An acoustic biomimetic micro-robotic system and manipulation method based on acoustic field conformal

Abstract

The application belongs to the technical field of acoustic flow control, and discloses an acoustic bionic micro-robot system based on acoustic field conforming and a control method, wherein the acoustic bionic micro-robot system based on acoustic field conforming comprises an acoustic bionic micro-robot, an acoustic transducer, a micro-fluidic device, an acoustic field and a micro-scale target; the application can drive the acoustic bionic micro-robot to move in the micro-fluidic device through the acoustic field; the acoustic bionic micro-robot is conformally designed according to the geometric structure of the acoustic field sound pressure distribution; the acoustic bionic micro-robot comprises minimum potential energy structures and acoustic energy capture structures for the acoustic field node and crest distribution, and is subjected to the potential energy well and the sound pressure gradient zone geometric structure, respectively, so as to improve the motion stability, the control precision, the acoustic excitation sensitivity and the motion speed of the micro-robot; the geometric conforming design based on the three-dimensional distribution of the acoustic field pressure allows the micro-robot to obtain precise acoustic excitation by virtue of the acoustic gradient force equivalent effect, so as to realize precise acoustic control.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of acoustic fluidics, in particular to an acoustic bionic micro-robot system based on acoustic field conformal and a manipulation method. BACKGROUND

[0002] Micro-robot is a class of electromechanical systems with characteristic size between microns and nanometers. With the breakthrough of micro-electromechanical system technology, micro-robots have gradually moved from theoretical models to physical entities. In the application layer, the core value of micro-robots lies in breaking through the space limit to achieve precise intervention. The medical field is the most promising direction: micro-robots can reach the lesion area that traditional instruments cannot reach through blood vessels or tissue gaps, perform tasks such as targeted drug delivery, thrombus removal, and nerve regulation, for example, magnetic navigation micro-robots can cross the blood-brain barrier to achieve secondary targeted treatment of glioma, and self-propelled drug carriers can catalyze gas production in a gastric acid environment to improve local drug concentration. In environmental engineering, micro-robot clusters can carry biological enzymes or catalysts to enhance the efficiency of pollutant degradation through self-organizing motion, especially suitable for micro-plastic capture, heavy metal ion adsorption, and organic toxicant decomposition. The industrial manufacturing field benefits from its ultra-high spatial freedom, such as completing three-dimensional microstructure assembly within a microfluidic chip or achieving nanoscale precision assembly using DNA origami technology.

[0003] Micro-nano manipulation technology is the core support for the realization of micro-robot functions, covering three levels of architecture: perception, decision-making, and driving. The perception layer relies on microscopic visual servoing and multi-physical quantity sensors to provide real-time feedback on the micro-environmental state; the decision-making layer relies on motion control systems combined with artificial intelligence algorithms and organoid computing models to achieve path planning and cluster coordination; the driving layer is based on energy conversion mechanisms and can be divided into acoustic, optical, electrical, thermal, and magnetic categories. Magnetic driving uses alternating magnetic fields to control the movement of magnetic materials, including the rotation of spiral structures that mimic bacterial flagella for propulsion, and the undulating deformation of flexible magnetic robots for propulsion, which has the advantages of biocompatibility and penetration depth. Light driving is based on optical tweezers, photothermal effects, or photochemical catalysis, but light scattering effects and thermal damage risks limit its application. Acoustic driving drives micro-robots through ultrasonic radiation force, acoustic flow, or acoustic cavitation effects, and standing wave field control can achieve micrometer-level positioning. There are many methods of electrochemical driving, such as the catalytic asymmetric reaction of Janus particles to generate bubble recoil force, which has high propulsion efficiency but is limited by the biological toxicity risk of fuel, which restricts clinical translation. Thermal driving uses the difference in thermal expansion coefficients of dual materials to actuate, which is simple in structure but limited by temperature control accuracy and environmental thermal disturbance.

[0004] Current micro-robot development presents a trend of "rigidity and flexibility" and "multi-field integration". Hard robots are represented by femtosecond laser two-photon polymerization technology, such as the "magnetic mite" of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, which moves by inertial impact of misaligned magnetic blocks; soft robots use silicone rubber, hydrogel or shape memory polymer, such as 3D printed resin-based injection micro-robot, which combines acoustic field rotating target cells with magnetic field guidance to improve gene injection accuracy. Hybrid driving has become a key path to break through the limitations of single field, such as the acoustic-magnetic composite driving system of Beijing Institute of Technology, which enhances the freedom of movement through acoustic field and controls the direction through magnetic field, significantly improving the reliability of micro-operation. Manufacturing processes have also expanded from photolithography and electrochemical deposition to microfluidic self-assembly and DNA nanofolding.

[0005] Traditional water surface micro-robot is a kind of intelligent mechatronic system with feature size between millimeter and centimeter, relying on liquid-gas interfacial tension to realize water surface movement. Its technical foundation is derived from the cross integration of bionics and micro-nano manipulation technology, aiming to solve the core problem of limited movement ability of traditional water surface equipment in narrow water area and complex fluid environment. Micro-scale water surface environment presents unique physical characteristics: under low Reynolds number conditions, viscous force dominates the dynamic behavior, surface tension becomes a key factor for support and driving, and inertial force can be ignored; at the same time, the water-gas interface is easily damaged by external disturbance, which puts forward strict constraints on the structural design and driving method of the robot. These characteristics prompt researchers to draw bionic inspiration from the movement mechanism of water striders and other aquatic insects, and explore efficient, stable and controllable water surface movement solutions.

