2018年2月7日
北海道大学和关西大学的研究人员研制了对物理化学信号自动化群响应的DNA辅助机器人，有助于未来纳米机械设备的发展。新型群机器人长5微米，截面直径25纳米，具有和鱼群，蚁群和鸟群相似的运动特性，“包括在无组织条件下通过个体间局部作用构成复杂结构，明确分工，鲁棒性和柔韧性等”，北海道大学的Akira Kakugo如是说。新型群机器人系统的三个组分，即传感器，（信息）处理器和执行器；微管（MT，Microtubules，一种细胞蛋白质）和驱动蛋白（Kinesins）构成执行器，DNA分子作为信息处理器，而DNA附着的光敏性偶氮苯（azobenzene ）的异构化作用作为群机器人系统的开关（传感器）。机器人系统作为基本的计算单元，通过执行如‘与’、‘或’、‘非’的简单数学逻辑运算来实现复杂结构和运动。
微管（MT）在ATP供能的驱动蛋白（Kinesins）“马达”驱动下，通过自身搭载的DNA分子链进行交互 (Keya J. J. et al., Nature Communications, January 31, 2018)
柔性微管群聚成环状结构（上图）；在DNA输入信号的作用下解离 （下图）. (Keya J. J. et al., Nature Communications, January 31, 2018)
Letting Molecular Robots Swarm Like Birds
https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/blog/letting-molecular-robots-swarm-like-birds/
Hokkaido University
Naoki Namba
January 31, 2018
Researchers at Hokkaido University and Kansai University in Japan have created DNA-assisted robots that autonomously swarm in response to chemical and physical signals, which could lead to the development of future nano-machines. The new "swarm robots" measure 25 nanometers in diameter and five micrometers in length, and they exhibit behavior similar to that of motile organisms such as fish, ants, and birds. "These include the formation of complex structures, distinct divisions of labor, robustness, and flexibility, all of which emerge through local interactions among the individuals without the presence of a leader," says Hokkaido University's Akira Kakugo. He notes the new system has three essential robot components--sensors, information processors, and actuators. The researchers used cellular proteins called microtubules and kinesins as the actuator, and DNA as the information processor. "The system acts as a basic computer by executing simple mathematical operations, such as AND or OR operations, leading to various structures and complex motions," Kakugo says.
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