This work was supported by the EC within the framework of the STIFF-FLOP FP7-ICT-2011.2.1 European Project (#287728).

Hinweis: Dieses Protokoll beschreibt die Herstellungsphasen eines einzelnen Moduls, das die Fluidkammern aufweist, Versteifungskanal Betätigungs Pipelines und Außenmantel. Das folgende Verfahren muss unter einem Abzug und tragen Laborkittel und Handschuhe aus Sicherheitsgründen durchgeführt werden. Wie zuvor erwähnt, ist der Herstellungsprozess der elastomeren Einheit auf der sequentiellen Verwendung von Formen mit CAD-Software entwickelt, basierend. Sie sind von der 13 in 2 gezeigt und in Tabelle 1 aufgelistet Stücken. 1. Herstellung der Silikon <ol><li> Man wiegt 12 g von Teil A und 12 g Bestandteil B in der gleichen Kunststoffglas oder eine Petrischale und mischen sie zusammen, Rühren. Anmerkung: Material Verhältnisse können in Abhängigkeit von dem spezifischen verwendeten Silikons variieren, in diesem Fall besteht es aus zwei Teilen: Teil A (der Basis) und Teil B (der Katalysator). Gewichts 1B: sie werden proportional 1A verwendet. </li><li> Das Glas, das die Mischunged Silikonmaterialien in einem Entgaser Maschine bei 1 bar Unterdruck. Halten Sie das Glas unter Vakuum, bis alle Luftblasen aus dem Silikonmaterial entfernt wird. Für die verwendeten Silikon die Entgasung Vorgang dauert etwa 10 min. Sobald die Materialien sind völlig frei von der Anwesenheit von Blasen, Wiederherstellen des Atmosphärendrucks in die Maschine und Verwenden des Silikons. </li></ol> 2. Die Herstellung der silikon Modul <ol><li> Versammlung der Form. <ol><li> Legen Sie die Versteifungszylinder und die Spitze der Kammern in cap_A (Abbildung 3a). </li><li> Schließen Sie die Schalen um die zweite Schicht der cap_A. </li></ol></li><li> Erste Silikonguss. <ol><li> Gießen des Silikon innerhalb der zusammengesetzten Form bis an den Rand der Schalen (Abbildung 3b). </li><li> Plaziere die Form in einem Ofen bei 60 ° C für etwa 30 min. </li></ol></li><li> Umlagerung der Form. <ol><li> Entfernen Sie die äußeren Schalen und cap_A (Abbildung 3c). </li><li> Legen Sie die Zylinder von den Basen der Kammern und der Versteifungszylinderinnen cap_B (Abbildung 3d). </li><li> Schließen die Schalen wieder um das Modul, sie von 10 mm nach oben schieben, um einen Spalt von 10 mm zwischen der Oberseite des Moduls, und die Kanten der Schalen (3e) aufweisen. </li></ol></li><li> Zweiten Silikonguss. <ol><li> Gießen Silikon nach innen umgelagerten Form an den Rand der Schalen auf der Oberseite (das heißt auch zur Versteifung Zylinder) (Figur 3f). </li><li> Setzen der Form in einem Ofen bei 60 ° C für etwa 30 min. </li><li> Entfernen Sie die äußeren Schalen, cap_B und die Kammern (mit Ausnahme des Versteifungszylinder) (Abbildung 3 g). </li></ol></li></ol> 3. Einsetzen der Rohre <ol><li> Schneiden 3 Rohre mit dem gleichen gewünschten Länge (300 mm zum Beispiel). </li><li> Setzen silikon Kleber um ein Ende jeder Röhre für 10 mm, ohne OBstruk die Rohre. </li><li> Legen Sie die Rohre in den 2 mm dedizierte Kanäle in der silikonEinheit (Abbildung 3 h). </li><li> Erlauben eine Aushärtezeit von 12 Minuten bei Raumtemperatur oder setzen Sie das Modul in einem Ofen bei einer höheren Temperatur (50 ° - 60 °) zur Beschleunigung des Trocknungsprozesses. </li></ol> 4. Herstellung des gekräuselten geflochtenen Mantel <ol><li> 700 mm ausgeschnitten aus einem dehnbaren geflochtenen Mantel (ca. 15-fache der Höhe des Moduls). </li><li> Setzen Sie einen metallischen Zylinder von 30 mm Durchmesser und 250 mm Länge im Inneren der Scheide. </li><li> Nach unten drücken und die Kraft der Hülle, indem Sie über den Zylinder, um Kräuselungen zu erstellen. </li><li> Mechanischen Fixierung der Hülle an Ort und Stelle mit einer Klemme und Wärme mit einer Heißluftpistole bei 350 ° C für 2-3 min, bis eine bleibende Verformung erhalten wird. </li><li> Lassen Sie den Mantel abkühlen lassen und den Innenzylinder zu entfernen. </li></ol> 5. Integration der Außenhülle <ol><li> Übergeben Sie dieRöhren durch die Löcher der cap_C. </li><li> Gießen Sie 3 g Silikon in cap_C. </li><li> Klemme cap_C auf einen Träger, der höher als der Arbeitsebene ist. </li><li> Setzen Sie die Unterseite des Moduls zuvor in cap_C hergestellt. </li><li> Schieben Sie die gekräuselte Hülle um das Modul. </li><li> Schieben Sie die ersten Sicken der Hülle im Inneren cap_C und tauchen sie in die frisch gegossenen Silikon (Abbildung 3i). </li><li> Setzen der Form in einem Ofen bei 60 ° C für ca. 20 min. </li><li> Wiederholen Sie den Vorgang ab Punkt von 5,1 bis 5,6, um die Hülle an der Oberseite zu befestigen, mit cap_D (Abbildung 3j). </li><li> Entfernen cap_C und cap_D. </li><li> Entfernen Sie den Zentralzylinder (Abbildung 3k). </li></ol> 6. Die Herstellung der Granular Jamming Membrane <ol><li> Gießen Sie 5 g von flüssigem Latex in ein Kunststoffglas. </li><li> Tauchen Sie den Zylinder für die Membran (letzte in 2 gezeigte Stück) im Inneren des flüssigen Latex, bis die Oberflächevollständig bedeckt ist. </li><li> Lassen Sie es unter einer Haube für 20 Minuten trocken. </li><li> Wiederholen Sie die Punkte 6.2 und 6.3. </li><li> Entfernen Sie die Membran aus der Form. </li></ol> 7. Einsetzen des Granular Jamming Membrane <ol><li> Geschnitten ein Rohr (2 mm im Durchmesser) auf die gewünschte Länge (300 mm zum Beispiel). </li><li> Schnitt einen quadratischen Stück von etwa 100 mm 2 aus Nylongewebe und schließt ein Ende des Rohrs bei der Verwendung einer Kunststofffolie oder Paraffin superglue diesem Gewebe. </li><li> Man wiegt 4 g Kaffeepulver und füllen Sie die Membran. </li><li> Stecken Sie den Schlauch (das Ende mit dem Filter) im Inneren der gefüllten Membran und fixieren Sie sie um das Rohr mit einer Kunststoffparaffinfilm. </li><li> Einen Unterdruck auf der anderen Seite des Rohres (die Membran steifer wird). </li><li> Legen Sie die Membran im Inneren des leeren zentralen Kanal des silikonModul (Abbildung 3l). </li><li> Kleben die Enden des Versteifungsmembran zu der Silikonmoduls. </li><li> Schließen Sie die Ringe um die SpitzeSeite des Moduls (Figur 3M). </li><li> Pour 2 g Silicon in die Ringe, um die Bodenhöhe. </li><li> Lassen Sie das Silikon trocken unter der Motorhaube oder in einem Ofen bei 60 °. </li><li> Entfernen Sie die Ringe. </li><li> Wiederholen von Punkten von 7,8 bis 7,11 für die Unterseite (Abbildung 3n). </li></ol>