[0006] In the application layer, the core value of water surface micro-robot lies in its adaptability to complex water environment and precise intervention ability. Environmental monitoring is the primary application scenario: micro-robot can be deployed in polluted water, wetland ecosystem or narrow river to perform high-resolution water quality sampling, toxin tracking and microorganism distribution mapping, its micro-scale characteristics significantly reduce the disturbance to the monitoring target. Disaster rescue benefits from its rapid response characteristics, such as searching for trapped targets through obstacles in flood disasters, or implementing close-range sensing in dangerous chemical leakage areas to avoid direct exposure risk. Military reconnaissance and security fields take advantage of its low visibility and low noise characteristics to achieve covert water area monitoring and border patrol. In addition, in aquaculture and ecological research, micro-robots can simulate the behavior of aquatic organisms to achieve non-intrusive observation of group behavior and analysis of disease transmission path. The above application scenarios require the robot to have high-efficiency propulsion, precise trajectory control and interface stability, which is often difficult to achieve with traditional driving methods.

[0007] Traditional mechanical and motor-driven methods face significant miniaturization bottlenecks. Early water surface robots mainly rely on propeller propulsion systems, but during the miniaturization process, three major defects are exposed: first, the reduction in propeller size leads to an exponential decline in propulsion efficiency; second, rotating parts are easily entangled with algae or debris; third, motor electromagnetic interference affects the work of precision sensing modules. To overcome the above limitations, a crank slider mechanism driven by a water mode is proposed, which generates propulsion force by simulating the elliptical trajectory of the water strider's leg. However, this scheme requires multiple motors to cooperate or complex transmission structures, significantly increasing system mass and failure rate, and it is difficult to achieve high-frequency motion, which restricts response speed and maneuverability. Another mainstream solution, resonant piezoelectric driving, uses the inverse piezoelectric effect of piezoelectric ceramics to excite elastic body resonance. The representative work of the radiating spur support foot structure developed by Suzhou University optimizes the surface tension utilization efficiency through a circular base and spur microstructure, and combines with a piezoelectric film to excite a traveling wave to generate a traveling wave propulsion. The above scheme simplifies the mechanism, but has problems such as low energy conversion efficiency, limited load capacity, and single control dimension.

[0008] New driving methods break through the performance boundaries through multi-physical field coupling mechanisms. Light-driven, represented by optical tweezers, is greatly affected by the refractive index difference of the water surface and other interfaces, making it difficult to control water surface microrobots. Magnetic control driving utilizes external magnetic field gradient or rotating magnetic field to control the movement of magnetic materials, achieving non-contact precise control, but it is difficult to apply on multi-phase interfaces. Thermoelectric driving relies on establishing a temperature gradient on the liquid-gas interface to drive Marangoni flow, but due to slow response and poor controllability, its practical application is limited. Acoustic water surface robots based on piezoelectric transducers have also made great progress, such as the insect-level biped soft robot developed by the team of Macau University of Science and Technology, which is 0.9 cm x 0.6 cm in size, combines piezoelectric film and asymmetric elastic foot pad, and realizes bidirectional motion control through frequency response difference.

[0009] However, most current water surface robot systems are in the millimeter to centimeter scale, making it difficult to realize micro-scale water surface robot systems and solve the driving and control of micro-scale robots. In addition, although there are underwater micro-robot systems controlled by acoustic waves, there is no practical acoustic micro-scale water surface robot system, and there is no water surface micro-robot or related micro-robot structure design method for acoustic manipulation. SUMMARY

[0010] The present application aims to provide an acoustic biomimetic micro-robot system and a manipulation method based on acoustic field conformal design to overcome the problems in the prior art, wherein the acoustic waves excited by the acoustic transducer construct an acoustic field in the manipulation environment, and the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot moves under the effect of acoustic radiation force such as acoustic gradient force, scattering force or acoustic streaming drag force, the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot is conformally designed according to the acoustic pressure distribution geometry of the acoustic field, and the geometric boundary conforms to the acoustic field node and loop distribution geometry; the geometric conformal design based on the three-dimensional distribution of the acoustic field pressure allows the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot to be precisely excited by the acoustic gradient force and other effects, so as to realize a precise acoustic manipulation method; and through various biomimetic designs, the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot can move in a fluid environment and on a multiphase fluid interface in two modes of movement, and can further manipulate micro-scale targets in the movement mode.

[0011] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the technical scheme adopted by the present application is as follows:

[0012] In a first aspect, the present application provides an acoustic biomimetic micro-robot system based on acoustic field conformal design, comprising an acoustic biomimetic micro-robot, an acoustic transducer, a microfluidic device, an acoustic field and a micro-scale target; the acoustic field is located inside the microfluidic device, the microfluidic device is located on top of the acoustic transducer, and the micro-scale target is located on top of the acoustic field.

[0013] The acoustic field is excited by the acoustic transducer and is used to control the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot, and in use, the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot is located on the acoustic field; the acoustic field includes loops and nodes, the nodes are distributed in the loops, and there are acoustic pressure gradient zones in the loops and the nodes; the geometric structure of the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot is adapted to the geometric structure of the acoustic pressure gradient zones, the nodes and the loops.

[0014] Further, the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot comprises a minimum potential energy structure, the minimum potential energy structure is connected with a plurality of acoustic energy capture structures to form a water strider biomimetic structure; a potential energy well is formed between the nodes, and the minimum potential energy structure is located on the potential energy well to make the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot reach the minimum potential energy on the potential energy well, so that the posture of the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot is stable, and the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot is moved and controlled through the acoustic pressure gradient zone.

