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Video/AnimationPeter Nguyen: Biology Engineering, Bigfoot Hunting, and Better Climate TechnologyWyss Senior Scientist Peter Nguyen received a B.S. in Biochemistry and B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Texas, his M.Bs. from the Keck Graduate Institute, and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Rice University. At the Wyss Institute, Peter currently works on programmable probiotics and freeze-dried cell-free manufacturing technology across multiple platforms. His research interests... -
Video/AnimationMetabolic T cell Labeling: simple and effective enhancement of therapeutic T cells with immune-stimulating cytokinesThis animation shows how the surface of patient-derived T cells is metabolically labeled with azido-sugar molecules that then can be used to attach immune-enhancing cytokines with the help of click chemistry. The approach could help expand adoptive T cell therapies to treatment of solid tumors. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationNature Can Help Us Prepare for the Next PandemicResiliency, redundancy, adaptability: COVID-19 has shown humanity that we need more of the qualities that are built into nature. See how a cat’s tongue inspired Wyss Lead Staff Engineer Richard Novak to create a novel nasal swab design to aid in COVID-19 diagnostics. -
Video/AnimationCirce: Using Microbes to Make Biodegradable ProductsCurrent manufacturing methods release harmful greenhouse gases and pollution, and many of the products produced do not biodegrade, damaging our ecosystems even further. What if we could turn greenhouse gases into biodegradable products? Researchers at the Wyss Institute are using synthetic biology to make this a reality. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationOrigami Miniature Surgical ManipulatorResearchers from the Wyss Institute, Harvard SEAS, and Sony have created the mini-RCM, a small surgical robot that can help surgeons perform delicate teleoperated procedures on the human body. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationSmart Thermally Actuating TextilesSmart Thermally Actuating Textiles (STATs) are tightly-sealed pouches that are able to change shape or maintain their pressure even in environments in which the exterior temperature or airflow fluctuates. This soft robotics technology could be developed as novel components of rehabilitation therapies or to prevent tissue damage in hospital bed or wheelchair-bound individuals. Credit: Wyss... -
Video/AnimationBeating Back the CoronavirusWhen the coronavirus pandemic forced Harvard University to ramp down almost all on-site operations, members of the Wyss Institute community refocused their teams, and formed new ones, in order to fight COVID-19 on its multiple fronts. These efforts include building new pieces of personal protective equipment that were delivered to frontline healthcare workers, developing new... -
Video/AnimationVoxelated Soft Matter via Multimaterial, Multinozzle 3D PrintingMultimaterial Multinozzle 3D (MM3D) Printing, a new technique developed by engineers at the Wyss Institute and Harvard SEAS, allows seamless switching between up to eight different materials within a single nozzle, allowing for the creation of complex 3D objects in a fraction of the time required by other extrusion-based 3D printing methods. Credit: Wyss Institute... -
Audio/PodcastDisruptive: 3D BioprintingThere are roughly 120,000 people in the United States on waiting lists for live-saving organ transplants, with only about 30,000 transplants happening every year. To address this great challenge of organ shortages, a team at the Wyss Institute led by Core Faculty member Jennifer Lewis, Sc.D., is developing a method for 3D bioprinting organ tissues... -
Video/AnimationA Swifter Way Towards 3D-printed Organs20 people die waiting for an organ transplant every day in the US, but lab-grown organs so far lack the cellular density and functions required to make them viable replacements. The new SWIFT method from the Wyss Institute and Harvard SEAS solves those problems by 3D printing vascular channel networks directly into living tissue constructs,... -
Video/AnimationHip-only Soft Exosuit for both Walking and RunningThis video demonstrates the use of the hip-assisting exosuit in different natural environments, and shows how the robotic device senses changes in the gait-specific vertical movements of the center of mass during walking and running to rapidly adjust its actuation. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationSelf-regenerating bacterial hydrogels as intestinal wound patchesThis animation explains how self-regenerating bacterial hydrogels could be used as adhesive patches to help intestinal wounds heal. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University. -
