tiny ant-like beads form short chains to carry objects inside a microchip
A collaboration of MIT, Boston University and German researchers has developed a new system that mimics the human body's cilia, to transport tiny objects inside a microchip.
The unnamed system uses superparamagnetic beads, tiny polymer beads which contain traces of magnetic material that as soon as a rotating magnetic field is applied, the beads attract big particles as they form short chains naturally.
The short chains soon start spinning, creating currents that can effectively carry big particles along with them to a particular direction the software guides them to.
As complex as the design would take, Alfredo Alexander-Katz, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT and part of the research team is positive that "applications to creating a new kind of microfluidics chips could be achieved within a year or so" as they were able to create the base form of the system.
The new system uses the "virtual microfluidics" approach which will prove beneficial particularly to the biomedical field, where it could be used from biomedical screening to pollution monitoring applications.
Click here to read more about Superparamagnetic Beads, Virtual Microfluids and Microfluidic Chip.
It is good to know about this research and I think it is going to be a big help.
There is a lot to learn from nature i believe.Human body and body of other animals, especially that of insects do have many hidden secretes.If we study these things and apply those things in machines this world can be much more advance,pollution free and greener.
Lets cheer up those scientist who are revealing these secretes.
wow,it is going to be amazing.i hope complete results of research will be public soon..
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