[0015] Further, the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot comprises a plurality of structure integrals connected with each other, each structure integral comprises a minimum potential energy structure, and the minimum potential energy structure is connected with a plurality of acoustic energy capture structures; a potential energy well is formed between the nodes, and the minimum potential energy structure is located on the potential energy well to make the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot reach the minimum potential energy on the potential energy well, so that the posture of the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot is stable, and the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot is moved and controlled through the acoustic pressure gradient zone.

[0016] Further, the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot comprises a plurality of interconnected acoustic energy capturing structures, forming a spirulina biomimetic structure.

[0017] Further, the acoustic transducer comprises a piezoelectric material, and a plurality of four-port surface acoustic wave standing wave transducers are arranged on the piezoelectric material, and electrodes are arranged at the ends of each four-port surface acoustic wave standing wave transducer.

[0018] Further, the microfluidic device comprises a microfluidic interface, a microfluidic environment, a flow channel substrate and a coupling layer arranged in sequence from top to bottom, and the acoustic transducer is located at the bottom of the coupling layer, and the microfluidic interface and / or the microfluidic environment are used for acoustic biomimetic micro-robot movement.

[0019] Further, it also comprises a light barrel, a support system and a mechanical control system.

[0020] The acoustic transducer is located on the mechanical control system, and the mechanical control system is used for controlling the movement of the acoustic field, the support system is located at the top of the acoustic transducer, the support system is located at the side of the microfluidic device and the acoustic field, and the light barrel is located at the top of the support system, the middle part of the support system is hollow, and the light path is formed between the light barrel and the middle part of the support system and the acoustic field, which is used for observing the movement of the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot.

[0021] In a second aspect, the present application provides a method for manipulating an acoustic biomimetic micro-robot system based on acoustic field conformal, based on the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot system based on acoustic field conformal, comprising the following steps:

[0022] Step one, turn on the acoustic transducer, and the acoustic transducer excites the acoustic field;

[0023] Step two, the acoustic field is transmitted to the bottom of the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot through the microfluidic device;

[0024] Step three, the acoustic energy generated by the acoustic field is reflected by the interface acoustic wave of the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot to form acoustic radiation force, the wave crest of the acoustic field generates acoustic pressure gradient area, and the distribution forms acoustic gradient force, and the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot is excited by the equivalent effect of the acoustic gradient force, and the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot is excited by the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot to form initial movement;

[0025] Step four, according to the initial movement, the movement of the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot is further regulated by moving the acoustic field and modulating the signal of the acoustic field, and the improved movement is formed;

[0026] Step five, based on the initial movement and the improved movement of the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot, the micro-scale target is manipulated;

[0027] Further, the movement of the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot is further regulated by moving the acoustic field and modulating the signal of the acoustic field, and the improved movement is formed, which specifically comprises:

[0028] The signal of the moving sound field and the modulating sound field changes the geometric structure of the sound pressure gradient zone, the node and the loop, and further changes the motion of the acoustic bionic micro robot, forming improved motion;

[0029] Further, the modulating signal includes frequency, phase and / or amplitude of the modulating sound field.

[0030] Further, the initial motion and the improved motion include translation, rotation and / or aggregation.

[0031] The above technical solution has the following advantages or beneficial effects:

[0032] In a first aspect, the present application provides an acoustic bionic micro robot system based on sound field conformal design. A sound transducer excites sound waves to construct a sound field. The acoustic bionic micro robot moves under the action of acoustic radiation force or acoustic streaming drag force. The geometric structure of the acoustic bionic micro robot conforms to the sound pressure distribution of the sound field. The geometric boundary conforms to the distribution of the sound field node and loop. This geometric conformal design based on the three-dimensional distribution of the sound field pressure allows the micro robot to obtain precise acoustic excitation by the equivalent effect of sound gradient force, and realize precise acoustic manipulation. The sound field structure gives the acoustic bionic micro robot a variety of motion forms. Under the action of the sound pressure gradient zone, the micro robot can realize multiple motions such as translation and rotation, and can also aggregate or form a specific pattern according to needs. Through various bionic designs, the acoustic bionic micro robot has two modes of motion in a fluid environment and on a multi-phase fluid interface, and the motion form is rich.

[0033] In a second aspect, the present application provides a sound field conformal-based acoustic bionic micro-robot system manipulation method. The acoustic micro-robot of the present application is manipulated by using the sound radiation force provided by the sound field. Compared with other micro-robot systems and control methods that use magnetic field, electric field, light path, etc. for manipulation, the present application has no special requirements for the magnetism, charge, conductivity, refractive index, etc. of the micro-robot and related manipulation targets, has wider universality, and has higher practicability; the micro-robot structure of the present application is designed according to the geometric distribution of the sound pressure gradient in the sound field, so compared with other sound manipulation methods and acoustic micro-robot technologies, the present application can realize more stable and efficient micro-robot motion control, and can further realize precise driving of other targets; the micro-robot manipulation of the present application relies on movable sound surface wave field and movable sound surface wave tweezers technology, and currently there is no related micro-robot that can realize related manipulation by using this technology; the bionic structure adopted by the present application, and the introduction of small potential energy structure and sound energy capture structure in the design of micro-robot, cooperate with the potential energy trap and the gradient force maximum value area of the wave crest in the sound surface wave field, so as to realize more excellent micro-robot manipulation effect, compared with other sound manipulation technologies, the present technology can realize stable manipulation of micro-robots on the gas-liquid interface formed between the microfluidic environment and the air environment, and can drive and carry discrete phase droplets in the continuous phase of microfluids and other targets, realizing multifunctional manipulation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0034] Figure 1 It is a structure schematic diagram of the acoustic bionic micro-robot system based on the sound field conformal of the present application.

