ESPCI web site
Mayonnaise Robots
Traditionally, assembly lines to build machines, from electronic circuits to motor vehicles, follow specific instruction manuals, followed by robots or people. On the other hand, in biology, organisms self-assemble spontaneously according to instructions encoded in their genes - nonetheless following the laws of physics. Inspired by biology, we design and develop emulsions with specific DNA or protein-protein interactions that guide their spontaneous assembly into linear or branched freely-jointed polymers, with programmable sequences, capable of folding into complex 3D architectures. The droplets can readily be solidified, therefore they offer a route to hands-off manufacturing of objects with inbuilt hierarchy.