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G., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Design+and+Analysis+of+a+Robust,+Low-cost,+Highly+Articulated+manipulator+enabled+by+jamming+of+granular+media.">Design and Analysis of a Robust, Low-cost, Highly Articulated manipulator enabled by jamming of granular media.</a> , 4328-4333 (2012).</li><li>Cianchetti, M., Ranzani, T., Gerboni, G., De Falco, I., Laschi, C., Menciassi, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=STIFF-FLOP+Surgical+Manipulator:+mechanical+design+and+experimental+characterization+of+the+single+module.">STIFF-FLOP Surgical Manipulator: mechanical design and experimental characterization of the single module.</a> Proceedings of IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS. , 3576-3581 (2013).</li><li>De Falco, I., Cianchetti, M., Menciassi, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+soft+and+controllable+stiffness+manipulator+for+minimally+invasive+surgery:+preliminary+characterization+of+the+modular+design).">A soft and controllable stiffness manipulator for minimally invasive surgery: preliminary characterization of the modular design).</a> Proceedings of 36th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC). , (2014).</li><li>De Falco, I., Cianchetti, M., Menciassi, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=STIFF-FLOP+surgical+manipulator:+design+and+preliminary+motion+evaluation).">STIFF-FLOP surgical manipulator: design and preliminary motion evaluation).</a> Proceedings of 4th WorkShop on Computer/Robot Assisted Surgery (CRAS). , 131-134 (2014).</li></ol>

The authors have nothing to disclose.

The technique described in this protocol enables the fabrication of a pneumatically actuated soft unit usable for modular compliant structures. Thanks to the design of the molds and their simple assembly, it is possible to fabricate one complete module in about 4 hours with 7 main steps. The process of fabrication involves specific materials, which are easily available, and work should be carried out under a fume hood. An external set up including air valves, air compressor and vacuum pump is necessary to activate the mo...

