A self-propelled biohybrid swimmer at low Reynolds number

Brian J. Williams, Sandeep V. Anand, Jagannathan Rajagopalan and M. Taher A. Saif
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Brian J. Williams: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Sandeep V. Anand: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Jagannathan Rajagopalan: Arizona State University
M. Taher A. Saif: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Nature Communications, 2014, vol. 5, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Many microorganisms, including spermatozoa and forms of bacteria, oscillate or twist a hair-like flagella to swim. At this small scale, where locomotion is challenged by large viscous drag, organisms must generate time-irreversible deformations of their flagella to produce thrust. To date, there is no demonstration of a self propelled, synthetic flagellar swimmer operating at low Reynolds number. Here we report a microscale, biohybrid swimmer enabled by a unique fabrication process and a supporting slender-body hydrodynamics model. The swimmer consists of a polydimethylsiloxane filament with a short, rigid head and a long, slender tail on which cardiomyocytes are selectively cultured. The cardiomyocytes contract and deform the filament to propel the swimmer at 5–10 μm s−1, consistent with model predictions. We then demonstrate a two-tailed swimmer swimming at 81 μm s−1. This small-scale, elementary biohybrid swimmer can serve as a platform for more complex biological machines.

Date: 2014
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4081

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