[0035] Figure 2 It is a structure schematic diagram of the acoustic transducer and the sound field of the present application.

[0036] Figure 3 It is a structure schematic diagram of the acoustic bionic micro-robot under the influence of the sound field of the present application.

[0037] Figure 4 It is a working mode schematic diagram of the acoustic bionic micro-robot under the multi-layer sound conduction structure of the present application.

[0038] Figure 5 It is a structure schematic diagram of the acoustic bionic micro-robot with water strider bionic structure of the first form of the present application.

[0039] Figure 6 It is a structure schematic diagram of the acoustic bionic micro-robot with water strider bionic structure of the second form of the present application.

[0040] Figure 7 It is a structure schematic diagram of the acoustic bionic micro-robot with water strider bionic structure of the third form of the present application.

[0041] Figure 8 The logic diagram of the acoustic biomimetic micro robot of the present application is shown in the figure.

[0042] Figure 9 The working principle diagram of the acoustic biomimetic micro robot of the present application is shown in the figure.

[0043] Figure 10 The working principle diagram of the acoustic biomimetic micro robot of the present application is shown in the figure.

[0044] In the figure, 1, light cylinder; 2, system rack; 3, device clamp; 4, microfluidic device; 4-1, microfluidic environment; 4-2, microfluidic interface; 4-3, flow channel base; 4-4, coupling layer; 5, acoustic transducer; 5-1, piezoelectric material; 5-2, electrode; 5-3, four-port acoustic surface wave standing wave transducer; 6, mechanical control system; 7, acoustic biomimetic micro robot; 7-1, minimum potential energy structure; 7-2, acoustic energy capture structure; 8, micro-scale target; 9, acoustic field; 9-1, node; 9-2, antinode. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] Hereinafter, only certain exemplary embodiments are simply described. As those skilled in the art can recognize, the described embodiments can be modified in various different ways without departing from the spirit or scope of the present application. Therefore, the drawings and the description are considered to be exemplary in nature rather than limiting.

[0046] In the description of the present application, it needs to be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and therefore cannot be understood as indicating or implying that the indicated device or element must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application.

[0047] In addition, the terms "first", "second" are only for the purpose of description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality of" is two or more, unless otherwise specifically limited.

[0048] In the present application, unless specifically defined otherwise and limited, the terms "mount", "connected", "connection", "fixed", and the like should be understood broadly, for example, can be fixed connection, can also be detachable connection, or integral; can be mechanical connection, can also be electrical connection, and can also be communication; can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, can be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0049] In the present application, unless specifically defined otherwise and limited, the terms "mount", "connected", "connection", "fixed", and the like should be understood broadly, for example, can be fixed connection, can also be detachable connection, or integral; can be mechanical connection, can also be electrical connection, and can also be communication; can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, can be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0050] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below in combination with the drawings of the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, not all. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0051] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of an acoustic biomimetic micro-robot system structure based on acoustic field conforming according to some embodiments of the present application. The acoustic biomimetic micro-robot system based on acoustic field conforming can include a light cylinder 1, a microfluidic device 4, an acoustic transducer 5, and a mechanical control system 6. The above components collectively constitute a micro-nano manipulation system for acoustic biomimetic water surface micro-robots. However, the above components are not all necessary. The components including but not limited to the light cylinder 1, the support system, and the mechanical control system 6 are only for improving the convenience and practicality of the overall system, and can be omitted or replaced by other components or systems with similar functions or performance. Specifically, the system can be used to manipulate acoustic biomimetic micro-robots 7, and based on the movement of the acoustic biomimetic micro-robots 7, the micro-scale targets 8 can be further manipulated. The manipulation process depends on the control of the acoustic field 9.

[0052] Specifically, the acoustic transducer 5 is located on the mechanical control system 6, the support system is located on the top of the acoustic transducer (5), the support system is located on the side of the microfluidic device 4 and the acoustic field 9, the light barrel 1 is located on the top of the support system, the middle part of the support system is hollow, and the light path is formed between the light barrel 1 and the middle part of the support system and the acoustic field 9, which is used for observing the movement of the acoustic bionic microrobot 7.

[0053] Preferably, the support system can include a system rack 2 and a device clamp 3, the system rack 2 is arranged on the top of the device clamp 3, the device clamp 3 is located on the top of the acoustic transducer 5, the device clamp 3 is located on the side of the microfluidic device 4 and the acoustic field 9, the light barrel 1 is located on the top of the system rack 2, and the middle part of the system rack 2 and the device clamp 3 is hollow, and the light path is formed between the light barrel 1 and the middle part of the system rack 2 and the device clamp 3 and the acoustic field 9.

[0054] Preferably, the mechanical control system 6 is used to control the movement of the acoustic field, and the mechanical control system 6 includes but is not limited to a moving table, a sliding table, a lifting table, a rotating table, and can also be other devices capable of controlling the movement of the acoustic field. The operation method of the present application also includes using manual operation to control the movement of the acoustic field.