Aktuelle Trends in der Medizin drängen auf eine Verringerung der Invasivität von chirurgischen Operationen. Minimal Invasive Chirurgie (MIS) wurde erfolgreich in den letzten Jahren für die Bauchoperationen verbessert. MIS Verfahren basieren auf der Verwendung von Werkzeugen durch vier oder fünf Zugangspunkte (Trokare) auf die Bauchdecke plaziert eingeführt wurde. Um die Anzahl der Trokare zu reduzieren, können die Instrumente durch Single Port Laparoskopie (SPL) oder Natural Orifice Translumenal endoskopische Chirurgie (NOTES) 1 eingefügt werden. Diese Verfahren verhindern, dass externe sichtbare Narben, aber erhöhen die Schwierigkeit für die Kliniker bei der Ausführung der Operation. Diese Beschränkung ist vor allem aufgrund der geringeren Zugangspunkte und der starren und halbstarren Art der Instrumente, die nicht in der Lage zu vermeiden oder zu laufen um Organe 2, können 3. Geschicklichkeit und Beweglichkeit mit Hilfe verbessert werden artikuliert und hyper-redundante Roboter, die eine breitere und komplexere Arbeitsbereich abdecken kann, thuns ermöglicht ein spezifisches Ziel im Körper leichter 4, 5, 6 zu erreichen und als Rückzugssysteme bei Bedarf 7 zu arbeiten. Eine flexible Manipulator Gewebe Compliance zu verbessern, wodurch Kontakt sicherer als mit herkömmlichen Werkzeugen. Allerdings sind diese Manipulatoren fehlt es oft an Stabilität, wenn das Ziel erreicht ist und in der Regel sie den Kontakt mit dem umgebenden Gewebe 8, nicht kontrollieren können 9. Studien zu biologischen Strukturen, wie der Oktopus Arm 10 und dem Elefantenrüssel 11, haben vor kurzem den Entwurf inspiriert flexibel, verformbar und konform Manipulatoren mit einer redundanten Anzahl von Freiheitsgraden (DoFs) und steuerbare Steifigkeit 12. Diese Art von Vorrichtungen verwenden passive Federn, intelligente Materialien, pneumatische Elemente, oder Sehnen 13, 14, 15. Im Allgemeinen Manipulatoren mit weichen und flexiblen Materialien hergestellt garantieren nicht für die Erzeugung hoher Kräfte. Ter STIFF-Flop (Steifigkeit steuerbaren Flexible und Lernfähig Manipulator für chirurgische Eingriffe) Manipulator wurde vor kurzem als neuartige chirurgische Vorrichtung für Notes und SPL inspiriert von der Krake Fähigkeiten vorgestellt. Um die Grenzen der früheren weichen Manipulatoren zu überwinden, hat es einen weichen Körper sowie eine hohe Fingerfertigkeit, hohe Kraft und steuerbare Steifigkeit 16. Die Architektur des Manipulators basiert auf einem modularen Ansatz: mehrere Geräte mit der gleichen Struktur und Funktionalitäten, miteinander integriert. Die Einheit ist in Abbildung 1 dargestellt. Es basiert auf einer von einem mehrphasigen Herstellungs erhaltenen elastomeren Zylinder auf. Die Montageschritte der Formteile und der Gießverfahren ermöglichen drei leere Kammern (für die fluidische Betätigung) und einen hohlen Zentralkanal 17 (für die Aufnahme eines granularen Verklemmen basierten Mechanismus 18) eingebettet werden. Die Kammern werden bei 120 ° gelegt, so daß dieir kombiniert Inflation produziert omnidirektionale Bewegung und Dehnung. Zusätzlich eine äußere geflochtene Hülle von außen angeordnet, um die nach außen gerichtete radiale Expansion der Fluidkammer zu begrenzen, wenn unter Druck gesetzt, wodurch die Wirkung der Kammer Betätigungs Optimierung in dem Modulbewegungs (Biegung und Dehnung). Der zentrale Kanal befindet sich eine zylindrische Vorrichtung von einer externen Membran mit körnigem Material gefüllt besteht. Wenn ein Unterdruck angelegt wird, ändert es seine elastischen Eigenschaften bewirkt eine Versteifung, die die Eigenschaften des gesamten Moduls auswirkt. Bewegung und Steifigkeit Leistungen werden durch eine externe Einrichtung, die einen Luftkompressor und drei Druckventile zur Ansteuerung der Kammern und eine Vakuumpumpe zur Aktivierung des Vakuums in der Versteifungskanal gesteuert. Eine intuitive Benutzeroberfläche ermöglicht die Steuerung der Betätigung und Vakuumdruck innerhalb des Moduls. Dieses Papier beschreibt die fabrication Prozess des einzelnen Moduls dieser Manipulator und berichtet über die wesentlichen Ergebnisse zu den grundlegenden Bewegungsfähigkeiten. Unter Berücksichtigung der modularen Beschaffenheit der Vorrichtung, die Beurteilung der Herstellung und Leistung der nur ein einzelnes Modul die Ergebnisse zu verlängern und dem Grundverhalten eines Multimodul-Manipulator die Integration von zwei oder mehr Modulen vorauszusagen.

