Metasoft 2025 - MAGMA

Project leader : Sijtze BUWALDA and Artem KOVALENKO

Schools involved : ESPCI Paris - PSL et Mines Paris - PSL

Project summary:

Magnetic soft robots are capable of tether-free, instantaneous and “programmable” shape change in a magnetic field, which is promising for various biomedical and industrial applications. Precise magnetic actuation requires the use of bottom-up fabrication techniques in which magnetic interactions are well-controlled on the level of the structural element. The objective of the MAGMA project is the fabrication of magnetic soft robots via the assembly of magnetic, bio-based, porous particles with tailored magnetic anisotropy and mechanical properties. The use of these new building blocks will allow for simple and scalable shaping of soft magnetic robots. Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles will be embedded within bio-based aerogel beads (nanostructured, stable and porous materials) and different methods for the assembly of these beads into macroscopic structures will be investigated. Subsequently the magneto-mechanical properties and actuation capacity of the granular materials will be explored. This highly interdisciplinary and ambitious project brings together two very complementary teams as CEMEF has expertise in bio-aerogels and materials forming whereas SIMM has expertise in magnetic soft robotics and mechanical characterization of soft materials.