[0055] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of the acoustic transducer 5 and the acoustic field 9 according to some embodiments of the present application. In the acoustic bionic microrobot system based on the acoustic field conforming, the acoustic transducer 5 controls the acoustic bionic microrobot 7 by exciting the acoustic field 9. In use, the acoustic bionic microrobot 7 is located on the acoustic field 9. Whether the acoustic field 9 is a traveling wave field or a standing wave field, the acoustic bionic microrobot 7 can be excited. The standing wave field includes nodes 9-1 and antinodes 9-2. The nodes 9-1 are distributed in the antinodes 9-2. The potential well in the node 9-1 allows the acoustic bionic microrobot 7 to reach the minimum potential, so as to move and control through the gradient of the acoustic field 9. The change of the position and direction of the acoustic field 9 can control the position and posture of the microrobot 7, and the position and posture of the acoustic bionic microrobot 7 can be accurately controlled by modulating the geometric structure reconstruction of the nodes 9-1 and the antinodes 9-2 caused by the acoustic field 9.

[0056] In the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot system based on acoustic field conformal, the acoustic transducer 5 has various configurations, and can adopt various configurations including bulk acoustic wave, surface acoustic wave, etc. due to the formation of bulk acoustic wave field in the fluid environment by propagation in the multi-layer structure, and allows the use of various patterned acoustic fields; the structure of the acoustic transducer 5 can include but is not limited to piezoelectric material 5-1, electrode 5-2 and four-port surface acoustic wave standing wave transducer 5-3, the four-port surface acoustic wave standing wave transducer 5-3 is arranged on the piezoelectric material 5-1, and the electrode 5-2 is arranged at the end of the four-port surface acoustic wave standing wave transducer 5-3; the form of the four-port surface acoustic wave standing wave transducer 5-3 can include but is not limited to traveling wave transducer or standing wave transducer; the acoustic transducer 5 can include but is not limited to parallel interdigital transducer, chirp transducer, and focused transducer.

[0057] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot 7 under the influence of the acoustic field 9 according to some embodiments of the present specification, in the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot system based on acoustic field conformal, the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot 7 can be in various forms, without fixed requirements for materials and geometric structures; the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot 7 is designed to conform to the geometric distribution of the nodes 9-1 and the antinodes 9-2 to improve the manipulation performance; the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot 7 itself can construct a secondary acoustic field through acoustic energy scattering, and has non-contact manipulation capability through the secondary acoustic field or the coupling of the secondary acoustic field and the original acoustic field 9;

[0058] In the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot system based on acoustic field conformal, the geometric structure of the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot 7 is a conformal design subject to the distribution of the acoustic field pressure area; for different acoustic pressure gradient areas generated by the nodes 9-1 and the antinodes 9-2 formed in the stable resonant field, the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot 7 also has corresponding geometric structures, which can include but are not limited to minimum potential energy structure 7-1 and acoustic energy capture structure 7-2, these parts jointly constitute the key structure of the micro-robot; wherein the minimum potential energy structure 7-1 is the part of the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot 7 designed for the geometric structure of the potential energy well in the node 9-1, which has a relatively high mass to maintain the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot 7 in the minimum potential energy area in the acoustic field 9, for improving the motion stability of the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot 7, reducing the positioning error and motion error in navigation and control, and improving the overall motion control accuracy; the acoustic energy capture structure 7-2 is the part of the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot 7 designed for the geometric structure of the high acoustic pressure gradient area determined by the antinode 9-2, which has a relatively low mass and a relatively large specific surface area, to capture acoustic energy through acoustic energy reflection on the interface and obtain acoustic gradient force and other driving effects, as the acoustic energy sensitive structure of the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot 7 to improve the acoustic excitation sensitivity of the acoustic biomimetic micro-robot 7, and improve the acoustic manipulation performance indicators including but not limited to maximum motion speed, minimum rotation radius, laminar flow velocity range allowed to work, etc.

[0059] Specifically, the geometry of the acoustic biomimetic microrobot 7 is adapted to the geometry of the sound pressure gradient region, the nodes 9-1 and the antinodes 9-2.

[0060] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the working mode of the acoustic bionic microrobot 7 under a multi-layer acoustic conduction structure according to some embodiments of this specification. In the acoustic bionic microrobot system based on conformal acoustic field, the formed sound field 9 can precisely manipulate the acoustic bionic microrobot 7 acoustically. The motion forms include, but are not limited to, translation, rotation, aggregation, patterning, etc., and allow for further manipulation of micro-scale targets 8 using this motion mode. Based on the bionic design of water striders, the acoustic bionic microrobot 7 has two operating modes: it allows movement inside the microfluidic environment 4-1 and also allows movement at the microfluidic interface 4-2. The microfluidic interface 4-2 can be an interface composed of multiphase fluids, including but not limited to water-air interface or oil-water interface. Specific embodiments include, but are not limited to, the motion manipulation of the acoustic bionic microrobot 7 on the water surface in the air.

[0061] In the acoustic biomimetic microrobot system based on conformal acoustic field, the microfluidic device 4 and the acoustic transducer 5 constitute a multi-layered acoustic conduction system to construct an acoustic field within the microfluidic environment 4-1. The acoustic conduction system consists of a multi-layered structure to achieve interlayer acoustic field resonance and relative motion between the microfluidic environment 4-1 and the acoustic transducer 5. A feasible scheme includes microfluidic interface 4-2, microfluidic environment 4-1, flow channel substrate 4-3, coupling layer 4-4, and acoustic transducer 5 arranged sequentially from top to bottom. The flow channel substrate 4-3 is used to support the microfluidic environment 4-1 and the microfluidic interface 4-2, and the coupling layer 4-4 is used to transmit the acoustic field 9.

[0062] In the acoustic biomimetic microrobot system based on conformal acoustic field, the relative position between the microfluidic device 4 and the acoustic transducer 5 is controllable, thereby enabling basic acoustic field position and direction control. The feasible position control schemes adopted include, but are not limited to, the system composed of components such as the support system (e.g., system frame 2 and device fixture 3) shown above.