<table border="0">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Ecoflex 00-50 Trial Kit</td>
			<td>SmoothOn</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Used for the fabrication of the soft unit, combining equal amounts of liquid parts A (the base) and B (the catalyst)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Latex</td>
			<td>Antichit&#224; Belsito</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Used for the fabrication of the granular jamming membrane</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Peroxide-Cured Silicone Tubing</td>
			<td>Cole Parmer</td>
			<td>T-06411-59</td>
			<td>Used for actuating the chambers and applying vacuum</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>PET expandable braided sleeving</td>
			<td>RS</td>
			<td>408-249</td>
			<td>Used for the fabrication of the external braided sheath</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Silicone Rubber</td>
			<td>Momentive</td>
			<td>127374</td>
			<td>Used to fix the actuation tubes to the module</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Parafilm</td>
			<td>Cole Parmer</td>
			<td>EW-06720-40</td>
			<td>Used to fix the latex membrane to the vacuum tube</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fume hood Secuflow</td>
			<td>Groupe Waldner</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Working space</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Precision scale</td>
			<td>KERN EW</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Used to weight silicone, latex and coffee powder</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Oven/degasser</td>
			<td>Heraeus</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Used to degass the silicone and reduce its cure time</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Vacuum pump</td>
			<td>DVP Vacuum Technology</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Used to apply vacuum to the latex membrane</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

design and fabrication of an elastomeric unit for soft modular robots in minimally invasive surgery

In den letzten Jahren haben weiche Robotik-Technologien geweckt zunehmendes Interesse in der Medizin aufgrund ihrer eigensicheren Interaktion in unstrukturierten Umgebungen. Zur gleichen Zeit, neue Verfahren und Techniken entwickelt worden, um die Invasivität von chirurgischen Eingriffen zu reduzieren. Minimal Invasive Chirurgie (MIS) wurde erfolgreich für Bauch Eingriffe verwendet werden, werden jedoch Standard MIS Verfahren vor allem auf starre oder halbstarre-Tools, die die Geschicklichkeit des Arztes beschränken basiert. Dieser Beitrag stellt eine weiche und hohe geschickten Manipulator für MIS. Der Manipulator wurde von den biologischen Funktionen des Krakarm inspiriert und ist mit einem modularen Ansatz entwickelt. Jedes Modul stellt die gleichen funktionellen Eigenschaften, wodurch eine hohe Bewegungsfreiheit und Vielseitigkeit, wenn mehrere Module integriert werden. Das Papier beschreibt die Konstruktion, Fertigung Prozess und die Materialien für die Entwicklung einer einzigen Einheit, die von castin hergestellt ist notwendigg Silikon innen spezifische Formen. Das Ergebnis besteht in einer Elastomerzylinder mit drei flexiblen pneumatischen Stellantrieben, die Dehnung und omni-direktionale Durchbiegung der Einheit zu ermöglichen. Eine äußere geflochtene Hülle verbessert die Bewegung der Baugruppe. In der Mitte jedes Moduls ein körniges Verklemmen basierten Mechanismus variiert die Steifigkeit der Struktur während der Aufgaben. Tests zeigen, dass das Modul in der Lage ist sich zu biegen bis 120 ° und bis zu 66% der ursprünglichen Länge zu verlängern auf. Das Modul erzeugt eine maximale Kraft von 47 N, und seine Steifigkeit kann bis zu 36% erhöhen.

Die verschiedenen Phasen der Herstellung, in dem Protokoll beschrieben, werden in 3 dargestellt. Um die Wirksamkeit der Technik und die Ergebnisse des endgültigen Prototyp zu bewerten, wurde das Modul in unterschiedlichen Arbeitsbedingungen getestet. Eine externe Einrichtung ermöglicht die Steuerung sowohl des Betätigungs und Steifigkeit der Baugruppe. Sie umfasst einen Luftkompressor, der drei Ventile aktiviert. Sie sind auf die in den Kammern integrierten silikonRohren ...

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Design and Fabrication of an Elastomeric Unit for Soft Modular Robots in Minimally Invasive Surgery

This paper describes the design and fabrication of a soft unit for surgical manipulators. The base module includes three flexible fluidic actuators to achieve omnidirectional bending and elongation, and a granular jamming-based mechanism to enable stiffness control. A complete mechanical characterization is also reported.

Konstruktion und Herstellung eines Elastomer-Einheit für Soft Modular Robots in die Minimal Invasive Chirurgie

In recent years, soft robotics technologies have aroused increasing interest in the medical field due to their intrinsically safe interaction in ...

