Nanorobotics at USC

Ari Requicha

Gordon Marshall Professor of CS and EE

Director, Laboratory for Molecular Robotics
University of Southern California

http://www-lmr.usc.edu/~lmr/IrosTut07.pdf

Supported in part by NSF Grants EIA-98-71775, IIS-99-87977, EIA-01-21141, DMI-02-09678

and Cooperative Agreement CCR-01-20778; and the Okawa Foundation
 What is Nanorobotics?

 Programmable assembly of nm-scale components either by

manipulation with macro or micro devices, or by directed self-assembly.
 Design and fabrication of robots with overall dimensions at or below the
m range and made of nm-scale components.
 Programming and coordination of large numbers (swarms) of such
nanorobots.

Laboratory for Molecular Robotics

 Why Nanorobotics?

 Applications, especially biology, medicine and the environment.

 Robotic science:
– Different phenomena at the nanoscale: surface forces, quantum
effects, …
– Environments with large spatial uncertainties.
– Dynamic environments, robustness, adaptability, …
– New trade-offs between computation, motion, communication, …
– New strategies, algorithms, software, hardware…
– Minimalist robotics.
– Swarm robotics.

Laboratory for Molecular Robotics

 Interactive Pushing

Start

End

Laboratory for Molecular Robotics

 Making a Pattern

Baur et al. (1997) J. Vac. Sci. & Techn. B 15, 1577

Laboratory for Molecular Robotics

 LMR in 3-D

O. Port (2000) Business Week 76, Nov. 27

Laboratory for Molecular Robotics

Example of Automatic Manipulation

Laboratory for Molecular Robotics

Automated Manipulation Demo

Laboratory for Molecular Robotics

 Nanorobot Issues
 Sensors
 Computers and Control
 Actuators and Propulsion
 Power
 Communications
 Interfaces and Integration
– nano/micro/macro
– organic/inorganic
– biotic/abiotic
 Programming and Coordination

Nanorobots raise all the issues that

are important for NEMS

Laboratory for Molecular Robotics

 Cell Identification by Force Sensing

AFM Cantilever (MEMS) Force-Distance Curve

2

1 4
Linker
Ab
Unbonding
Ag f
Cell Force
3
d
Substrate

Laboratory for Molecular Robotics

 Control Experiments
50
40

Frequency
30 Polycarbonate Membrane
20
10
0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
35
30

Frequency
25
20 BT3
15
10
5
0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000

80
Frequency

60
Minutocellus
40
20
0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
20
15
Frequency

BTA
10
5
0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
Force (pN)
Lee et al. (2006) IEEE Trans. Nanobioscience 5, 149

Laboratory for Molecular Robotics

 Nanowires
2.6 nm in diameter
MWNT In2O3
1.0 nm in diameter

ZnO CdO Fe3O4

SnO2 GaN InN

Si Ge InP

Chongwu Zhou, USC

Laboratory for Molecular Robotics

Microorganism Detection

PEI/PEG
algae Nanowire/Nanotube
Electrode antibody

SiO2

Si Substrate

Zhou et al., USC

Laboratory for Molecular Robotics

Nanowire Detection of Algae in a Microchannel

150
Algae cells
A B C
145

add algae

I (nA)
140
Nano
sensor 135

S D 130
SiO2 700 750 800 850 900 950 1000
Time (Sec)

Zhou et al., USC

Laboratory for Molecular Robotics

Selective Functionalization of NW Mats

Curreli et al. (2005) JACS 127, 6922

Laboratory for Molecular Robotics

 SEM Images of PPy Nanowires/Nanotubes

50 nm diameter PPy nanowire 100 nm diameter PPy nanotubule

Laboratory for Molecular Robotics

 Do These PPy Nanofibers Change Volume?

AFM
Tip

RE CE

Ppy Fiber

Ppy Fiber
V A
Tip

Pcb
Placement
Au

WE

Potentiostat

AFM tip is placed directly over one of the PPy nanofibers to measure real-time
height changes in response to cycling of voltage. 100 nm diameter fibers.

Laboratory for Molecular Robotics

Real-Time Actuation of 100nm PPy Nanofiber
8

4
Height Change (nm)
2

-2 Applied Potential
Voltage (V) 0

-4

-6

-8 -1
0 100 200 300 400 500
-10 Time (s)

-12
0 100 200 300 400 500
Time (s)

Laboratory for Molecular Robotics

 Assembly Agent Model

 Perform a random walk (environment)

 Grab and release neighbors
 Exchange messages with neighbors
 Store, look-up and execute simple rules
 Increment and decrement a hop counter

Laboratory for Molecular Robotics

Self-Repair and “Reproduction”

Laboratory for Molecular Robotics