Articles tagged with Microrobots
A new robotic system utilizes twisting elastic rods to produce powerful, repeatable motions, enabling small robots to hop, flip, and swim across challenging terrain. The snapping mechanism stores and releases built-up energy, allowing a small, low-power motor to trigger rapid movements.
Researchers at Delft University of Technology developed a lightweight whisker-based tactile sensor that enables tiny drones to navigate and explore their surroundings through gentle touch. The system uses artificial whiskers inspired by rodent vibrissae to provide continuous feedback about the environment during contact.
Researchers at ETH Zurich developed biohybrid microrobots that combine living neural progenitor cells with magnetoelectric nanoparticles to guide stem cells to injury sites and stimulate repair. The microrobots demonstrate promising results in animal experiments, including improved nerve cell regeneration and recovery of motor function.
Researchers designed a force-sensing miniature robot to handle delicate cell spheroids with precision. The mobile microgripper uses magnets for controlled movement and gentle gripping, allowing successful assembly of spheroids into patterns.
Researchers create living biohybrid miniature robots that solve traditional engineering trade-offs between structural rigidity and environmental adaptability. These biological engines utilize embodied intelligence to navigate complex terrains and achieve performance metrics rivaling state-of-the-art synthetics.
Researchers at IISc created a method to precisely steer quantum sensors through living cells, overcame challenges like viscous drag and brownian motion. This breakthrough enables real-time measurement of parameters such as local viscosity and temperature inside cells.
Researchers developed magnetically controlled microrobots made from diatoms to target glioblastoma lesions with photodynamic therapy. The microrobots achieved a significant cytotoxic effect on primary glioblastoma cells and demonstrated good biocompatibility.
Researchers demonstrated a breakthrough in microrobotics: swarms of magnetic microrobots can manipulate objects without physical contact by harnessing fluid-generated torque. The microrobots act as motors to move millimeter-sized passive objects, opening new pathways for precision manufacturing and biomedical applications.
A Caltech-led team developed bubble bots that can autonomously target tumors using chemotactic behavior, reducing tumor weight by 60% in mice. The robots use a biocompatible protein shell and can be controlled using ultrasound imaging or magnetically responsive particles.
A new fabrication method, optofluidic assembly, has been developed to create tiny 3D objects from a variety of materials, including metals, semiconductors and polymers. The technique uses light-driven flow to guide the assembly of micro- or nanoparticles within a confined space.
Scientists created biologically realistic artificial cilia using hydrogel, enabling precise control over their motion. The tiny structures can be powered by low-voltage electrical signals and have shown remarkable durability and versatility.
Researchers developed a new type of bio-hybrid actuator using locust hind legs, achieving remarkable leaping capabilities and ultra-low power consumption. The actuators enable high maneuverability and autonomous self-righting capabilities, making them suitable for confined space exploration and precision medical delivery.
A team of researchers developed a multi-material, multi-module microrobot that can grab, carry and release microscopic objects. The microrobot features two parts: one reacts to pH changes to grip an object, while the other responds to magnetic fields for movement.
Developed by U-M and Penn, the robots can sense and respond to their surroundings, operate for months, and cost just a penny each. They have applications in monitoring cell health and aiding manufacturing.
Researchers explore Field-assisted Additive Manufacturing for micro/nano device fabrication, enabling targeted motion, cell growth, and flexible electronics. The technology holds promise for industries such as biomedical engineering and microrobotics.
Researchers are developing 'biohybrid robots' that flex and move using biological tissue, offering potential applications in medicine and industry. The field is advancing through advanced fabrication methods, such as 3D bioprinting and electrospinning, which enable precise control over muscle cells.
Researchers developed a method to trigger magnetic jamming in materials using wireless magnetic fields, enabling reversible and programmable clumping. This technique allows for the creation of structures that can assemble, stiffen, relax, or break apart under magnetic control.
Researchers at Max Planck Institute developed a magnetisation reprogramming method that allows real-time, in-situ generation and transformation of shapes in soft robots. This technology has potential applications in medicine, particularly in minimally invasive vascular treatments, by reducing friction and contact with vessel walls.
Researchers Theresa Rienmüller and Robert Winkler from Graz University of Technology have been awarded prestigious funding prizes for their innovative projects. Rienmüller is investigating electrical stimulation as a therapy for traumatic brain injury, while Winkler is developing micro-robots that could treat diseases in the human body...
Researchers developed an alginate-based microrobot that can be tracked using Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) and performs real-time localization, selective thermal therapy, and cell delivery. The robot is powered by a single magnetic actuation system independent of conventional medical imaging devices.
