Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Gen Li, Tieshan Zhang, Yajing Shen
Summary: This study presents a method to construct a transparent magnetic millirobot with high transmittance and remote-controllable movement and obstacle-crossing capabilities. The robot also demonstrates optical transparency in different environments and movement and camouflage capabilities on sand.
ADVANCED MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES
(2021)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Changyu Xu, Zilin Yang, Shaun Wee Kiat Tan, Jianhuang Li, Guo Zhan Lum
Summary: Magnetic miniature robots (MMRs) are small mobile actuators that can access enclosed spaces. This study proposes a six-DOF MMR that can execute seven modes of soft-bodied locomotion, demonstrating unprecedented dexterity.
ADVANCED INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Zhi Zhao, Xiaojia Shelly Zhang
Summary: This work introduces a powerful topology optimization framework to guide the rational design of hard-magnetic soft materials and structures with precisely programmable functionalities. The framework is capable of simultaneously optimizing topology, remnant magnetization distribution, and applied magnetic fields, improving the performance of a design and generating unconventional designs with highly programmable magnetic-actuated behaviors.
JOURNAL OF THE MECHANICS AND PHYSICS OF SOLIDS
(2022)
Article
Robotics
Chen Wang, Venkata Rithwick Puranam, Sarthak Misra, Venkatasubramanian Kalpathy Venkiteswaran
Summary: In this letter, a magnetically-actuated soft robot with dissolvable and biocompatible segments is designed. The actuation response under external magnetic field is investigated, and the robot's ability to navigate obstacles, move on different surfaces, dissolve, and release a drug is demonstrated through experiments. The combination of multi-segmented design and biocompatible and dissolvable materials shows the potential of such robots for medical applications.
IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Youngbin Lee, Florian Koehler, Tom Dillon, Gabriel Loke, Yoonho Kim, Juliette Marion, Marc-Joseph Antonini, Indie C. Garwood, Atharva Sahasrabudhe, Keisuke Nagao, Xuanhe Zhao, Yoel Fink, Ellen T. Roche, Polina Anikeeva
Summary: The widespread use of magnetic soft robots is hindered by complex control paradigms and challenges in fabricating devices across different scales. In this study, advancements in fiber-based actuators and magnetic elastomer composites are utilized to create 3D magnetic soft robots controlled by one-directional fields. These robots can crawl or walk in magnetic fields orthogonal to their motion plane. They can also act as cargo carriers and be simultaneously controlled in opposite directions using a single stationary electromagnet. This scalable fabrication and control approach opens up possibilities for future applications of magnetic soft robots in environments with constrained and complex fields.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Youngbin Lee, Florian Koehler, Tom Dillon, Gabriel Loke, Yoonho Kim, Juliette Marion, Marc-Joseph Antonini, Indie C. Garwood, Atharva Sahasrabudhe, Keisuke Nagao, Xuanhe Zhao, Yoel Fink, Ellen T. Roche, Polina Anikeeva
Summary: This study leverages advancements in magnetic materials and fiber-based actuators to create three-dimensional magnetic soft robots controlled by unidirectional fields. These robots demonstrate high programmability and scalability, allowing for cargo transportation and simultaneous control of multiple robots in specific environments.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Robotics
Alessandro Riccardi, Guilherme P. Furtado, Jakub Sikorski, Marilena Vendittelli, Sarthak Misra
Summary: The actuation of miniaturized robots through external magnetic fields has great potential for medical applications. The controllability properties of the miniaturized robots are affected by the magnetic field generation modality. In this work, a mobile electromagnet capable of generating a desired magnetic field in large 3D workspaces was identified. A control model of the field generation system was developed to produce a desired magnetic field designed to generate a locomotion gait in a legged miniaturized robot. Preliminary experiments proved the viability of the approach.
IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Liu Yang, Jiaqi Miao, Gen Li, Hao Ren, Tieshan Zhang, Dong Guo, Yifeng Tang, Wanfeng Shang, Yajing Shen
Summary: Researchers have developed a small-scale soft robot made from magnetic gelatin hydrogel, with tunable mechanical properties for grasping and cargo transportation tasks. Magnetic hydrogels demonstrate superior degradation and controlled release abilities compared to non-degradable materials. This study provides a new option for tunable and degradable millirobot construction in biomedical applications.
