Novel actuated microsystems

Many technological efforts have allowed to possess nowadays several artificial actuation solutions. However, biorobotics systems show peculiar requirements in terms of actuation strategies for the achievement of challenging tasks. Both muscle cell-based actuators and nanostructured responsive polymeric platforms could permit to face advanced microrobot locomotion, drug delivery procedures and other technological challenges. Bio-hybrid actuators represents an emerging paradigm to appoach critical technological problems, bypassing currently limited actuator performances, such as lack of stiffness control, high power consumption, scalability and no self-healing properties. Contractile living cells have an attractive combination of features that could be exploited to design and fabricate novel 3D bio-hybrid devices. Ultra-thin films can be exploited as matrices for the fabrication of smart systems fro advanced medical applications. These devices, based on piezoelectric nanoparticles, can be used to locally modulate therapies, mediated by ultrasound, and as nanoscffolds for tissue regeneration.