Researchers developed a new 3D printing technology for soft miniature robots, overcoming existing manufacturing limitations. The 'in-situ pixel-scale magnetic programming' platform produces complex deformations and precise control of the programming magnetic field.
Researchers explore the design of microrobots for targeted cancer therapy, including tumor cell eradication, improved penetration, and immune system modulation. The review also discusses advanced delivery strategies and imaging technologies to enhance treatment efficiency and precision.
A Chinese research team developed a magnetic microrobot capable of manipulating small droplets in the presence of magnetic fields. The robot achieved speeds 20 times faster than previous models and could interact with highly corrosive compounds without damage.
Researchers at Harvard developed link-bots, centimeter-scale robots composed of V-shaped chains with notched links, capable of coordinated movements and emergent collective behavior. The team demonstrated link-bots' ability to move forward, stop, change direction, squeeze through gaps, and cooperate on tasks.
The Harvard RoboBee has been equipped with crane fly-inspired legs and an updated controller, allowing it to land safely on various surfaces. The robot's delicate actuators were protected by the improved design, which enabled controlled landing tests on a leaf and rigid surfaces.
Researchers created a hopping robot that can traverse challenging terrains, carry heavy payloads, and uses less energy than aerial robots. The robot's springy leg and flapping-wing modules enable it to jump over obstacles and adjust its orientation mid-air.
Researchers developed magnetic micro swimmers covered in a thin coating of magnetic nanoparticles, unaffected by the coating. The algae maintained their swimming speed after magnetization and navigated 3D-printed channels using magnetic guidance.
The Harvard robot uses latch-mediated spring actuation to jump high and cover long distances relative to its size. It combines walking and jumping modes for effective navigation in natural environments.
A novel self-sustaining circuit configuration enables miniature devices like microdrones to fly for longer periods while staying lightweight and compact. The system utilizes emerging solid-state batteries with high energy density and ultra-lightweight design.
Researchers at HKUST have developed a world's smallest multifunctional biomedical robot, capable of imaging, high-precision motion, and multifunctional operations. The robot offers competitive imaging performance and extends obstacle detection distance up to ~9.4 mm.
Researchers at MIT have developed a new design for robotic insects that can perform precise pollination with increased speed and maneuverability. The revamped robot has a longer flight duration and can complete acrobatic maneuvers, enabling it to aid in mechanical pollination and boost fruit yields.
Physicists from the University of Konstanz have created a solution using microrobots and counterfactual rewards to ensure fair distribution of load in collective tasks. The approach enhances efficiency and provides insights into improving teamwork in various collective systems.
Scientists have developed swarms of tiny magnetic robots that can lift and transport heavy objects, thanks to their unique assembly configuration and rotating magnetic field. The microrobots can even guide small organisms through complex motions.
Researchers have developed a magnetically driven robotic microscrew to treat fallopian tube blockages, offering a potentially less invasive alternative to traditional surgical methods. The microrobot successfully clears simulated blockages and demonstrates both effectiveness and efficiency in clearing debris.
Researchers at Caltech developed bioresorbable acoustic microrobots that can deliver therapeutics to specific sites within the body, decreasing bladder tumor size in mice. The microrobots use magnetic nanoparticles for precise targeting and are designed to be biocompatible and absorbable.
The LabEmbryoCam is a robotic instrument that autonomously monitors embryonic development in aquatic species, providing insights into how environmental conditions impact early life stages. The open-source instrument enables scientists to track key features such as heart rate and growth in large numbers of embryos simultaneously.
The team's achievement marks a significant advance in robotics, allowing for maneuverable robots that can perform up-close imaging and measure forces at the scale of some body's smallest structures. The new diffractive robots are tiny, measuring 5 microns to 2 microns, and can be controlled by magnetic fields to move independently.
Researchers developed a light-driven, toroidal micro-robot that can navigate complex environments like medicine and environmental monitoring. The innovation uses liquid crystalline elastomer to overcome viscous forces and enables autonomous movement in low Reynolds number regimes.
Researchers have identified coupling design methods, composite manufacturing techniques, and future prospects for micro/nanorobots. The review explores three core functions: mobility, controllability, and load capacity, offering insights into designing high-performance MNRs.
Researchers at Cornell University have developed microscale robots that can change shape and move independently. The robots are printed as a 2D hexagonal 'metasheet' but, with the application of electricity, transform into pre-programmed 3D shapes and crawl.