Video/AnimationTension PistonsThe Tension Piston, developed at the Wyss Institute and MIT CSAIL, amplifies piston force and increases energy efficiency by using flexible materials to transmit fluid-induced tension. The Tension Piston is able to produce substantially greater force compared to a conventional piston at the same driving pressure. Tension Pistons can be used in pumps, engines, compressors,... -
Video/AnimationLiquid-Infused Tympanostomy TubesResearchers at the Wyss Institute have developed next-generation tympanostomy tubes with an innovative material design that significantly reduces biofouling, implant size, need for revision surgeries, and promotes drug delivery into the middle ear. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationHAMR-E: Inverted and Vertical Climbing MicrorobotHAMR-E, created in collaboration with Rolls-Royce, is a micro-robot that uses electroadhesion to scale vertical, inverted, and curved surfaces, allowing it to explore spaces that are too small for humans. HAMR-E could one day be used to inspect jet engines and other complicated machines without requiring them to be taken apart. Credit: Wyss Institute at... -
Video/AnimationLight-driven fine chemical production in yeast biohybridsWyss Institute Core Faculty member Neel Joshi explains the concept of yeast biohybrids and how they can be used to harvest energy from light to drive the production of fine chemicals. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationSoft Robotic Arms: Giving Biologists a Delicate, Deep-sea ReachWhat good is a soft robotic hand without a soft robotic arm to move it? Wyss researchers have now created a soft, modular underwater arm that can help marine biologists study hard-to-reach organisms in the deep sea. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationAcoustophoretic PrintingHavard researchers have developed acoustophoretic printing, a method that uses 3D printing technology and highly localized sound waves to generate of droplets with defined sizes and a wide range of viscosities. -
Video/AnimationNanofiber-Reinforced Micro-ActuatorsThis video explains how two fabrication techniques, soft lithography and rotary jet spinning of nanofibers, are combined to create a new type of micro-actuator for the manipulation of small fragile objects in challenging environments. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationMORPH: A new soft material microfabrication processWhat has the ability to move and show its colors, is made only of silicone rubber and manufactured at the millimeter scale? A soft robotic peacock spider. Researchers have combined three different manufacturing techniques to create a novel origami-inspired soft material microfabrication process that goes beyond what existing approaches can achieve at this small scale.... -
Video/Animation3D-Printed Soft GrippersWhat’s the easiest way to pick up soft-bodied sea creatures? 3D-printed soft robots. Watch as an interdisciplinary team of marine biologists, engineers, and roboticists create custom-made soft grippers on-board the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s R/V Falkor, allowing them to safely sample many types of delicate sea life in the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA). Credit: Wyss Institute... -
Video/AnimationHAMR: Robotic Cockroach for Underwater ExplorationsThis video shows how the HAMR can transition from land to water, paddle on the surface of water, or sink to the ground to start walking again just as it would on dry land. Credit: Yufeng Chen, Neel Doshi, and Benjamin Goldberg/Harvard University -
Video/AnimationCatalytic Nanoarchitectures for Clean AirThe Wyss Institute is developing a new type of coating for catalytic converters that, inspired by the nanoscale structure of a butterfly’s wing, can dramatically reduce the cost and improve the performance of air purification technologies, making them more accessible to all. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/Animation3D Printing: Soft Robots with Embedded SensorsResearchers from the Wyss Institute and Harvard SEAS have developed a platform for 3D printed, soft robots with embedded sensors that can feel touch, pressure, motion and temperature. This technology could be used for integrated sensing across a range of soft robotic applications. Credit: Harvard SEAS -