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JoVE Journal

Bioengineering

8.9K Aufrufe.  Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna. This paper describes the design and fabrication of a soft unit for surgical manipulators. The base module includes three flexible fluidic actuators to achieve omnidirectional bending and elongation, and a granular jamming-based mechanism to enable stiffness control. A complete mechanical characterization is also reported. 

Serie: Design and Fabrication of an Elastomeric Unit for Soft Modular Robots in Minimally Invasive Surgery

Elastomeric PGS Scaffolds in Arterial Tissue Engineering

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading cause of mortality in the US and especially, coronary artery disease increases with an aging population and increasing obesity1. Currently, bypass surgery using autologous vessels, allografts, and synthetic grafts are known as a commonly used for arterial substitutes2. However, these grafts have limited applications when an inner diameter of arteries is less than 6 mm due to low availability, thrombotic complications, compliance mismatch, and late intimal hyperplasia3,4. To overcome these limitations, tissue engineering has been successfully applied as a promising alternative to develop small-diameter arterial constructs that are nonthrombogenic, robust, and compliant. Several previous studies have developed small-diameter arterial constructs with tri-lamellar structure, excellent mechanical properties and burst pressure comparable to native arteries5,6. While high tensile strength and burst pressure by increasing collagen production from a rigid material or cell sheet scaffold, these constructs still had low elastin production and compliance, which is a major problem to cause graft failure after implantation. Considering these issues, we hypothesized that an elastometric biomaterial combined with mechanical conditioning would provide elasticity and conduct mechanical signals more efficiently to vascular cells, which increase extracellular matrix production and support cellular orientation.
The objective of this report is to introduce a fabrication technique of porous tubular scaffolds and a dynamic mechanical conditioning for applying them to arterial tissue engineering. We used a biodegradable elastomer, poly (glycerol sebacate) (PGS)7 for fabricating porous tubular scaffolds from the salt fusion method. Adult primary baboon smooth muscle cells (SMCs) were seeded on the lumen of scaffolds, which cultured in our designed pulsatile flow bioreactor for 3 weeks. PGS scaffolds had consistent thickness and randomly distributed macro- and micro-pores. Mechanical conditioning from pulsatile flow bioreactor supported SMC orientation and enhanced ECM production in scaffolds. These results suggest that elastomeric scaffolds and mechanical conditioning of bioreactor culture may be a promising method for arterial tissue engineering.

Elastomeric PGS scaffolds with vascular smooth muscle cells cultured in a pulsatile flow bioreactor may lead to promising small-diameter arterial constructs with native ECM production in a relatively short culture period.

Elastomer-PGS Scaffolds in Arterial Tissue Engineering

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading cause of mortality in the US and especially, coronary artery disease increases with an aging population and ...

Forschung

Biotechnik

Polymeric Microneedle Array Fabrication by Photolithography

This manuscript describes the fabrication of polymeric microneedle (MN) arrays by photolithography. It involves a simple mold-free process by using a photomask consisting of embedded micro-lenses. Embedded micro-lenses were found to influence MN geometry (sharpness). Robust MN arrays with tip diameters ranging between 41.5 &#181;m &#177; 8.4 &#181;m and 71.6 &#181;m &#177; 13.7 &#181;m, with two different lengths (1,336 &#181;m &#177; 193 &#181;m and 957 &#181;m &#177; 171 &#181;m) were fabricated. These MN arrays may provide potential applications in delivery of low molecular and macromolecular therapeutic agents through skin.

Here, we present a protocol describing a mold-free fabrication process of the polymeric microneedles by photolithography.

Polymeren Mikronadelanordnung Fabrication durch Photolithographie

This manuscript describes the fabrication of polymeric microneedle (MN) arrays by photolithography. It involves a simple mold-free process by using a ...

Rod-based Fabrication of Customizable Soft Robotic Pneumatic Gripper Devices for Delicate Tissue Manipulation

Soft compliant gripping is essential in delicate surgical manipulation for minimizing the risk of tissue grip damage caused by high stress concentrations at the point of contact. It can be achieved by complementing traditional rigid grippers with soft robotic pneumatic gripper devices. This manuscript describes a rod-based approach that combined both 3D-printing and a modified soft lithography technique to fabricate the soft pneumatic gripper. In brief, the pneumatic featureless mold with chamber component is 3D-printed and the rods were used to create the pneumatic channels that connect to the chamber. This protocol eliminates the risk of channels occluding during the sealing process and the need for external air source or related control circuit. The soft gripper consists of a chamber filled with air, and one or more gripper arms with a pneumatic channel in each arm connected to the chamber. The pneumatic channel is positioned close to the outer wall to create different stiffness in the gripper arm. Upon compression of the chamber which generates pressure on the pneumatic channel, the gripper arm will bend inward to form a close grip posture because the outer wall area is more compliant. The soft gripper can be inserted into a 3D-printed handling tool with two different control modes for chamber compression: manual gripper mode with a movable piston, and robotic gripper mode with a linear actuator. The double-arm gripper with two actuatable arms was able to pick up objects of sizes up to 2 mm and yet generate lower compressive forces as compared to elastomer-coated and non-coated rigid grippers. The feasibility of having other designs, such as single-arm or hook gripper, was also demonstrated, which further highlighted the customizability of the soft gripper device, and it's potential to be used in delicate surgical manipulation to reduce the risk of tissue grip damage.

