News
Steerable acoustically powered starfish-inspired microrobot, Nanoscale (cover article), 2024.
Introducing a microrobot utilizing a magnetized soft composite for long-term stable acoustic propulsion, guided navigation, and viscous mixing through artificial cilia
3.1.2024
SonoTransformers: Transformable Acoustically Activated Wireless Microscale Machines, PNAS, 2024.
We propose acoustically controlled soft micromachines with ultrafast transformations that leverage preprogrammed soft hinges with different stiffnesses.
16.10.2023
We are pleased to share that our lab made a significant impact at the MicroTas Conference held in Katowice, showcasing our pioneering acosutic microrobotics research and contributing to a very exciting conference.
9.10.2023
We are delighted to report our lab's successful representation at the MARSS 2023 Conference held in Abu Dhabi, where we presented our innovative research and discussed it with the microrobotics community.
21.9.2023
Ultrasound trapping and navigation of microrobots in the mouse brain vasculature, Nature Communications, 2023.
The intricate and delicate anatomy of the brain poses significant challenges for the treatment of cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, precise local drug delivery in hard-to-reach brain regions remains an urgent medical need. Here, we introduce ultrasound-activated microrobots for in vivo navigation in brain vasculature. Our microrobots consist of lipid-shelled microbubbles that autonomously aggregate and propel under ultrasound irradiation.
13.1.2023
Currently, there has been little to no solution for combining the benefits of large-scale robotics with microscale applications. Our work presents a first-of-its-kind robot with an acoustofluidic end effector that bridges the gap and can be utilized for applications such as microparticle trapping, manipulation, microscale viscous mixing, and a variety of other tasks. Using acoustics has numerous advantages. Please refer to the publication in Nature Communications for more information.
9.12.2022
At the 3ʳᵈ Global Webinar on 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing 2022, Prajwal Agrawal presented a plenary talk on " SonoPrint: Acoustically-assisted Volumetric Printing."
Rolling microswarms along acoustic virtual walls, Nature Communications
Exciting new work that emphasises rolling motion at the microscale. So far, this type of propulsion has been constrained by the requirement of a physical boundary to break the spatial homogeneity of surrounding mediums, which limits its prospects for navigation to locations with no boundaries. Here, in the absence of real boundaries, we show that microswarms can execute rolling along virtual walls in liquids, impelled by a combination of magnetic and acoustic fields.
Ultrasound-Controlled Swarmbots Under Physiological Flow Conditions
Advanced Materials Interfaces, 2022
We present great results on controlled navigation of swarmbots within mice blood and under pulsatile flow conditions of 100 beats per minute (bpm); an adult human heart at rest executes between 60 and 100 bpm. This capability represents a much-needed pathway for advancing preclinical research.
1.9.2022
MaP Symposium 2022
We presented a talk on "SonoPrint: Acoustically-assisted Volumetric Printing" at the MaP Graduate Symposium 2022.
1.9.2022
ARSL at the MaP Symposium 2022
Our poster, "MicroVol: High-throughput 3D micro-scale Volumetric (Bio)Printing system" presented by Dimitar Boev won the 3rd best MaP Poster Award at MaP Graduate Symposium, 2022.
ARSL at the EU Startup Summit
We presented our work on “SonoVat: An acoustically assisted vat polymerization-based (bio)printer" at the EU Startup Summit, 2022 in Barcelona, Spain. Emphasizing the importance of combining acoustics with 3D printing and the applications it has.
13.05.2022
ARSL at the NACHTAKTIV Big Vibes
We presented the importance of acoustics to medical science at the NACHTACHTIV Big Vibes in Focus Terra Museum, Zurich. This was intended to advance young people's interest in science and instill a sense of importance towards the possibilities science can provide to the world.
20.05.2022
ARSL at ICRA 2022
We presented our recent work on "Starfish-inspired Ultrasound Ciliary Bands for Microrobotic Systems" at this years International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA 2022). Thank you for having us in the interesting workshop on how soft robots gain new abilities through smart and functional materials.
27.05.2022
Congratulations Alexia!
Our PhD student Alexia Del Campo Fonseca wins the Silver Medal of ETH Zurich for her outstanding Master thesis on "Acoustic self-assembled microrobots in physiological flows".
13.05.2022
ARSL at the Biochip Conference 2022
We presented our work on ‘Microfluidic physiological flows to test ultrasound controlled swarmbots’ at the International Forum in Biochips and Biochip solutions in Berlin.
10.05.2022
Ultrasound-activated Ciliary Bands for Microrobotic Systems Inspired by Starfish, Nature Communications (in press).
20.10.2021
Inspired by the starfish larva, we developed an acoustically-activated microrobot and a microfluidic feeding mechanism. We are very excited that our paper got accepted to Nature Comm. DOI: external page10.1038/s41467-021-26607-y
26.07.2021
Prof. Daniel Ahmed has been selected as one of ten winners in the Engineering and Technology category of the Falling Walls Science Breakthroughs of the Year 2021.
external pageFalling Walls Science Breakthroughs of the Year 2021 in Engineering and Technology
external pageVideo| How Bioinspired Ultrasound Microrobots revolutionize Medicine
25.05.2021
external pageNanorobots could target cancers and clear blood clots
Our research on SONOBOTS has been highlighted in Horizon Magazine.
26.05.2021
Congrats Cornel Dillinger for a wonderful poster contribution ("Starfish-inspired Ultrasound-driven Soft Microrobot") at this year's Nature Conference on Micro- & Nanorobots for Biotechnology.
"Bioinspired acousto-magnetic microswarm robots with upstream motility" published in Nature Machine Intelligence
11.01.2021
Inspired by many naturally occurring microswimmers such as bacteria, spermatozoa and plankton that utilize the no-slip boundary conditions of the wall to exhibit upstream propulsion, here we report on the design and characterization of self-assembled microswarms that can execute upstream motility in a combination of external acoustic and magnetic fields.
ARSL at the 24th Bombay Techfest
20.12.2020
It was a pleasure for us to be a part of this year’s Bombay Techfest as ambassadors of ETH Zurich and to represent our Acoustic Robotics Systems Lab.
The Acoustic Robotics and Systems Lab (ARSL) in Rüschlikon
15.01.2020
Prof. Daniel Ahmed has decided to set up his lab in Rüschlikon at the Binnig and Rohrer Nanotechnology Center (BRNC)
Doctoral Students hired
15.01.2020
Cornel Dillinger and Viktor Jooss join the research group of the ARSL.
Daniel Ahmed appointed Professor at ETH!
13.12.2019
Congrats to the head of the group appointed as professor at ETH Zurich. Well deserved Prof. Ahmed!
19 new professors appointed
At its meeting of 11/12 December 2019 and upon application of the President of ETH Zurich, Professor Joël Mesot, the ETH Board appointed a total of 19 professors. Three scientists were awarded the title of professor.
ERC Starting Grants: new record for ETH
Fifteen talented young researchers from ETH Zurich are each to receive an ERC Starting Grant, which is more than for any year previously. This will result in a total of 23 million euros in European funding for ETH.