[0063] Preferably, the movement of the acoustic biomimetic microrobot 7 in the microfluidic environment 4-1 and / or the microfluidic interface 4-2 is related to the density of the multiphase fluid. When the acoustic biomimetic microrobot 7 has good hydrophobicity, it moves in the microfluidic interface 4-2; when the acoustic biomimetic microrobot 7 has good hydrophilicity, it moves inside the microfluidic environment 4-1. It is also permissible for the acoustic biomimetic microrobot 7 to move either inside the microfluidic environment 4-1 or in the microfluidic interface 4-2 when the hydrophobicity / hydrophilicity of the acoustic biomimetic microrobot 7 is moderate.

[0064] Preferably, the acoustic transducer 5 comprises a piezoelectric material 5-1, and a plurality of four-port acoustic surface wave standing wave transducers 5-3 are arranged on the piezoelectric material 5-1, and each four-port acoustic surface wave standing wave transducer 5-3 is provided with an electrode 5-2 at the end.

[0065] Figure 5 is a structural schematic diagram of a first mode of water boatman structure acoustic bionic micro robot 7 according to some embodiments of the present specification, Figure 6 is a structural schematic diagram of a second mode of water boatman structure acoustic bionic micro robot 7 according to some embodiments of the present specification, Figure 7 is a structural schematic diagram of a third mode of structure acoustic bionic micro robot 7 according to some embodiments of the present specification, in the acoustic bionic micro robot system based on acoustic field conformal, under the same kind of sound field 9, the acoustic bionic micro robot 7 based on the conformal design for the pressure distribution of the sound field 9 can allow different structure design, the different geometric structure of the bionic structure acoustic bionic micro robot 7 allows to produce different manipulation effect to different microscale target 8, including but not limited to by a plurality of minimum potential energy structures 7-1 and a plurality of acoustic energy capture structures 7-2 around it, form the bionic structure close to amphibian such as water boatman (as shown in the first mode, the second mode and the third mode); also include a plurality of minimum potential energy structures 7-1 and a plurality of acoustic energy capture structures 7-2 are connected with each other, that is, including a plurality of structure integrals connected with each other, each structure integral includes a minimum potential energy structure 7-1, and the minimum potential energy structure 7-1 is connected with a plurality of acoustic energy capture structures 7-2, forming a bionic structure close to amphibian such as water boatman; the potential energy trap is formed between a plurality of nodes 9-1, and the minimum potential energy structure 7-1 is located on the potential energy trap, so that the acoustic bionic micro robot 7 reaches the minimum potential energy on the potential energy trap, and the posture of the acoustic bionic micro robot 7 is stable, so as to move and control through the sound pressure gradient area; also include but not limited to a plurality of acoustic energy capture structures 7-2 are connected with each other, forming a bionic structure close to aquatic organisms such as spirulina along the three-dimensional boundary of the pressure area.

[0066] Figure 8 is a design logic schematic diagram of the acoustic bionic micro robot 7 under the influence of the pressure area reconstruction caused by the acoustic modulation according to some embodiments of the present specification, in the acoustic bionic micro robot system based on acoustic field conformal, under the excitation of the same kind of acoustic transducer 5, the sound field modulation can be carried out by changing the sound phase, amplitude, frequency and relative position among multiple sound fields, so that different acoustic bionic micro robots 7 can produce different acoustic manipulation forms, and the acoustic bionic micro robot 7 has different geometric structures for different sound field 9 distribution; due to the change of the pressure area and the pressure gradient distribution of the node 9-1, the antinode 9-2 and the like under the modulation of the sound field 9, the minimum potential energy structure 7-1 and the acoustic energy capture structure 7-2 of the acoustic bionic micro robot 7 can allow corresponding changes, and different designs are adopted to adapt to different sound fields 9.

[0067] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the working principle of the acoustic bionic microrobot 7 manipulating a target sample according to some embodiments of this specification. In the acoustic bionic microrobot system based on conformal acoustic field, the acoustic bionic microrobot 7 performs precise acoustic manipulation of microscale targets 8, including but not limited to applying mechanical force through contact and applying a local secondary acoustic field by approaching to drive the movement of one or more microscale targets 8, or capturing one or more microscale targets 8 and performing precise navigation and motion control.

[0068] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the working principle of the acoustic biomimetic microrobot 7 as a carrier for transporting target samples, according to some embodiments of this specification. The acoustic biomimetic microrobot 7 can carry a microscale target 8 on its carrier, control its motion, or transport it to a specific location. For the microscale target 8 with fluid properties, the acoustic biomimetic microrobot 7 can combine with the microscale target 8 through the surface tension of the fluid during transport. The combined body conforms to the geometric structure and surface tension conditions of the acoustic biomimetic microrobot 7, and thus conforms to the sound pressure distribution of the sound field 9, which is conducive to further acoustic manipulation based on the sound field 9. On this basis, the combined body composed of the acoustic biomimetic microrobot 7 and the microscale target 8 allows for further reactions.

[0069] In one embodiment of the present invention, a method for manipulating an acoustic biomimetic microrobot system based on sound field conformity is also provided, comprising the following steps:

[0070] Step 1: Turn on acoustic transducer 5, which excites sound field 9.