Scientists have unveiled that beetles' hindwings are passively deployed and retracted, leveraging the elytra to deploy and retract while flapping forces unfold the wings. This finding has potential applications in designing new microrobots that can fly in confined spaces.
Engineers have developed a pill that releases microscopic robots to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in mice. The treatment significantly reduces IBD symptoms and promotes the healing of damaged colon tissue.
Researchers developed microscopic robots that swim through lungs to deliver cancer-fighting medication directly to metastatic tumors. The approach inhibited tumor growth and spread, improving survival rates compared to control treatments.
Researchers have developed swarms of miniature robots that can capture both microplastics and bacteria from water, demonstrating a promising approach for ridding water of plastic and bacteria. The microrobotic system works by attracting particles with positively charged polymer strands, allowing the robots to decontaminate and reuse them.
A new 'rechargeable nanotorch' allows researchers to track the movement of cell-based microrobots in real-time, using afterglow luminescence imaging. The nanotorches can be recharged non-invasively with near-infrared light, enabling long-term tracking and potential applications in cancer treatment.
By replicating nature's swarm behavior, researchers have created 'smart swarms' of microscopic robots that can adapt to changing environments, leading to improved task performance. This breakthrough enables potential applications in autonomous drone fleets, efficient drug delivery, and cleaning contaminated water.
Researchers at UNIST have unveiled a new principle of motion in liquid crystals, where objects can move in a directed manner by changing their sizes periodically. The discovery has far-reaching implications for the development of miniature robots and advances research in complex fluids.
Researchers have developed magnet-guided microrobots that can target and treat liver tumors using an MRI device. The robots are guided by a magnetic field and use gravity to navigate to the tumor, preserving healthy cells.
A team of University of Waterloo researchers has developed bio-compatible and non-toxic hydrogel composites using sustainable cellulose nanoparticles derived from plants. The tiny robots have the potential to conduct medical procedures, such as biopsy, and cell and tissue transport in a minimally invasive fashion.
Researchers introduce a game-changing technology that enables fabrication of high-resolution, transformable 3D structures at the micro/nanoscale using Two-photon polymerization-based (TTP-based) 4D printing. The technology has vast potential for applications in biomedicine, flexible electronics, soft robotics, and aerospace.
Researchers have created MilliMobile, a tiny, self-driving robot powered only by surrounding light or radio waves. Equipped with sensors and tiny computing chips, it can move indefinitely on harvested power, enabling new abilities for swarms of robots in areas where other sensors struggle to generate nuanced data.
Lehigh University researchers have discovered that applying magnetic forces to individual 'microroller' particles can spur collective motion, allowing the grains to flow uphill, up walls, and climb stairs. This counterintuitive phenomenon has potential applications in mixing, segregating materials, and microrobotics.
The University of Pittsburgh researcher is working on a three-year project to harness the potential of liquid-solid interaction for biomedical engineering and suspension bridge construction. The study aims to precisely control microrobots through the bloodstream and prevent disasters like the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse.
Researchers at Cornell University have developed a method to control the behavior of swarming microrobots by varying their size. By mixing different sizes of microrobots, they can self-organize into diverse patterns that can be manipulated when a magnetic field is applied. This technique may help inform future applications such as targ...
Researchers developed magnetic microrobots with folate targeting for enhanced cancer cell targeting and inhibition. The system consists of biodegradable gelatin methacryloyl-based ABF microhelix and FA-loaded Fe@ZIF-8 nanoparticles, which can deliver therapeutic drugs like DOX into cells via receptor-ligand-mediated endocytosis.
A team of researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz studied the collective behavior of small robots and found that they can solve tasks that a single machine cannot. The study uses statistical physics to analyze how the robots interact and move, revealing potential applications in medical and pharmaceutical applications.
Scientists develop elastoactive chains with self-oscillatory, self-synchronizing, and self-snapping behavior, mimicking biological machines. The study explores material properties and potential applications in autonomous robot development.
The research team developed a microrobot capable of forming neural networks and sectioning hippocampal tissues in an in vitro environment. They used superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles to fabricate the Mag-Neurobot, which can move to a desired location by reacting to external magnetic fields. The technology enables analysis of n...
Researchers have developed CAR T cell-based microrobots that can autonomously navigate to tumor sites and exert immune effects. The M-CAR T demonstrated controllable movement and penetrated artificial tumor tissues under magnetic-acoustic sequential actuation.
Researchers at Cornell University developed a new model called swarmalators, which can simulate swarming behaviors and synchronized timing in microrobots. The model mimics diverse emergent phenomena, such as aggregation, dispersion, and vortices, and can be used for precision medicine and drone applications.