#microrobots

Algal Boon

A nebuliser system for delivering drug-loaded microrobots, which in this study are green algae-based, homogeneously throughout the lung for effective treatment of respiratory diseases. Seen here, a falsely-coloured scanning electron microscope image of an algae robot poised with its drug-loaded nanoparticles (orange)

Read the published research article here

Image from work by Zhengxing Li, Zhongyuan Guo, Fangyu Zhang and Lei Sun, and colleagues

Aiiso Yufeng Li Family Department of Chemical and Nano Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA

Image contributed by the authors under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence

Published in Nature Communications, January 2025

Inside Job

Minuscule robots travelling along our arteries to transport drugs or fix blockages from the inside might seem like science-fiction, but progress in miniature robotics is making it increasingly plausible. Pictured on the edge of a coin, this tiny crab is the world’s smallest remote-controlled walking robot, only half a millimetre wide. Inspired by pop-up books, the robot is made from a sophisticated layered plastic sheet, cut and bent into a 3D form. Over the legs is a metal alloy, which springs back into shape when heated; precisely heating the legs with a laser beam flips them between folded and flat positions, causing the crab to quickly scuttle along in specific directions. Still a long way from versions capable of swimming in the bloodstream, more immediately achievable goals include incorporating electronic circuits, and using the robots to repair machinery in cramped spaces – small (sideways) steps towards a new form of medicine.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

Image from work by Mengdi Han, Xiaogang Guo and Xuexian Chen, and colleagues

Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

Image copyright held by the original authors

Published in Science Robotics, May 2022

Going Deeper

Trying to get treatments to a precise location in the body is a bit like navigating an intricate maze of tunnels, with a blindfold and no map. Microrobots are miniature devices developed to cruise through the body and deliver drugs to specific hard-to-reach places in the body, but covering much distance is a real challenge. A new approach uses endoscopy – the common technique that slips a camera tube down the throat and into the body – to deposit the bots with a head start, and then uses magnetic forces to take them the rest of the way. The microrobots (left, from the outside) contain magnetic particles (right, blue) and stem cells (pink). After the microrobots are inserted, researchers view their motion by ultrasound, steering the flexible shapes accurately through the body’s tiny crevices. This combined approach could light the way for custom treatments to be directed to precise targets.

Written by Anthony Lewis

Image adapted from work by Ben Wang and Kai Fung Chan, and colleagues

Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

Image copyright held by and reproduced with permission from the AAAS

Published in Science Robotics, March 2021

Revolutionizing Microrobotics with Magnetic Jamming The possibility of miniature robots navigating the human body for delicate surgical procedures or precisely targeted drug delivery has long fascinated researchers. A significant step towards realizing this ambitious vision involves magnetic jamming, an innovative technique enabling rapid stiffness control in small structures through carefully…

Revolutionizing Robotics: Meet Adaptable Microrobots Microrobots, incredibly small robotic systems typically measuring less than 1 centimeter (cm) in size, are rapidly transforming numerous fields. Their miniature scale allows them to access areas inaccessible to larger robots and perform tasks previously thought impossible. From environmental monitoring to targeted drug delivery, the potential…

Exploring the World of Microrobots: Tiny Machines with Big Potential The field of robotics continues to evolve, and one particularly fascinating area gaining significant traction is microrobotics. These incredibly small robots, often measuring less than a millimeter, are revolutionizing how we approach various challenges. They demand entirely new design and control methodologies compared to…

Introduction to Sonic Swarms Imagine tiny robots, smaller than the tip of your finger, working together in perfect harmony to solve problems. This is the idea behind sonic swarms—a groundbreaking concept where sound waves are used to guide microrobots to move and act as a group. These robots don’t need complicated parts to function; instead, they rely on simple tools like a motor, a tiny…

Tiny robots that swim through your bloodstream are no longer science fiction. This MedTech breakthrough could replace pills, surgeries, and side effects—forever. Watch this to see how the future of healthcare is already here.