2021 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
Optimization of molecular robot swarms for the emergence of collective behaviors
| Project/Area Number |
19KK0261
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| Research Institution | Ochanomizu University |
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Principal Investigator |
オベル加藤 ナタナエル お茶の水女子大学, 基幹研究院, 講師 (10749659)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
川又 生吹 東北大学, 工学研究科, 助教 (30733977)
佐藤 佑介 東北大学, 学際科学フロンティア研究所, 助教 (60830560)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2019-10-07 – 2024-03-31
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| Keywords | Molecular Robotics / Collective Behaviors / Swarm / Microfluidics / Quality-Diversity / Reaction-Diffusion / Evolutionary Algorithm |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
During this fiscal year, we finalized the mathematical analysis of enzymatically coupled oscillatory modules. In such system, molecular signals from the environment can directly affect parameters such as local enzymatic saturation, and thus switch the system from a coupled to an uncoupled regime and vice-versa. Our parameter exploration can be used to guide the design of complex molecular systems, such as active materials or molecular robot controllers. We then moved to the in-vitro implementation with a microfluidics setup, with the target of performing morphogenesis-like behaviors.
Thanks to regular online meetings with the French side, we finalized the design and coding of a "molecular" algorithm on a swarm of hardware robots. We moved to the Implementation on actual robots, with promising preliminary results.
Finally, in accordance with the original plan, we designed DNA nanostructures for molecular robotics, both through an algorithmic exploration and through experimental implementations.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
While traveling is still an issue, we managed to implement the hardware swarm on the French side through regular meetings. Progress on that front is slower than through direct interaction, but results are promising.
Progress on the theoretical and wetlab side are good and on par with the original plan.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
The plan for this fiscal year is to finalize the experimental implementation of our theoretical molecular system. Targets will be both dynamic (in accordance to the original plan) and inspired by morphogenesis (based on current preliminary results).
We also plan to finalize the hardware robotic swarm implementation. Depending on results, we aim to catch up with the original plan by the end of the fiscal year.
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| Causes of Carryover |
Depending on the situation, part of the costs will either cover mostly the traveling expenses to France or the costs of buying a hardware robotic swarm to locally perform experiments.
Otherwise, we plan to purchases wetlab consumables as plan and pay for the processing fees of open access publications.
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Research Products
(19 results)