ACS APPLIED POLYMER MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yunrui Chen, Yabin Zhang, Hongyuan Li, Jie Shen, Fangfei Zhang, Jiajun He, Junzhu Lin, Ben Wang, Shichao Niu, Zhiwu Han, Zhiguang Guo
Summary: Natural organisms provide inspiration for designing hydrogel robots with autonomous and intelligent behaviors. Soft hydrogel robots with various structures and functions have been developed to mimic the motion behaviors of different natural species. The unique features of hydrogels make them promising for bio-related applications. However, there are still challenges in this field that need to be addressed.
Article
Robotics
Luyang Zhao, Yijia Wu, Julien Blanchet, Maxine Perroni-Scharf, Xiaonan Huang, Joran Booth, Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio, Devin Balkcom
Summary: This study introduces soft lattice modules that parallel the sub-units seen in biological systems, utilizing the characteristics of soft, modular, and tensegrity robots. The modules are capable of independent locomotion and can join together for collective, self-assembled tasks.
IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Robotics
Peter Lloyd, Theodosia Lourdes Thomas, Venkatasubramanian Kalpathy Venkiteswaran, Giovanni Pittiglio, James H. Chandler, Pietro Valdastri, Sarthak Misra
Summary: Soft and flexible magnetic robots made from magnetically-active elastomers have gained attention due to their large deformability and remote actuation capabilities. These properties make them appealing for minimally invasive surgeries, allowing navigation to previously inaccessible areas. However, functionalizing such magnetic devices has been a challenge. To address this, we introduce a proof-of-concept variable stiffness robot controlled by remote magnetic actuation, capable of grasping objects of different sizes. We demonstrate a controlled and reversible high deformation coiling action induced by a transient magnetic field and a nitinol backbone. Experimental demonstrations show a maximum coiling deformation angle of 400 degrees.
IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Meng Li, Aniket Pal, Junghwan Byun, Gaurav Gardi, Metin Sitti
Summary: This study introduces a magnetically hard and soft material called magnetic putty, which has large remanence and low coercivity. The magnetization of the putty can be easily reoriented with an external field that is only one-tenth of its coercivity. Additionally, the magnetic putty is malleable and self-healing, making it versatile for various magnetic robotics applications.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Hongman Wang, Zhisen Zhu, He Jin, Rui Wei, Lei Bi, Wenling Zhang
Summary: Driven by advances in soft material science, magnetic soft robots have attracted significant attention due to their remarkable deformations under magnetic fields. This review summarizes the state-of-the-art progress in magnetic soft materials and robots, including their design, fabrication, reconfigurable structures, actuation technologies, simulation models, and future research directions and challenges.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yuwei Ju, Run Hu, Yan Xie, Jianpeng Yao, Xiaoxiang Li, Yiliang Lv, Xiaotao Han, Quanliang Cao, Liang Li
Summary: Magnetic soft robots have gained increasing attention for their advantages and potential applications, with a new method for flexible and reconfigurable magnetization distribution. Various superior magnetic soft robots have been developed, paving the way for practical applications and future development of soft robots.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ren Hao Soon, Ziyu Ren, Wenqi Hu, Ugur Bozuyuk, Erdost Yildiz, Meng Li, Metin Sitti
Summary: This article presents a wireless spring-preloaded barbed needle release mechanism for anchoring untethered soft miniature robots. The mechanism is wirelessly triggered using radio-frequency remote heating and can be easily integrated into existing robotic platforms. It provides robust anchoring in biological tissues and extends the operating depth of the device inside the body. This mechanism opens up new possibilities for biomedical functionalities in untethered soft medical robots.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Guoyingre Gu, Ningbin Zhang, Haipeng Xu, Shaoting Lin, Yang Yu, Guohong Chai, Lisen Ge, Houle Yang, Qiwen Shao, Xinjun Sheng, Xiangyang Zhu, Xuanhe Zhao
Summary: A soft and lightweight neuroprosthetic hand that offers simultaneous myoelectric control and tactile feedback outperformed a conventional rigid neuroprosthetic hand in speed and dexterity. The soft neuroprosthetic hand has the potential to help individuals with limb loss regain control and touch sensation.