Video/AnimationKirigami CrawlerResearchers at the Wyss Institute and Harvard SEAS have built a robot inspired by snakes that uses kirigami cuts in its ‘skin’ to grip the ground when it is inflated. Credit: Harvard SEAS -
Video/AnimationMeet HAMR, the Cockroach-Inspired RobotThe Harvard Ambulatory Microrobot - nicknamed HAMR - is a versatile robot that can run at high speeds, jump, climb, turn sharply, carry payloads and fall from great distances without being injured. -
Video/AnimationThe milliDelta RobotDelta Robots are comprised of three articulating arms connected to an output stage. They are extremely precise and agile, and can be used for “pick & place” and 3D Printing. Researchers at the Wyss Institute and Harvard SEAS have developed a millimeter-scale delta robot, the “milliDelta.” Possible applications at this scale include microassembly, micromanipulation, and... -
Video/AnimationTherapeutic Organ Engineering: Highlights From The 8th Annual Wyss SymposiumThe 8th Annual Wyss International Symposium focused on innovations in therapeutic organ engineering, featuring diverse speakers doing exciting work in 3D organ engineering, materials fabrication, and vascular integration. This video highlights some of the themes discussed in their presentations as well as the advances that are leading to the ultimate goals of developing new approaches... -
Video/AnimationPrimer Exchange ReactionIn this video, Jocelyn Kishi illustrates how Primer Exchange Reaction (PER) cascades work to autonomously create programmable long single-stranded DNA molecules. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University. -
Video/AnimationAerial-Aquatic MicrorobotInspired by insects, researchers at the Wyss Institute and Harvard SEAS have developed a robot capable of flying…and swimming. Once the robot swims to the surface of the water, surrounding water is collected in a buoyancy chamber. Within the chamber, an electrolytic plate produced oxyhydrogen. This gives the robot extra buoyancy, which enables it to... -
Video/Animation8th Annual Wyss Institute Symposium: Therapeutic Organ EngineeringScreened just before the symposium opening, this animation artistically connects concepts of therapeutic organ engineering presented during the event. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationHybrid 3D Printing of Soft ElectronicsA new hybrid 3D printing technique developed at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University, Harvard’s John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and the Air Force Research Laboratory combines stretchable conductive inks and electronic components into flexible, durable wearable devices that move with the body and offer increased programmability. This research was supported... -
Audio/PodcastBiofilms: Reprogramming Bacteria to Improve LivesWyss Core Faculty member Neel Joshi and Postdoctoral Fellow Anna Duraj-Thatte discuss the intersection between synthetic biology and materials science as an underexplored area with great potential to positively affect our daily lives—applications ranging from manufacturing to medicine. Dr. Joshi outlines ways that his lab at the Wyss Institute is looking at reprogramming bacteria in... -
Video/AnimationSoft Fabric SensorsThis textile-based sensor effectively registers fine motor movements of the human body, taking researchers one step closer to creating soft, wearable robots. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationHow plant stems grow into different shapesIt is well known that as plants grow, their stems and shoots respond to outside signals like light and gravity. But if plants all have similar stimuli, why are there so many different plant shapes? Using simple mathematical ideas, Harvard University researchers constructed a framework that explains and quantifies the different shapes of plant stems.... -
Audio/PodcastWilliam Shih: Lego-Style Construction of Future Therapeutics From DNAListen to Wyss Core Faculty member William Shih’s lecture on how custom molecular shapes can be designed using DNA building blocks and how these minuscule devices could have a profound impact on fields ranging from molecular biophysics to therapeutics to nano-optics for decades to come. Shih’s lecture is part of the ArtScience lecture series at... -
Video/Animation3D Printing Ceramic FoamThis video shows the 3D printing process that adds layer upon layer of the foam link to create a 3D porous ceramic honeycomb pattern. This new capability is an important step toward generating porous materials for lightweight structures, thermal insulation, tissue scaffolds and other applications. Credit: Lori Sanders -
