17 research outputs found
Flora robotica -- An Architectural System Combining Living Natural Plants and Distributed Robots
Key to our project flora robotica is the idea of creating a bio-hybrid system
of tightly coupled natural plants and distributed robots to grow architectural
artifacts and spaces. Our motivation with this ground research project is to
lay a principled foundation towards the design and implementation of living
architectural systems that provide functionalities beyond those of orthodox
building practice, such as self-repair, material accumulation and
self-organization. Plants and robots work together to create a living organism
that is inhabited by human beings. User-defined design objectives help to steer
the directional growth of the plants, but also the system's interactions with
its inhabitants determine locations where growth is prohibited or desired
(e.g., partitions, windows, occupiable space). We report our plant species
selection process and aspects of living architecture. A leitmotif of our
project is the rich concept of braiding: braids are produced by robots from
continuous material and serve as both scaffolds and initial architectural
artifacts before plants take over and grow the desired architecture. We use
light and hormones as attraction stimuli and far-red light as repelling
stimulus to influence the plants. Applied sensors range from simple proximity
sensing to detect the presence of plants to sophisticated sensing technology,
such as electrophysiology and measurements of sap flow. We conclude by
discussing our anticipated final demonstrator that integrates key features of
flora robotica, such as the continuous growth process of architectural
artifacts and self-repair of living architecture.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figure
The Watchmaker's guide to Artificial Life: On the Role of Death, Modularity and Physicality in Evolutionary Robotics
Photograph used for a newspaper owned by the Oklahoma Publishing Company
Developing Translational Tissue Engineering Solutions for Regenerative Medicine
Regenerative medicine is an emerging field that aims to treat injury and disease by harnessing and augmenting the body’s innate capacity for tissue regeneration. Many of the strategies developed in this field have relied extensively on the principles of tissue engineering, a set of methods that bring together cells, cellular signals and material scaffolds to repair or replace biological tissue. While the number of novel tissue engineering strategies continues to rapidly expand, the innovations underlying these solutions often fail to consider the key technical, manufacturing, and regulatory barriers that prohibit these technologies from suitable use in humans. As a result, the field of tissue engineering has one of the lowest rates of clinical translation amongst medical research. To address this, this thesis examines each of the prominent components of the tissue engineering practice and develops tools and strategies that enable the development of solutions with high translational potential. The collective findings of these works propose tools and solutions applicable within the major facets of tissue engineering that may help to lay the groundwork for future therapies with high clinical probability in a number of regenerative medicine applications
Biocomposite Inks for 3D Printing
Three-dimensional (3D) printing has evolved massively during the last years. The 3D printing technologies offer various advantages, including: i) tailor-made design, ii) rapid prototyping, and iii) manufacturing of complex structures. Importantly, 3D printing is currently finding its potential in tissue engineering, wound dressings, tissue models for drug testing, prosthesis, and biosensors, to name a few. One important factor is the optimized composition of inks that can facilitate the deposition of cells, fabrication of vascularized tissue and the structuring of complex constructs that are similar to functional organs. Biocomposite inks can include synthetic and natural polymers, such as poly (ε-caprolactone), polylactic acid, collagen, hyaluronic acid, alginate, nanocellulose, and may be complemented with cross-linkers to stabilize the constructs and with bioactive molecules to add functionality. Inks that contain living cells are referred to as bioinks and the process as 3D bioprinting. Some of the key aspects of the formulation of bioinks are, e.g., the tailoring of mechanical properties, biocompatibility and the rheological behavior of the ink which may affect the cell viability, proliferation, and cell differentiation.The current Special Issue emphasizes the bio-technological engineering of novel biocomposite inks for various 3D printing technologies, also considering important aspects in the production and use of bioinks
Progenitor cells in auricular cartilage demonstrate promising cartilage regenerative potential in 3D hydrogel culture
The reconstruction of auricular deformities is a very challenging surgical procedure that could benefit from a tissue engineering approach. Nevertheless, a major obstacle is presented by the acquisition of sufficient amounts of autologous cells to create a cartilage construct the size of the human ear. Extensively expanded chondrocytes are unable to retain their phenotype, while bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) show endochondral terminal differentiation by formation of a calcified matrix. The identification of tissue-specific progenitor cells in auricular cartilage, which can be expanded to high numbers without loss of cartilage phenotype, has great prospects for cartilage regeneration of larger constructs. This study investigates the largely unexplored potential of auricular progenitor cells for cartilage tissue engineering in 3D hydrogels