Construction of a remote-controlled supramolecular micro-crawler

Abstract

We aimed to develop a micro-robot that can crawl on contact surfaces in biological environments. The prototype chassis of this micro-bot consists of a lipid membrane that encapsulates and bonds micro-sized magnetic particles. By applying a rotating magnetic field, we hope to obtain a micro-crawler robot. In this report, we describe our observations of the rotational movement of liposomes (10–60 µm in diameter) encapsulating magnetic particles following manipulation of an external magnetic field using a neodymium magnet. Since this robot actively makes contact with the external environment, it will be possible to salvage some important molecule from the contact surface. It is expected that development of this system will lead to the development of new diagnostic and treatment systems.