Audio/PodcastDisruptive: Putting Biofilms to WorkBiofilms are commonly known as the slime-producing bacterial communities sitting on stones in streams, dirty pipes and drains, or dental plaque. However, Wyss Core Faculty member Neel Joshi is putting to work the very properties that make biofilms effective nuisances or threats in our daily lives. In this episode of Disruptive, Joshi and postdoctoral fellow... -
Audio/PodcastDisruptive: Rapid, Low-Cost Detection of Zika & Future PandemicsThe rapid emergence of the Zika virus on the world stage calls for a detection system that is just as quick. In this episode of Disruptive, Wyss Core Faculty member and MIT professor Jim Collins and University of Toronto Assistant Professor Keith Pardee discuss how they developed a low cost, paper-based diagnostic platform that can... -
Video/AnimationEfficient Recovery of Stem Cell SheetsSee in this video how an intact sheet of mesenchymal stem cells, stained with a violet dye, can be lifted off the infused polymer substrate in the culture dish using a filter paper and transferred to a new surface. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Audio/PodcastDisruptive: Molecular RoboticsHow can DNA be programmed to build novel structures, devices, and robots? We have taken our understanding of DNA to another level, beginning to take advantage of some of DNA’s properties that have served nature so well, but in ways nature itself may have never pursued. Humans can now use DNA as a medium for... -
Video/Animation3D Printing Metal in MidairIn this video, see the laser-assisted method developed by Wyss Core Faculty member Jennifer Lewis that allows metal to be 3D printed in midair. Credit: Lewis Lab / Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationPrinting Vascular TissuePrinting vessel vasculature is essential for sustaining functional living tissues. Until now, bioengineers have had difficulty building thick tissues, lacking a method to embed vascular networks. A 3D bioprinting method invented at the Wyss Institute and Harvard SEAS embeds a grid of vasculature into thick tissue laden with human stem cells and connective matrix. Printed... -
Video/AnimationSoft Robotic Grippers For Deep-Sea ExplorationIn this video, two types of soft robotic grippers are shown successfully collecting coral samples at the bottom of the Red Sea. The first gripper features opposing pairs of bending actuators, while the second gripper – inspired by the coiling action of a boa constrictor – can access tight spaces and clutch small and irregular... -
Video/Animation4D Printing: Shapeshifting ArchitecturesA team at the Wyss Institute and Harvard SEAS has developed a new microscale printing method to create transformable objects. These “4D-printed” objects go a step beyond 3D printing to incorporate a fourth dimension: time. The method was inspired by the way plants change shape over time in response to environmental stimuli. This orchid-shaped structure... -
Video/AnimationPathogen-Extracting Sepsis TherapyThis video explains how sepsis induced by an overload of blood pathogens can be treated with the Wyss Institute’s improved pathogen-extracting, spleen-mimicking device. Blood is flown through a cartridge filled with hollow fibers that are coated with a genetically engineered blood protein inspired by a naturally-occurring human molecule called Mannose Binding Lectin (MBL). MBL is... -
Audio/PodcastDisruptive: Bioinspired Robotics (pt. 1)Our bodies—and all living systems—accomplish tasks far more complex and dynamic than anything yet designed by humans. Many of the most advanced robots in use today are still far less sophisticated than ants that “self–organize” to build an ant hill, or termites that work together to build impressive, massive mounds in Africa. From insects in... -
Audio/PodcastDisruptive: Bioinspired Robotics (pt. 3)Our bodies—and all living systems—accomplish tasks far more complex and dynamic than anything yet designed by humans. Many of the most advanced robots in use today are still far less sophisticated than ants that “self–organize” to build an ant hill, or termites that work together to build impressive, massive mounds in Africa. From insects in...
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Audio/PodcastDisruptive: Bioinspired Robotics (pt. 2)Our bodies—and all living systems—accomplish tasks far more complex and dynamic than anything yet designed by humans. Many of the most advanced robots in use today are still far less sophisticated than ants that “self–organize” to build an ant hill, or termites that work together to build impressive, massive mounds in Africa. From insects in...
