Li Gong, Xu Bingrui, Wang Xiaopu, Yu Jiangfan, Zhang Yifan, Fu Rongxin, Yang Fan, Gu Hongcheng, Huang Yuchen, Chen Yujie, Zhang Yanfeng, Wang Zhuoran, Shen Guozhen, Wang Yeliang, Xie Huikai, Wheeler Aaron R, Li Jiafang, Zhang Shuailong
School of Integrated Circuits and Electronics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China.
Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Intelligent Robots and Systems, School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China.
Adv Mater. 2025 Apr;37(17):e2417742. doi: 10.1002/adma.202417742. Epub 2025 Feb 13.
Micromachines capable of performing diverse mechanical tasks in complex and constrained microenvironments are of great interest. Despite important milestones in this pursuit, until now, micromachines are confined to actuation within a single 2D plane due to the challenges of transferring motion across different planes in limited space. Here, a breakthrough method is presented to overcome this limitation: multi-component micromachines that facilitate 3D motion transfer across different planes. These light-driven 3D micromachines, fabricated using standard photolithography combined with direct laser writing, are assembled and actuated via programmable light patterns within an optoelectronic tweezers system. Utilizing charge-induced repulsion and dielectrophoretic levitation effects, the micromachines enable highly efficient mechanical rotation and effective inter-component motion transfer. Through this work, fascinating patterns of similarities are unveiled for the new microscale 3D systems when compared with the macro-scale world in which they live, paving the way for the development of micromechanical devices and microsystems with ever increasing functionality and versatility.
能够在复杂且受限的微环境中执行各种机械任务的微机器备受关注。尽管在这一追求过程中取得了重要里程碑，但到目前为止，由于在有限空间内跨不同平面传递运动存在挑战，微机器仅限于在单个二维平面内驱动。在此，提出了一种突破性方法来克服这一限制：即促进跨不同平面进行三维运动传递的多组件微机器。这些利用标准光刻技术结合直接激光写入制造的光驱动三维微机器，通过光电镊子系统内的可编程光图案进行组装和驱动。利用电荷诱导排斥和介电泳悬浮效应，这些微机器能够实现高效的机械旋转和组件间的有效运动传递。通过这项工作，与它们所处的宏观世界相比，新的微尺度三维系统展现出了引人入胜的相似模式，为功能和通用性不断增强的微机械设备和微系统的发展铺平了道路。