NATURE BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Zhaocheng Xuan, Lixia Zhang
Summary: This paper investigates the competition between entropy and energy in static-elastic contact mechanics. Theoretical analysis is presented on the surrogate duality of the optimization model of contact problems, and the correspondence between statistical physics concepts and the finite element model of contact problems is clarified. Examples are provided to calculate contact force using an improved iterative algorithm based on quasi concavity, which verifies the competition between entropy and potential energy and demonstrates strong negentropy behavior.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL METHODS
(2023)
Article
Rheumatology
Qing Zhao, Huazhen Liu, Wenfang Yang, Ziyue Zhou, Yiying Yang, Xu Jiang, Huaxia Yang, Fengchun Zhang
Summary: The study aimed to explore the survival and risk factors for cancer occurrence after SLE. Data from SLE-CA patients and matched controls were collected and analyzed. It was found that high dosage of CYC and disease-related factors were associated with cancer occurrence after SLE. No significant difference in survival was observed between SLE-CA patients and controls.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Shan Li, Mengqian Lu, Peng Wu, Shuquan Zhu, Cai Tie, Xuanhe Zhao, Handong Liang
Summary: Low-temperature pyrolysis is an important technology for the clean and efficient utilization of lignite. This study investigates the concentration and composition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in lignites and their semi-cokes, and finds that the PAHs in the semi-coke are closely related to the macromolecular structure of raw coal, providing valuable information for the structural evolution of coal during pyrolysis and the development of clean fuel.
Article
Immunology
Xin-miao Jia, Bing-xuan Wu, Bei-di Chen, Ke-tian Li, Yu-dong Liu, Yue Xu, Jun Wang, Xuan Zhang
Summary: The gut microbiota in treatment naive pSS patients was disturbed and shared significant similarity with that in SLE patients.
JOURNAL OF AUTOIMMUNITY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Shouzhi Chen, Yongshuo H. Fu, Zhaofei Wu, Fanghua Hao, Zengchao Hao, Yahui Guo, Xiaojun Geng, Xiaoyan Li, Xuan Zhang, Jing Tang, Vijay P. Singh, Xuesong Zhang
Summary: The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model is widely used for simulating the water cycle and quantifying the impacts of climate change and human activities on hydrological processes. However, its representation of vegetation dynamics has been a major source of uncertainty. This study improves the SWAT model by incorporating dynamic growth start dates and heat requirements for vegetation growth based on long-term remote sensing data. The improved model shows significant improvements in simulating leaf area index (LAI) and evapotranspiration, indicating the importance of accurately representing phenological dates in vegetation growth modules.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Beidi Chen, Jiabao Cao, Wei Liu, Yuqing Zhang, Yudong Liu, Min Wang, Fei Xiao, Jie Ma, Jun Wang, Xuan Zhang
Summary: Disturbed gut virome, characterized by an elevated proportion of bacteriophages, is closely associated with the etiopathogenesis and clinical parameters of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The combination of gut viral and bacterial markers shows better performance in distinguishing SLE patients from healthy controls.
Editorial Material
Biology
Bing Sun, Ningshao Xia, Xuan Zhang
SCIENCE CHINA-LIFE SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Wei Liu, Ziqiao Wang, Shuo Liu, Xuan Zhang, Xuetao Cao, Minghong Jiang
Summary: As one of the core components of the SWI/SNF complex, SMARCC1 plays a crucial role in activating late inflammatory genes. This study reveals that the nuclear E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF138 negatively regulates the inflammatory response by interacting and degrading SMARCC1. The findings uncover the mechanism of nucleosome remodeling, inflammation, and ubiquitination, highlighting the important role of E3 ubiquitin ligases in controlling inflammatory responses.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiang Zhang, Chula Sa, Quansheng Hai, Fanhao Meng, Min Luo, Hongdou Gao, Haochen Zhang, Chaohua Yin, Yuhui Zhang, Hui Sun
Summary: Snow is important for vegetation growth on the Mongolian Plateau, but its changes due to climate change have impacted the vegetation's growth date. In this study, the CASA model was used to estimate the start of growing season net primary productivity for different vegetation types from 2001 to 2019. The spatial changes and influencing factors of vegetation growth are of great significance for ecosystem maintenance.