[0071] Step 2: The sound field 9 is transmitted to the bottom of the acoustic biomimetic microrobot 7 via the microfluidic device 4;

[0072] Specifically, the sound field 9 is transmitted sequentially through the coupling layer 4-4 and the flow channel substrate 4-3 to the microfluidic environment 4-1, which is located at the bottom of the acoustic bionic microrobot 7 and is used for the motion of the acoustic bionic microrobot 7; or / and, the sound field 9 is transmitted sequentially through the coupling layer 4-4, the flow channel substrate 4-3 and the microfluidic environment 4-1 to the microfluidic interface 4-2, which is located at the bottom of the acoustic bionic microrobot 7 and is used for the motion of the acoustic bionic microrobot 7;

[0073] Step three, the acoustic energy generated by the sound field 9 is reflected by the interface acoustic wave of the acoustic biomimetic micro robot 7 to form acoustic radiation force, the antinode 9-2 of the sound field 9 generates an acoustic pressure gradient zone, and the distribution forms an acoustic gradient force. The acoustic biomimetic micro robot 7 is excited by the equivalent effect of the acoustic gradient force, and the acoustic biomimetic micro robot 7 is excited by the acoustic excitation to form an initial motion.

[0074] Step four, according to the initial motion, the motion of the acoustic biomimetic micro robot 7 is further regulated by moving the sound field 9 and modulating the signal of the sound field 9 to form an improved motion.

[0075] Specifically, by moving the sound field 9 and modulating the signal of the sound field 9, the geometric structure of the acoustic pressure gradient zone, the node 9-1 and the antinode 9-2 is changed, and then the motion of the acoustic biomimetic micro robot 7 is changed to form an improved motion.

[0076] Specifically, the modulation signal includes modulating the frequency, phase and / or amplitude of the sound field 9, for example: using a four-port acoustic surface wave standing wave transducer 53 with a design frequency of 18.5 MHz, the four ports are A1, A2, B1 and B2, A1 and A2 are arranged opposite to each other, and B1 and B2 are arranged opposite to each other, and a stable standing wave field is formed at 18.5 MHz and no phase delay, the standing wave field is point-like distribution and there are symmetry axes along X and Y two axis directions, after the sound field is formed, the acoustic biomimetic micro robot 7 reaches a stable stationary state along the node 9-1 and the antinode 9-2 distribution; At this time, the frequency is adjusted to 18.3 MHz, and the amplitudes of the four ports are applied according to the ratio of A1:A2:B1:B2=8:4:2:1, and the phases of the four ports are applied according to the ratio of A1:A2:B1:B2=π:0:0:0, the result is that the sound field 9 changes from the original two-symmetrical periodic point-like distribution to the single-axis symmetrical short strip-like sound field distribution, and the antinode 9-2 is a strip-shaped and the direction is 45° away from the original symmetry axis, at this time, the acoustic biomimetic micro robot 7 is affected and turns 45°, and again reaches a stable stationary state, thereby realizing angle control of the acoustic biomimetic micro robot 7 based on signal modulation.

[0077] Step five, based on the initial motion and the improved motion of the acoustic biomimetic micro robot 7, the micro-scale target 8 is manipulated.

[0078] Specifically, the initial motion and the improved motion include translation, rotation and / or agglomeration.

[0079] Specifically, the principle is as follows: the single or multiple (several) microscale targets 8 are driven to move by the way of applying mechanical force through contact and by the way of applying local secondary sound field through proximity, or the single or multiple (several) microscale targets 8 are captured and precisely navigated and motion controlled, the acoustic bionic micro-robot 7 can carry the microscale targets 8 on it as a carrier, control the motion of the microscale targets 8 or carry the microscale targets 8 to a specific position; for the microscale targets 8 of fluid property, the acoustic bionic micro-robot 7 can be combined with the microscale targets 8 through fluid surface tension during the carrying process, the combination formed is subject to the geometric structure and surface tension of the acoustic bionic micro-robot 7, and is thus subject to the sound pressure distribution of the sound field 9, which is beneficial to further acoustic manipulation based on the sound field 9; on this basis, the combination of the acoustic bionic micro-robot 7 and the microscale targets 8 allows further reactions.

[0080] The present application drives the acoustic bionic micro-robot 7 to move in the microfluidic environment 4-1 through the sound field 9, the acoustic bionic micro-robot 7 is conformally designed according to the sound pressure distribution geometry of the sound field 9, and the geometric boundary is subject to the distribution geometry of the nodes 9-1 and the antinodes 9-2 of the sound field 9; the acoustic bionic micro-robot 7 comprises a minimum potential structure 7-1 and an acoustic energy capture structure 7-2 for the distribution of the nodes 9-1 and the antinodes 9-2 of the sound field 9, which are respectively subject to the potential well and the sound pressure gradient zone geometry, so as to improve the stability, manipulation accuracy, acoustic excitation sensitivity and motion speed of the acoustic bionic micro-robot 7; the geometric conformal design based on the three-dimensional distribution of the sound field pressure allows the acoustic bionic micro-robot 7 to obtain precise acoustic excitation by virtue of the acoustic gradient force equivalence, so as to realize the precise acoustic manipulation method; and through various bionic designs, the acoustic bionic micro-robot 7 can allow two modes of motion, i.e. motion in a fluid environment and motion on a multiphase fluid interface, and the motion forms include translation, rotation, aggregation, patterning, etc., and further microscale target manipulation can be performed in this way.

[0081] The basic principle and main features of the present application and the advantages of the present application are shown and described above, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art that the present application is not limited to the details of the above exemplary embodiments, and the present application can be realized in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the present application. Therefore, the embodiments should be regarded as exemplary and non-limiting from any point of view, and the scope of the present application is defined by the appended claims rather than the above description, and therefore all changes falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims are intended to be included in the present application. Any reference signs in the claims should not be regarded as limiting the claims involved.