This protocol describes a rod-based approach, combining 3D-printing and soft lithography techniques for fabricating the soft gripper devices. This approach eliminates the need for an external air source by incorporating a chamber component and reduces the chance of occlusion during the sealing process, particularly for miniaturized pneumatic channels.

Rod-basierte Herstellung von Anpassbare Weiche Robotic Pneumatic Gripper Geräte für empfindliche Gewebe Manipulation

Soft compliant gripping is essential in delicate surgical manipulation for minimizing the risk of tissue grip damage caused by high stress concentrations ...

Automated Robotic Liquid Handling Assembly of Modular DNA Devices

Recent advances in modular DNA assembly techniques have enabled synthetic biologists to test significantly more of the available &#34;design space&#34; represented by &#34;devices&#34; created as combinations of individual genetic components. However, manual assembly of such large numbers of devices is time-intensive, error-prone, and costly. The increasing sophistication and scale of synthetic biology research necessitates an efficient, reproducible way to accommodate large-scale, complex, and high throughput device construction.
Here, a DNA assembly protocol using the Type-IIS restriction endonuclease based Modular Cloning (MoClo) technique is automated on two liquid-handling robotic platforms. Automated liquid-handling robots require careful, often times tedious optimization of pipetting parameters for liquids of different viscosities (e.g. enzymes, DNA, water, buffers), as well as explicit programming to ensure correct aspiration and dispensing of DNA parts and reagents. This makes manual script writing for complex assemblies just as problematic as manual DNA assembly, and necessitates a software tool that can automate script generation. To this end, we have developed a web-based software tool, http://mocloassembly.com, for generating combinatorial DNA device libraries from basic DNA parts uploaded as Genbank files. We provide access to the tool, and an export file from our liquid handler software which includes optimized liquid classes, labware parameters, and deck layout. All DNA parts used are available through Addgene, and their digital maps can be accessed via the Boston University BDC ICE Registry. Together, these elements provide a foundation for other organizations to automate modular cloning experiments and similar protocols.
The automated DNA assembly workflow presented here enables the repeatable, automated, high-throughput production of DNA devices, and reduces the risk of human error arising from repetitive manual pipetting. Sequencing data show the automated DNA assembly reactions generated from this workflow are ~95% correct and require as little as 4% as much hands-on time, compared to manual reaction preparation.

Here, an automated workflow to perform modular DNA &#34;device&#34; assembly using a modular cloning DNA assembly method on liquid-handling robots is presented. The protocol uses an intuitive software tool for generating liquid handler picklists for combinatorial DNA device library generation, which we demonstrate using two liquid handling platforms.

Automatisierte Roboter Liquid Handling Versammlung Modular DNA-Geräte

Recent advances in modular DNA assembly techniques have enabled synthetic biologists to test significantly more of the available &#34;design space&#34; ...

Biomechanical Characterization of Human Soft Tissues Using Indentation and Tensile Testing

Regenerative medicine aims to engineer materials to replace or restore damaged or diseased organs. The mechanical properties of such materials should mimic the human tissues they are aiming to replace; to provide the required anatomical shape, the materials must be able to sustain the mechanical forces they will experience when implanted at the defect site. Although the mechanical properties of tissue-engineered scaffolds are of great importance, many human tissues that undergo restoration with engineered materials have not been fully biomechanically characterized. Several compressive and tensile protocols are reported for evaluating materials, but with large variability it is difficult to compare results between studies. Further complicating the studies is the often destructive nature of mechanical testing. Whilst an understanding of tissue failure is important, it is also important to have knowledge of the elastic and viscoelastic properties under more physiological loading conditions.
This report aims to provide a minimally destructive protocol to evaluate the compressive and tensile properties of human soft tissues. As examples of this technique, the tensile testing of skin and the compressive testing of cartilage are described. These protocols can also be directly applied to synthetic materials to ensure that the mechanical properties are similar to the native tissue. Protocols to assess the mechanical properties of human native tissue will allow a benchmark by which to create suitable tissue-engineered substitutes.

Tissue biomechanics is important for maintaining cell shape and function and for determining phenotype. This report demonstrates non-destructive mechanical protocols for characterizing elastic and viscoelastic properties of human soft tissues, which can be directly applied to tissue-engineered substrates to allow a close matching of engineered materials to native tissue.