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Daniel Pickard, Dmitro Martynowych, Jet Lem, Anwar Koshakji, Shaoting Lin, Xuanhe Zhao, Keith Nelson, Bianca Giovanardi, Raul Radovitzky
Summary: Detailed numerical simulations reveal a new class of impulsively excited surface instability in a confined cylindrical hydrogel film. This surface instability is fundamentally different from acoustic parametric instability and shock-driven Richtmyer-Meshkov instability, with a significantly longer time scale of eruption formation. Surface undulations are found only along the outer boundary of solid hydrogel cylinders, indicating a distinct mechanism from classic bubble surface instability.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chen Sun, Zeyu Deng, Zhiyuan Li, Zhongwei Chen, Xuanyu Zhang, Jian Chen, Haipeng Lu, Pieremanuele Canepa, Rui Chen, Lingling Mao
Summary: Hybrid organic-inorganic antimony halides with high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) have gained attention for their non-toxicity and stability. Five pairs of antimony halides with different structures were synthesized and characterized to investigate the factors contributing to high PLQY. The antimony halides with square pyramidal geometry exhibited near-unity PLQY, while those with seesaw dimmer geometry showed PLQY close to 0%. The longer Sb center dot center dot center dot Sb distances in the square pyramidal structures and other factors such as Sb-Cl distance and stability of antimony chlorides may influence PLQY. The findings provide valuable insights for the precise design of highly emissive materials in optoelectronic applications.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Bo Zhang, Jiaqi Sun, Yeshuang Yuan, Dezhong Ji, Yeting Sun, Yudong Liu, Shengjie Li, Xingxing Zhu, Xunyao Wu, Jin Hu, Qiu Xie, Ling Wu, Lulu Liu, Boyang Cheng, Yuanjie Zhang, Lingjuan Jiang, Lidan Zhao, Fei Yu, Wei Song, Min Wang, Yue Xu, Shiliang Ma, Yunyun Fei, Lihe Zhang, Demin Zhou, Xuan Zhang
Summary: In this study, a strategy was developed to selectively activate regulatory T cells (Tregs) using IL-2 variants that covalently bind to IL-2R alpha. The IL-2 variants, containing a bioreactive artificial amino acid, fluorosulfate-L-tyrosine (FSY), showed enhanced therapeutic efficacy in murine models of lupus and graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). Furthermore, N-terminal PEGylation of the IL-2 variants improved their circulatory retention and sustained effects. This proximity-enabled covalent binding strategy has the potential to accelerate the development of immunomodulatory therapies.
SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION AND TARGETED THERAPY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Xuan Zhang, Jun Xia, Ying Jiang, David S. Pisetsky, Josef S. Smolen, Rong Mu, Shengming Dai, Michael E. Weinblatt, Tore K. Kvien, Juan Li, Thomas Doerner, Yu Zhang, Liwei Lu, Chengde Yang, Pingting Yang, Yuan Zhang, Chenchen Xu, Zhan Zhao, Peter E. Lipsky
Summary: The study suggests that TwHF may be as effective as MTX in treating active RA, and combination therapy may be more effective than monotherapy.
JOURNAL OF AUTOIMMUNITY
(2024)
Article
Immunology
Xu Jiang, Xinyue Xiao, Hao Li, Yiyi Gong, Min Wang, Huaxia Yang, Lidan Zhao, Ying Jiang, Yanping Wei, Chongchong Zhao, Jin Li, Yuling Chen, Shan Feng, Haiteng Deng, Shiliang Ma, Yue Xu, Yudong Liu, George C. Tsokos, Minghong Jiang, Xuan Zhang
Summary: Inhibitory immune receptor VSTM1 is essential for maintaining neutrophil viability through its binding with soluble galectin-1. In patients with SLE, oxidized galectin-1 cannot be recognized by VSTM1, leading to increased intracellular reactive oxygen species levels and reduced neutrophil viability. Serum levels of glutathione are negatively correlated with SLE disease activity.
CELLULAR & MOLECULAR IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)