DNA-Based Nanorobotic Hand

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers have developed a nanorobotic hand made of DNA that can grab viruses for detection or inhibition. The tiny, four-fingered “hand” folded from a single piece of DNA can pick up the virus that causes COVID-19 for highly sensitive rapid detection and can even block viral particles from entering cells to infect them. Dubbed the NanoGripper, the nanorobotic hand also could be programmed to interact with other viruses or to recognize cell surface markers for targeted drug delivery, such as for cancer treatment. Inspired by the gripping power of the human hand and bird claws, the researchers designed the NanoGripper with four bendable fingers and a palm, all in one nanostructure folded from a single piece of DNA. Each finger has three joints, like a human finger, and the angle and degree of bending are determined by the design on the DNA scaffold. In addition to diagnostics, the NanoGripper could have applications in preventive medicine by blocking viruses from entering and infecting cells.
Contact: Xing Wang
217-333-1085
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Wearable Ultrasound Patch

A team of researchers at the University of California San Diego has developed a new and improved wearable ultrasound patch for continuous and noninvasive blood pressure monitoring. Their work marks a major milestone, as the device is the first wearable ultrasound blood pressure sensor to undergo rigorous and comprehensive clinical validation on over 100 patients. The patch is a soft and stretchy device, about the size of a postage stamp, that adheres to the skin. When worn on the forearm, it offers precise, real-time readings of blood pressure deep within the body. The patch is made of a silicone elastomer that houses an array of small piezoelectric transducers sandwiched between stretchable copper electrodes. The transducers transmit and receive ultrasound waves that track changes in the diameter of blood vessels, which are then converted into blood pressure values. The team is plans to integrate machine learning to further improve the device’s capabilities.
Contact: Daniel Kane
858-534-3262
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Sensitive Ceramics

Robots that can sense touch and perceive temperature differences? An unexpected material might just make this a reality. At Empa’s Laboratory for High-Performance Ceramics, Frank Clemens and his team are developing researchers are developing soft and intelligent sensor materials based on ceramic particles. Such sensors can “feel” temperature, strain, pressure, or humidity, for instance, which makes them interesting for use in medicine, but also in the field of soft robotics. The researchers work with materials such as potassium sodium niobate and zinc oxide, but also with carbon particles. None of these materials are soft. In order to fashion them into flexible sensors, the researchers embed ceramic particles in stretchable plastics. The research group has succeeded in producing soft sensors that react very selectively only to pressure or only to temperature. The researchers integrated these sensors into a prosthetic hand. The prosthesis “senses” the flexion of its fingers and notices when it touches a hot surface. Such sensitivity would be an advantage both for robotic gripping tools and for human prostheses.