Amarobhothi amaningi athola ukubamba kanye nokuzwa okuthintekayo ngezindlela ezinenjini, ezingaba zikhulu ngokweqile futhi ziqine. Iqembu lase-Cornell University lenze indlela yokuthi irobhothi elithambile lizwe indawo elikuzungezile ngaphakathi, ngendlela efanayo nabantu.
Iqembu eliholwa nguRobert Shepherd, umsizi kaprofesa wobunjiniyela bemishini kanye ne-aerospace kanye nomphenyi oyinhloko we Ilebhu ye-Organic Robotics, ishicilele iphepha elichaza ukuthi amagagasi okukhanya anwebekayo asebenza kanjani njengokugobile, ama-elongation kanye nezinzwa zamandla esandleni serobhothi esithambile.
Umfundi ofundela ubudokotela u-Huichan Zhao ungumbhali oholayo we “I-Optoelectronically Innervated Soft Prosthetic Hand nge-Stretchable Optical Waveguides,” evezwe ohlelweni lokuqala lwe-Science Robotics. Iphepha elishicilelwe ngoDisemba 6; nabo ababambe iqhaza kwakungabafundi abenza izifundo zobudokotela uKevin O'Brien noShuo Li, bobabili belebhu kaShepherd.
"Amarobhothi amaningi namuhla anezinzwa ngaphandle komzimba ezithola izinto phezulu," kusho uZhao. "Izinzwa zethu zihlanganiswe emzimbeni, ngakho-ke ziyakwazi ukubona amandla adluliselwa ngokuqina kwerobhothi, njengoba nje thina nazo zonke izinto eziphilayo senza lapho sizwa ubuhlungu, isibonelo."
Amagagasi okukhanya asetshenziswa kusukela ekuqaleni kwawo-1970 emisebenzini eminingi yokuzwa, ehlanganisa i-tactile, isikhundla kanye ne-acoustic. Ukuqamba ekuqaleni kwakuyinqubo eyinkimbinkimbi, kodwa ukufika eminyakeni engu-20 yokugcina ye-lithography ethambile kanye nokuphrinta kwe-3-D kuye kwaholela ekuthuthukisweni kwezinzwa ze-elastomeric ezikhiqizwa kalula futhi zifakwe ohlelweni oluthambile lwerobhothi.
Iqembu likaMalusi lasebenzisa inqubo ye-lithography ethambile enezinyathelo ezine ukuze kukhiqizwe umongo (okusakazeka ngawo ukukhanya), kanye ne-cladding (indawo yangaphandle ye-waveguide), ebuye ibe ne-LED (i-light-emitting diode) kanye ne-photodiode.
Lapho isandla sokufakelwa siwohloka ngokwengeziwe, yilapho kulahleka khona ukukhanya okwengeziwe ngomongo. Lokho kulahleka kokukhanya okuguquguqukayo, njengoba kutholwe yi-photodiode, yikho okuvumela i-prosthesis ukuba "izwe" indawo eyizungezile.
“Uma kungalahleka ukukhanya ngesikhathi sigoba i-prosthesis, besingeke sithole ulwazi mayelana nesimo senzwa,” kusho uShepherd. "Inani lokulahlekelwa lincike ekutheni ligotshwe kanjani."
Iqembu lasebenzisa i-optoelectronic prosthesis yalo ukuze lenze imisebenzi eyahlukene, ehlanganisa ukubamba kanye nokuhlola kokubili ukuma nokuthungwa. Okuphawuleka kakhulu, isandla sakwazi ukuskena amatamatisi amathathu futhi sanquma, ngokuthambile, okwakungowokuvuthwa kakhulu.
UZhao uthe lobu buchwepheshe bungasetshenziswa kaningi ngale kwezitho zokufakelwa, okuhlanganisa namarobhothi aphefumulelwe nge-bio, uShepherd awahlole kanye nawo. UMason Peck, uprofesa ohlangene wobunjiniyela bemishini kanye ne-aerospace, ukuze zisetshenziswe ukuhlola indawo.
"Leyo phrojekthi ayinayo impendulo yezinzwa," kusho u-Shepherd, ebhekisela ekusebenzisaneni no-Peck, "kodwa uma besinazo izinzwa, besingakwazi ukuqapha ngesikhathi sangempela ukuguquka kwesimo ngesikhathi somlilo [ngokusebenzisa i-electrolysis yamanzi] futhi sithuthukise ukulandelana okungcono kwe-actuation ukwenza. ihamba ngokushesha.”
Umsebenzi wesikhathi esizayo kuma-optical waveguides kumarobhothi athambile uzogxila ekwandiseni amandla ezinzwa, ngokwengxenye ngokuphrinta i-3-D yomumo wezinzwa eziyinkimbinkimbi, futhi ngokuhlanganisa ukufundwa komshini njengendlela yokuhlukanisa amasignali asuka enanini elikhuphukile lezinzwa. “Okwamanje,” kusho uShepherd, “kulukhuni ukubona ukuthi ukuthintwa kuvela kuphi.”
Lo msebenzi uxhaswe yi-Air Force Office of Scientific Research, futhi wasebenzisa I-Cornell NanoScale Science and Technology Facility futhi Cornell Center for Materials Research, zombili zisekelwa iNational Science Foundation.
- UTom Fleischman, Cornell University