| On the nanoscale, it is extremely difficult and expensive to fabricate analogs of macroscale engineering, such as grippers. Drawing inspiration from biological fabrication in nature, engineers are seeking to self-assemble structures from the bottom up. The Gracias Lab at The Johns Hopkins University has developed a relatively easy, precise, and cost-effective process by which the 2D templates of semi-tethered "faces" can self-assemble into controlled 3D structures by utilizing the natural phenomena of surface tension as well as thin-film stress. |