[0082] Furthermore, it should be understood that although the specification is described in terms of embodiments, each of which contains only one independent technical solution, the specification is described in this way only for the sake of clarity, and the skilled person should consider the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that the skilled person can understand. The above is only to illustrate the technical idea of the present application, and cannot limit the protection scope of the present application. Any modification made on the basis of the technical solutions according to the technical idea of the present application falls within the protection scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. An acoustic biomimetic microrobot system based on conformal sound field, characterized in that, It includes an acoustic biomimetic microrobot (7), an acoustic transducer (5), a microfluidic device (4), a sound field (9), and a microscale target (8); the sound field (9) is located inside the microfluidic device (4), the microfluidic device (4) is located on top of the acoustic transducer (5), and the microscale target (8) is located on top of the sound field (9); The sound field (9) is excited by the acoustic transducer (5) and used to control the acoustic bionic microrobot (7). When in use, the acoustic bionic microrobot (7) is located on the sound field (9). The sound field (9) includes antinodes (9-2) and nodes (9-1). The nodes (9-1) are distributed in the antinodes (9-2). There are sound pressure gradient regions in the antinodes (9-2) and nodes (9-1). The geometry of the acoustic bionic microrobot (7) is adapted to the geometry of the sound pressure gradient region, the nodes (9-1) and the antinodes (9-2). The acoustic biomimetic microrobot (7) includes a minimum potential energy structure (7-1). Alternatively, the acoustic biomimetic microrobot (7) comprises several interconnected structural units, each of which includes a minimum potential energy structure (7-1). The minimum potential energy structure (7-1) is connected to several acoustic energy capture structures (7-2) to form a water strider biomimetic structure; a potential energy trap is formed between several nodes (9-1), and the minimum potential energy structure (7-1) is located on the potential energy trap to enable the acoustic biomimetic microrobot (7) to reach the minimum potential energy on the potential energy trap, so as to stabilize the posture of the acoustic biomimetic microrobot (7) and thus perform motion control through the sound pressure gradient region.

2. The acoustic biomimetic microrobot system based on conformal sound field according to claim 1, characterized in that, The acoustic transducer (5) includes a piezoelectric material (5-1), and a plurality of four-port surface acoustic wave standing wave transducers (5-3) are disposed on the piezoelectric material (5-1). Each four-port surface acoustic wave standing wave transducer (5-3) has an electrode (5-2) disposed at its end.

3. The acoustic biomimetic microrobot system based on conformal sound field according to claim 1, characterized in that, The microfluidic device (4) includes a microfluidic interface (4-2), a microfluidic environment (4-1), a flow channel substrate (4-3), and a coupling layer (4-4) arranged sequentially from top to bottom. An acoustic transducer (5) is located at the bottom of the coupling layer (4-4). The microfluidic interface (4-2) and / or the microfluidic environment (4-1) are used for the movement of the acoustic bionic microrobot (7).

4. The acoustic biomimetic microrobot system based on sound field conformity according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a light tube (1), a support system and a mechanical control system (6); The acoustic transducer (5) is located on the mechanical control system (6), which is used to control the movement of the sound field. The support system is located on the top of the acoustic transducer (5) and on the side of the microfluidic device (4) and the sound field (9). The light tube (1) is located on the top of the support system. The middle part of the support system is hollowed out. The light tube (1) forms an optical path between the middle part of the support system and the sound field (9) for observing the movement of the acoustic bionic microrobot (7).

5. A method for manipulating an acoustic biomimetic microrobot system based on conformal sound field, characterized in that, An acoustic biomimetic microrobot system based on sound field conformality as described in any one of claims 1-4 includes the following steps: Turn on the acoustic transducer (5), and the acoustic transducer (5) excites the sound field (9); The sound field (9) is transmitted to the bottom of the acoustic bionic microrobot (7) via the microfluidic device (4); The acoustic energy generated by the sound field (9) is reflected by the acoustic wave at the interface of the acoustic bionic microrobot (7) to form an acoustic radiation force. The antinodes (9-2) of the sound field (9) generate a sound pressure gradient region, which is distributed to form an acoustic gradient force. The acoustic bionic microrobot (7) obtains acoustic excitation by means of the equivalent effect of the acoustic gradient force. The acoustic bionic microrobot (7) controls the motion through acoustic excitation to form the initial motion. Based on the initial motion, the motion of the acoustic bionic microrobot (7) is further modulated by the signals of the moving sound field (9) and the modulated sound field (9) to form an improved motion; The initial and improved motions of the acoustic biomimetic microrobot (7) are used to manipulate the microscale target (8).

6. The method for manipulating an acoustic biomimetic microrobot system based on conformal sound field as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The motion of the acoustic bionic microrobot (7) is further modulated by the signals of the moving sound field (9) and the modulated sound field (9) to form an improved motion, specifically including: By moving the sound field (9) and modulating the sound field (9) signals, the geometric structure of the sound pressure gradient region, nodes (9-1) and antinodes (9-2) is changed, thereby changing the motion of the acoustic bionic microrobot (7) and forming an improved motion.

7. The method for manipulating an acoustic biomimetic microrobot system based on sound field conformity according to claim 5, characterized in that, The signal of the modulated sound field (9) includes the frequency, phase and / or amplitude of the modulated sound field (9).

8. The method for manipulating an acoustic biomimetic microrobot system based on conformal sound field as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The initial and modified motions include translation, rotation, and / or clustering.

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