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Video/AnimationJumping on Water: Robotic Water StriderIn this video, watch how novel robotic insects developed by a team of Seoul National University and Harvard scientists can jump directly off water’s surface. The robots emulate the natural locomotion of water strider insects, which skim on and jump off the surface of water. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/Animation3D Printed Soft Jumping RobotUsing a multi-material 3D printer for manufacturing allowed Wyss Institute researchers to fabricate the jumping robot in one uninterrupted job, seamlessly transitioning from rigid core components to a soft exterior in a single print session. It’s first ever robot to be 3D printed with layers of material gradients, making it extremely durable and giving the... -
Video/AnimationBioinspired Robotics: Softer, Smarter, SaferThe Bioinspired Robotics platform at HarvardÍs Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering looks into Nature to obtain insights for the development of new robotic components that are smarter, softer, and safer than conventional industrial robots. By looking at natural intelligence, collective behavior, biomechanics, and material properties not found in manmade systems, scientists at the Wyss...
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Video/AnimationPopup Challenge: Help Revolutionize Popup RoboticsJoin the Wyss Institute Popup Challenge, a design contest based around the laminate design techniques outlined at popupcad.org. We hope to grow the community of people who can design, build, and operate laminate devices and micromechanisms. If you are a student considering using popups for a class project, a researcher who has an application for... -
Video/AnimationSoft Robotic GloveThe soft robotic glove under development at the Wyss Institute could one day be an assistive device used for grasping objects, which could help patients suffering from muscular dystrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), incomplete spinal cord injury, or other hand impairments to regain some daily independence and control of their environment. This research is partially... -
Video/AnimationEnvironmental Impact: Chitin-Inhibiting Pesticides Called into QuestionChitin, a molecule that serves a purpose in the developmental biology of insects, fungi and shrimp, has long been a target of growth-inhibiting pesticides due to the belief that it did not exist in vertebrates. For decades, chitin-inhibiting pesticides have stunted the growth of insects and fungi to protect valuable crops. Now, research from the... -
Video/AnimationBioinspired Blood Repellent CoatingIn this video, Wyss Institute Founding Director Don Ingber, Core Faculty member Joanna Aizenberg, Staff Scientist Dan Leslie and Postdoctoral Fellow Anna Waterhouse explain how a coating they developed using FDA-approved materials could prevent blood clotting in medical devices without the use of blood thinners. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationBIND BiofilmIn this video Wyss Institute Core Faculty member Neel Joshi and Postdoctoral Fellow Peter Nguyen describe how their protein engineering system called BIND (Biofilm-Integrated Nanofiber Display) could be used to redefine biofilms as large-scale production platforms for biomaterials that can be programmed to provide functions not possible with existing materials. An animation depicts how it... -
Video/AnimationKilobots: A Thousand-Robot SwarmIn this video, Kilobots self-assemble in a thousand-robot swarm. The algorithm developed by Wyss Institute Core Faculty member Radhika Nagpal that enables the swarm provides a valuable platform for testing future collective Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms. Credit: Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. -
Video/AnimationDynamic Daylight Redirection SystemThis video shows Keojin Jin conducting a shoebox test that shows the light reflection effect to the top surface of the box as well as the reduction of direct light to the bottom surface of the box. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationSelf-Folding RobotsIn this video, Wyss Institute Core Faculty member Rob Wood, who is also the Charles River Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), and SEAS Ph.D. student Sam Felton discuss their landmark achievement in robotics – getting a robot to assemble itself and walk away autonomously –... -
Video/Animation3D Printing: Cellular CompositesMaterials scientists at Harvard University have created lightweight cellular composites via 3D printing. These fiber-reinforced epoxy composites mimic the structure and performance of balsa wood. Because the fiber fillers align along the printing direction, their local orientation can be exquisitely controlled. These 3D composites may be useful for wind turbine, automotive and aerospace applications, where... -