Biomechanische Charakterisierung humaner Weichgewebeproben mit Einrückungen und Zugprüfung

Regenerative medicine aims to engineer materials to replace or restore damaged or diseased organs. The mechanical properties of such materials should ...

An In Vitro Organ Culture Model of the Murine Intervertebral Disc

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is a significant contributor to low back pain. The IVD is a fibrocartilaginous joint that serves to transmit and dampen loads in the spine. The IVD consists of a proteoglycan-rich nucleus pulposus (NP) and a collagen-rich annulus fibrosis (AF) sandwiched by cartilaginous end-plates. Together with the adjacent vertebrae, the vertebrae-IVD structure forms a functional spine unit (FSU). These microstructures contain unique cell types as well as unique extracellular matrices. Whole organ culture of the FSU preserves the native extracellular matrix, cell differentiation phenotypes, and cellular-matrix interactions. Thus, organ culture techniques are particularly useful for investigating the complex biological mechanisms of the IVD. Here, we describe a high-throughput approach for culturing whole lumbar mouse FSUs that provides an ideal platform for studying disease mechanisms and therapies for the IVD. Furthermore, we describe several applications that utilize this organ culture method to conduct further studies including contrast-enhanced microCT imaging and three-dimensional high-resolution finite element modeling of the IVD.

An In Vitro Organ Culture Model of the Murine Intervertebral Disc

Whole organ culture of the intervertebral disc (IVD) preserves the native extracellular matrix, cell phenotypes, and cellular-matrix interactions. Here we describe an IVD culture system using mouse lumbar and caudal IVDs in their functional spinal units and several applications utilizing this system.

Ein<em&gt; In Vitro</em&gt; Organ Culture Modell der Murine Bandscheiben

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is a significant contributor to low back pain. The IVD is a fibrocartilaginous joint that serves to transmit and ...

A Novel Surgical Technique As a Foundation for In Vivo Partial Liver Engineering in Rat

Organ engineering is a novel strategy to generate liver organ substitutes that can potentially be used in transplantation. Recently, in vivo liver engineering, including in vivo organ decellularization followed by repopulation, has emerged as a promising approach over ex vivo liver engineering. However, postoperative survival was not achieved. The aim of this study is to develop a novel surgical technique of in vivo selective liver lobe perfusion in rats as a prerequisite for in vivo liver engineering. We generate a circuit bypass only through the left lateral lobe. Then, the left lateral lobe is perfused with heparinized saline. The experiment is performed with 4 groups (n = 3 rats per group) based on different perfusion times of 20 min, 2 h, 3 h, and 4 h. Survival, as well as the macroscopically visible change of color and the histologically determined absence of blood cells in the portal triad and the sinusoids, is taken as an indicator for a successful model establishment. After selective perfusion of the left lateral lobe, we observe that the left lateral lobe, indeed, turned from red to faint yellow. In a histological assessment, no blood cells are visible in the branch of the portal vein, the central vein, and the sinusoids. The left lateral lobe turns red after reopening the blocked vessels. 12/12 rats survived the procedure for more than one week. We are the first to report a surgical model for in vivo single liver lobe perfusion with a long survival period of more than one week. In contrast to the previously published report, the most important advantage of the technique presented here is that perfusion of 70% of the liver is maintained throughout the whole procedure. The establishment of this technique provides a foundation for in vivo partial liver engineering in rats, including decellularization and recellularization.

A Novel Surgical Technique As a Foundation for In Vivo Partial Liver Engineering in Rat

We establish a novel surgical technique for an in vivo single liver lobe perfusion model in rat as a prerequisite for further studying in vivo partial liver engineering in the future.

Eine neuartige Operationstechnik als Grundlage für In Vivo teilweise Leber Engineering in der Ratte

Organ engineering is a novel strategy to generate liver organ substitutes that can potentially be used in transplantation. Recently, in vivo liver ...

Bioinspired Soft Robot with Incorporated Microelectrodes

Bioinspired soft robotic systems that mimic living organisms using engineered muscle tissue and biomaterials are revolutionizing the current biorobotics paradigm, especially in biomedical research. Recreating artificial life-like actuation dynamics is crucial for a soft-robotic system. However, the precise control and tuning of actuation behavior still represents one of the main challenges of modern soft robotic systems. This method describes a low-cost, highly scalable, and easy-to-use procedure to fabricate an electrically controllable soft robot with life-like movements that is activated and controlled by the contraction of cardiac muscle tissue on a micropatterned sting ray-like hydrogel scaffold. The use of soft photolithography methods makes it possible to successfully integrate multiple components in the soft robotic system, including micropatterned hydrogel-based scaffolds with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) embedded gelatin methacryloyl (CNT-GelMA), poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA), flexible gold (Au) microelectrodes, and cardiac muscle tissue. In particular, the hydrogels alignment and micropattern are designed to mimic the muscle and cartilage structure of the sting ray. The electrically conductive CNT-GelMA hydrogel acts as a cell scaffold that improves the maturation and contraction behavior of cardiomyocytes, while the mechanically robust PEGDA hydrogel provides structural cartilage-like support to the whole soft robot. To overcome the hard and brittle nature of metal-based microelectrodes, we designed a serpentine pattern that has high flexibility and can avoid hampering the beating dynamics of cardiomyocytes. The incorporated flexible Au microelectrodes provide electrical stimulation across the soft robot, making it easier to control the contraction behavior of cardiac tissue.

