Deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA) origami nanotechnology is a recently developed self-assembly process for design and fabrication of complex three-dimensional (3D) nanostructures using DNA as a functional material. This paper reviews our recent progress in applying DNA origami to design kinematic mechanisms at the nanometer scale. These nanomechanisms, which we call DNA origami mechanisms (DOM), are made of relatively stiff bundles of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), which function as rigid links, connected by highly compliant single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) strands, which function as kinematic joints. The design of kinematic joints including revolute, prismatic, cylindrical, universal, and spherical is presented. The steps as well as necessary software or experimental tools for designing DOM with DNA origami links and joints are detailed. To demonstrate the designs, we presented the designs of Bennett four-bar and crank–slider linkages. Finally, a list of technical challenges such as design automation and computational modeling are presented. These challenges could also be opportunities for mechanism and robotics community to apply well-developed kinematic theories and computational tools to the design of nanorobots and nanomachines.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
June 2017
Research-Article
The Kinematic Principle for Designing Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid Origami Mechanisms: Challenges and Opportunities1
Hai-Jun Su,
Hai-Jun Su
Department of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering,
The Ohio State University,
Columbus, OH 43210
e-mail: su.298@osu.edu
Aerospace Engineering,
The Ohio State University,
Columbus, OH 43210
e-mail: su.298@osu.edu
Search for other works by this author on:
Carlos E. Castro,
Carlos E. Castro
Department of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering,
The Ohio State University,
Columbus, OH 43210
e-mail: castro.39@osu.edu
Aerospace Engineering,
The Ohio State University,
Columbus, OH 43210
e-mail: castro.39@osu.edu
Search for other works by this author on:
Alexander E. Marras,
Alexander E. Marras
Department of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering,
The Ohio State University,
Columbus, OH 43210
e-mail: marras.3@osu.edu
Aerospace Engineering,
The Ohio State University,
Columbus, OH 43210
e-mail: marras.3@osu.edu
Search for other works by this author on:
Lifeng Zhou
Lifeng Zhou
Department of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering,
The Ohio State University,
Columbus, OH 43210
e-mail: zhou.809@osu.edu
Aerospace Engineering,
The Ohio State University,
Columbus, OH 43210
e-mail: zhou.809@osu.edu
Search for other works by this author on:
Hai-Jun Su
Department of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering,
The Ohio State University,
Columbus, OH 43210
e-mail: su.298@osu.edu
Aerospace Engineering,
The Ohio State University,
Columbus, OH 43210
e-mail: su.298@osu.edu
Carlos E. Castro
Department of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering,
The Ohio State University,
Columbus, OH 43210
e-mail: castro.39@osu.edu
Aerospace Engineering,
The Ohio State University,
Columbus, OH 43210
e-mail: castro.39@osu.edu
Alexander E. Marras
Department of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering,
The Ohio State University,
Columbus, OH 43210
e-mail: marras.3@osu.edu
Aerospace Engineering,
The Ohio State University,
Columbus, OH 43210
e-mail: marras.3@osu.edu
Lifeng Zhou
Department of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering,
The Ohio State University,
Columbus, OH 43210
e-mail: zhou.809@osu.edu
Aerospace Engineering,
The Ohio State University,
Columbus, OH 43210
e-mail: zhou.809@osu.edu
2Corresponding author.
Contributed by the Mechanisms and Robotics Committee of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL DESIGN. Manuscript received August 28, 2016; final manuscript received March 8, 2017; published online April 6, 2017. Assoc. Editor: David Myszka.
J. Mech. Des. Jun 2017, 139(6): 062301 (9 pages)
Published Online: April 6, 2017
Article history
Received:
August 28, 2016
Revised:
March 8, 2017
Citation
Su, H., Castro, C. E., Marras, A. E., and Zhou, L. (April 6, 2017). "The Kinematic Principle for Designing Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid Origami Mechanisms: Challenges and Opportunities." ASME. J. Mech. Des. June 2017; 139(6): 062301. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4036216
Download citation file:
Get Email Alerts
Cited By
Related Articles
Manufacture of Energy Storage and Return Prosthetic Feet Using Selective Laser Sintering
J Biomech Eng (January,2010)
Design and Optimization of a Mechanism for Out-of-Plane Insect Winglike Motion With Twist
J. Mech. Des (July,2005)
A Novel Compliant Mechanism for Converting Reciprocating Translation Into Enclosing Curved Paths
J. Mech. Des (July,2004)
Controllability Ellipsoid to Evaluate the Performance of Mobile Manipulators for Manufacturing Tasks
J. Mechanisms Robotics (December,2017)
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Chapters
Design of Stack Based on Hairpin Structure in DNA Computer
International Conference on Computer and Computer Intelligence (ICCCI 2011)
Data Base R&D for Unified Life Cycle Engineering
Computerization and Networking of Materials Data Bases
Conclusions
Chitosan and Its Derivatives as Promising Drug Delivery Carriers