UOW student develops world's first polymer actuator 'fish'

Aug 22, 2006

University of Wollongong engineering graduate, Laleh Bayat Sarmadi, has developed a Polymer Actuator Fish that will one day be able to travel through a human vein to relieve a clot.

The tiny device mimics the exact movements of fish and is currently being trialled and perfected so it can propel in liquid such as water and blood.

Ms Sarmadi, who was supervised by Dr Gursel Alici and Professor Geoff Spinks, developed the world-first robotic fish as part of her undergraduate thesis, which researched the hydrodynamics and biomimetics (mimicking) of a swimming fish.

"My aim was to explore the behaviour of polymers in different environments and Dr Alici, wanted me to create a polymer 'jellyfish',"said Ms Sarmadi.

"I went through many different designs before the final robotic fish was produced and now researchers at the Intelligent Polymer Research Institute (IPRI) are trying to improve its features.

"We hope to one day be using the polymer fish in such things as micro surgery, pipe maintenance and repair."

Thermoplastic covers will soon be placed on the polymer actuator to allow the device to propel in any solution and amplified voltage generated by a computer program and released into the polymers will allow it to 'swim'. The fish was created using a 'polypyrrole' polymer actuator and is the first of its kind to be developed, with the only other similar device being a 'snake fish' made from an ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) in Japan.

Ms Sarmadi said that she hopes her invention inspires other females to study engineering.

"I am from Iran where engineering is very popular - over 50% of university engineering classes consist of females. It is very different here in Australia and I would like to see more females enter in to this male-dominated industry."

Ms Sarmadi said she had always wanted to pursue a career in engineering, having been interested in maths, gadgets and electrical appliances at a very young age.

"I have always loved the idea of being able to manipulate something and turn it into a completely new product."