Video/AnimationVirus-inspired DNA NanodevicesWyss Institute Core Faculty member William Shih and Technology Development Fellow Steven Perrault explain why DNA nanodevices need protection inside the body, and how a viral-inspired strategy helps protect them. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationTough GelA team at the Wyss Institute is honing a tough, rubbery hydrogel initially developed at Harvards School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. The gel is 90 percent water, yet it stretches without breaking to more than 20 times its original length and recoils like rubber, the researchers first reported in Nature in 2012. In fact,... -
Video/AnimationDNA CagesTo create supersharp images of their cage-shaped DNA polyhedra, the scientists used DNA-PAINT, a microscopy method that uses short strands of DNA (yellow) labeled with a fluorescent chemical (green) to bind and release partner strands on polyhedra corners, causing them to blink. The blinking corners reveal the shape of structures far too small to be... -
Video/AnimationSustainability: The Ultimate ChallengeIn the past century plastic has transformed modern-day life on our planet, but is it sustainable? We produce 300 million tons of plastic per year* and recycle only 3%**. Are we content that the other 97% collects in oceans, landfills and the food chain? The challenge is clear: we will drown in plastic if we... -
Video/AnimationChitosan BioplasticIn this video, the team grew a California Blackeye pea plant in soil enriched with its chitosan bioplastic over a three-week period – demonstrating the material’s potential to encourage plant growth once it is returned to the environment. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationNew coating turns glass into superglassA transparent new coating makes ordinary glass tough, ultraslippery, and self-cleaning. The coating is based on SLIPS — the world’s slipperiest synthetic substance. Here, a droplet of dyed octane quickly beads up and rolls off a watch glass with the new coating. To learn more, go to Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationTiny 3D-Printed BatteryIn this video, a 3D-printer nozzle narrower than a human hair lays down a specially formulated “ink” layer by layer to build a microbattery’s anode from the ground up. Unlike ink in an office inkjet printer, which comes out as droplets of liquid and wets a piece of paper, these 3D-printer inks are specially formulated... -
Video/AnimationBuilding 3D Structures with DNA BricksThe nanofabrication technique, called ‘DNA-brick self-assembly,’ uses short, synthetic strands of DNA that work like interlocking Lego bricks. It capitalizes on the ability to program DNA to form into predesigned shapes thanks to the underlying ‘recipe’ of DNA base pairs. This animation accurately shows how the DNA strands self assemble to build a structure.DNA Nanostructures... -
Video/AnimationRoboBee: Controlled flight of a robotic insectInspired by the biology of a fly, with submillimeter-scale anatomy and two wafer-thin wings that flap at 120 times per second, robotic insects, or RoboBees, achieve vertical takeoff, hovering, and steering. The tiny robots flap their wings using piezoelectric actuators — strips of ceramic that expand and contract when an electric field is applied. Thin... -
Video/AnimationDNA Bricks: Molecular AnimationThe nanofabrication technique, called ‘DNA-brick self-assembly,’ uses short, synthetic strands of DNA that work like interlocking Lego bricks. It capitalizes on the ability to program DNA to form into predesigned shapes thanks to the underlying “recipe” of DNA base pairs. Animation created by Digizyme for the Wyss Institute. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationInformation Storage in DNAGeorge Church and Sriram Kosuri discuss the benefits of using DNA as a storage medium and the approach they developed. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationSLIPS‘SLIPS’ technology, inspired by the slippery pitcher plant that repels almost every type of liquid and solid, is a unique approach to coating industrial and medical surfaces that is based on nano/microstructured porous material infused with a lubricating fluid. By locking in water and other fluids, SLIPS technology creates slick, exceptionally repellent and robust self-cleaning... -
Video/AnimationMaking Structures with DNA “Building Blocks”Researchers at the Wyss Institute have developed a method for building complex nanostructures out of short synthetic strands of DNA. Called single-stranded tiles (SSTs), these interlocking DNA “building blocks,” akin to Legos, can be programmed to assemble themselves into precisely designed shapes, such as letters and emoticons. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationSLIPS: Keeping Ice AwayWhat if we could design surfaces that prevent ice formation? ‘SLIPS’ technology, inspired by the slippery pitcher plant that repels almost every type of liquid and solid, is a unique approach to coating industrial and medical surfaces that is based on nano/microstructured porous material infused with a lubricating fluid. By locking in water and other...