A bioinspired scaffold is fabricated by a soft photolithography technique using mechanically robust and electrically conductive hydrogels. The micropatterned hydrogels provide directional cardiomyocyte cell alignment, resulting in a tailored direction of actuation. Flexible microelectrodes are also integrated into the scaffold to bring electrical controllability for a self-actuating cardiac tissue.

Bioinspirierter Softroboter mit integrierten Mikroelektroden

Bioinspired soft robotic systems that mimic living organisms using engineered muscle tissue and biomaterials are revolutionizing the current biorobotics ...

Simple, Affordable, and Modular Patterning of Cells using DNA

The relative positioning of cells is a key feature of the microenvironment that organizes cell-cell interactions. To study the interactions between cells of the same or different type, micropatterning techniques have proved useful. DNA Programmed Assembly of Cells (DPAC) is a micropatterning technique that targets the adhesion of cells to a substrate or other cells using DNA hybridization. The most basic operations in DPAC begin with decorating cell membranes with lipid-modified oligonucleotides, then flowing them over a substrate that has been patterned with complementary DNA sequences. Cells adhere selectively to the substrate only where they find a complementary DNA sequence. Non-adherent cells are washed away, revealing a pattern of adherent cells. Additional operations include further rounds of cell-substrate or cell-cell adhesion, as well as transferring the patterns formed by DPAC to an embedding hydrogel for long-term culture. Previously, methods for patterning oligonucleotides on surfaces and decorating cells with DNA sequences required specialized equipment and custom DNA synthesis, respectively. We report an updated version of the protocol, utilizing an inexpensive benchtop photolithography setup and commercially available cholesterol modified oligonucleotides (CMOs) deployed using a modular format. CMO-labeled cells adhere with high efficiency to DNA-patterned substrates. This approach can be used to pattern multiple cell types at once with high precision and to create arrays of microtissues embedded within an extracellular matrix. Advantages of this method include its high resolution, ability to embed cells into a three-dimensional microenvironment without disrupting the micropattern, and flexibility in patterning any cell type.

Here we present a protocol to micropattern cells at single-cell resolution using DNA-programmed adhesion. This protocol uses a benchtop photolithography platform to create patterns of DNA oligonucleotides on a glass slide and then labels cell membranes with commercially available complementary oligonucleotides. Hybridization of the oligos results in programmed cell adhesion.

Einfache, erschwingliche und modulare Musterung von Zellen mit DNA

The relative positioning of cells is a key feature of the microenvironment that organizes cell-cell interactions. To study the interactions between cells ...

Voxel Printing Anatomy: Design and Fabrication of Realistic, Presurgical Planning Models through Bitmap Printing

Most applications of 3-dimensional (3D) printing for presurgical planning have been limited to bony structures and simple morphological descriptions of complex organs due to the fundamental limitations in accuracy, quality, and efficiency of the current modeling paradigm. This has largely ignored the soft tissue critical to most surgical specialties where the interior of an object matters and anatomical boundaries transition gradually. Therefore, the needs of the biomedical industry to replicate human tissue, which displays multiple scales of organization and varying material distributions, necessitate new forms of representation. 
Presented here is a novel technique to create 3D models directly from medical images, which are superior in spatial and contrast resolution to current 3D modeling methods and contain previously unachievable spatial fidelity and soft tissue differentiation. Also presented are empirical measurements of novel, additively manufactured composites that span the gamut of material stiffnesses seen in soft biological tissues from MRI and CT. These unique volumetric design and printing methods allow for deterministic and continuous adjustment of material stiffness and color. This capability enables an entirely new application of additive manufacturing to presurgical planning: mechanical realism. As a natural complement to existing models that provide appearance matching, these new models also allow medical professionals to "feel" the spatially varying material properties of a tissue simulant-a critical addition to a field in which tactile sensation plays a key role.

This method demonstrates a voxel-based 3D printing workflow, which prints directly from medical images with exact spatial fidelity and spatial/contrast resolution. This enables the precise, graduated control of material distributions through morphologically complex, graduated materials correlated to radiodensity without loss or alteration of data.

Voxel Printing Anatomy: Design und Herstellung realistischer, vorchirurgischer Planungsmodelle durch Bitmap-Druck

Most applications of 3-dimensional (3D) printing for presurgical planning have been limited to bony structures and simple morphological descriptions of ...