Dresden 2026 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 7: Poster Session I

BP 7.4: Poster

Monday, March 9, 2026, 15:00–17:00, P5

Cyanobacteria as biological actuators — •Paul Nieschwitz and Stefan Karpitschka — Department of Physics, Universität Konstanz, Germany

Filamentous cyanobacteria are highly resilient, light-responsive organisms whose robustness and availability makes them ideal candidates for building engineered living materials (ELMs), that can adapt to or be controlled by external cues.

Here, we present a simple actuator composed of entangled filament assemblies wrapped around elastic PDMS-pillars. Contraction of the network generates a net resultant force that deflects the pillars. By calibrating the compliance of the pillars, we quantify this force. Varying the actuator geometry, filament density and illumination conditions, allows us to characterize the force output and dynamic response of the actuator.

Without requiring the need for genetic modification or sophisticated culture conditions, this platform offers a simple and robust approach to create light-controlled biological machines.

Keywords: cyanobacteria; active polymers; entangled networks; force measurements