawlers can be used to autonomously manipulate microobjects, deliver chemical cargo to the place of interest or probe and report on the composition of their surroundings. Reversible assembly of the crawlers into ordered macroscopic actuating structures is the next goal of the project.