A team of researchers has received a NSF grant to develop new self-regulating artificial cilia arrays
A team of researchers from Texas Tech University’s Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering has received a $450,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop a new self-regulating artificial cilia arrays for precise omnidirectional fluid and particle manipulation.
The collaborative project, Self-Regulating Artificial Cilia Arrays with Stereotypic Motor Patterns for Omnidirectional Fluid and Particle Manipulation, is led by Xiaolong Liu, lead principal investigator and assistant professor, and co-principal investigator and professor Jerzy Blawzdziewicz, both from Texas Tech’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, along with Bo Li, principal investigator from Villanova University.
Microscale control of liquids and suspended particles is essential for advancing medical diagnostics, environmental monitoring and the development of miniature soft machines capable of navigating complex fluid environments. Current devices often steer fluids in only a few fixed directions and lose precision when conditions change. This project aims to overcome those limitations by creating artificial motile cilia; soft filaments thinner than a human hair that can adjust their rhythm in real time to move fluids or cargo in any direction.
By combining innovations in soft-composite manufacturing, embedded sensing, and model-based control, the research seeks to emulate the adaptability of biological cilia while improving durability and scalability. Each filament in the array will be capable of localized actuation and feedback, enabling it to autonomously adjust movement based on environmental conditions.
Instead of relying on pre-programmed sequences, the artificial cilia will use hydrodynamic interactions and internal sensing to generate adaptive wave-like patterns, ensuring reliable fluid and particle control even when properties of the medium or external constraints change. A prototype array will be developed and tested in viscous environments, while computational and theoretical models will guide future scalability and applications.
“This NSF Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering award provides an exciting opportunity for us to develop artificial versions of adaptive biological soft matter like cilia,” Liu said. “I look forward to working with my collaborators as we take important steps toward creating microscale robotic systems that capture the elegance and functionality of biological systems.”
Potential applications include faster medical diagnostics, gentler cell handling, targeted drug delivery and high-precision micro assembly. The project also incorporates an educational outreach plan to integrate research findings into university curricula, provide mentored research opportunities and deliver hands-on STEM demonstrations for K-12 students.
More information about the project can be found on the NSF website