Current status and future application of electrically controlled micro/nanorobots in biomedicine

Using micro/nanorobots (MNRs) for targeted therapy within the human body is an emerging research direction in biomedical science. These nanoscale to microscale miniature robots possess specificity and precision that are lacking in most traditional treatment modalities. Currently, research on electrically controlled micro/nanorobots is still in its early stages, with researchers primarily focusing on the fabrication and manipulation of these robots to meet complex clinical demands. This review aims to compare the fabrication, powering, and locomotion of various electrically controlled micro/nanorobots, and explore their advantages, disadvantages, and potential applications

Application of micro/nanorobot in medicine

The development of micro/nanorobots and their application in medical treatment holds the promise of revolutionizing disease diagnosis and treatment. In comparison to conventional diagnostic and treatment methods, micro/nanorobots exhibit immense potential due to their small size and the ability to penetrate deep tissues. However, the transition of this technology from the laboratory to clinical applications presents significant challenges. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the research progress in micro/nanorobotics, encompassing biosensors, diagnostics, targeted drug delivery, and minimally invasive surgery. It also addresses the key issues and challenges facing this technology. The fusion of micro/nanorobots with medical treatments is poised to have a profound impact on the future of medicine

Micro/nanoscale magnetic robots for biomedical applications

Magnetic small-scale robots are devices of great potential for the biomedical field because of the several benefits of this method of actuation. Recent work on the development of these devices has seen tremendous innovation and refinement toward ​improved performance for potential clinical applications. This review briefly details recent advancements in small-scale robots used for biomedical applications, covering their design, fabrication, applications, and demonstration of ability, and identifies the gap in studies and the difficulties that have persisted in the optimization of the use of these devices. In addition, alternative biomedical applications are also suggested for some of the technologies that show potential for other functions. This study concludes that although the field of small-scale robot research is highly innovative ​there is need for more concerted efforts to improve functionality and reliability of these devices particularly in clinical applications. Finally, further suggestions are made toward ​the achievement of commercialization for these devices

Programmable Control of Ultrasound Swarmbots through Reinforcement Learning

Powered by acoustics, existing therapeutic and diagnostic procedures will become less invasive and new methods will become available that have never been available before. Acoustically driven microrobot navigation based on microbubbles is a promising approach for targeted drug delivery. Previous studies have used acoustic techniques to manipulate microbubbles in vitro and in vivo for the delivery of drugs using minimally invasive procedures. Even though many advanced capabilities and sophisticated control have been achieved for acoustically powered microrobots, there remain many challenges that remain to be solved. In order to develop the next generation of intelligent micro/nanorobots, it is highly desirable to conduct accurate identification of the micro-nanorobots and to control their dynamic motion autonomously. Here we use reinforcement learning control strategies to learn the microrobot dynamics and manipulate them through acoustic forces. The result demonstrated for the first time autonomous acoustic navigation of microbubbles in a microfluidic environment. Taking advantage of the benefit of the second radiation force, microbubbles swarm to form a large swarm, which is then driven along the desired trajectory. More than 100 thousand images were used for the training to study the unexpected dynamics of microbubbles. As a result of this work, the microrobots are validated to be controlled, illustrating a good level of robustness and providing computational intelligence to the microrobots, which enables them to navigate independently in an unstructured environment without requiring outside assistance

Nanorobotics in Medicine: A Systematic Review of Advances, Challenges, and Future Prospects

Nanorobotics offers an emerging frontier in biomedicine, holding the potential to revolutionize diagnostic and therapeutic applications through its unique capabilities in manipulating biological systems at the nanoscale. Following PRISMA guidelines, a comprehensive literature search was conducted using IEEE Xplore and PubMed databases, resulting in the identification and analysis of a total of 414 papers. The studies were filtered to include only those that addressed both nanorobotics and direct medical applications. Our analysis traces the technology's evolution, highlighting its growing prominence in medicine as evidenced by the increasing number of publications over time. Applications ranged from targeted drug delivery and single-cell manipulation to minimally invasive surgery and biosensing. Despite the promise, limitations such as biocompatibility, precise control, and ethical concerns were also identified. This review aims to offer a thorough overview of the state of nanorobotics in medicine, drawing attention to current challenges and opportunities, and providing directions for future research in this rapidly advancing field

Natural Algae-Inspired Microrobots for Emerging Biomedical Applications and Beyond

Algae-inspired microrobots (AIMs) have attracted intense research over the past decade owing to the abundant desired properties of natural microalgae, such as biocompatibility, autofluorescence, and pharmaceutical activity, which make them ideal candidates for biomedical and related applications. With the deepening and widening of applied research, the functions of AIMs have been greatly enriched and enhanced to meet the needs of demanding application scenarios including targeted drug delivery, anticancer/antibacterial therapy, cell stimulation, wound healing, and biomolecule sensing. Notwithstanding, multiple challenges remain to be tackled for transformative advances and clinical translation. In this review, we aim to provide a comprehensive survey of representative advances in AIMs accompanied by the underlying biological/technological backgrounds. We also highlight existing issues that need to be overcome in AIM developments and suggest future research directions in this field.</p

미세 물체 수송을 위한 니티놀 마이크로 로봇

학위논문(석사) -- 서울대학교대학원 : 공과대학 기계공학과, 2021.8. 안성훈.A micro-robot is an attractive tool that performs micro-scale tasks within the system by remote control. Most micro-robots are driven by an external force and its characteristic differs according to the type of the external force. Therefore, micro-robots have been developed to utilize the type of external force suitable for their respective application fields. Among various external forces, a light-driven micro-robot has superior controllability in terms of precision and regionality. Recently, lots of studies have been conducted on micro-robot for performing micro-scale tasks in bio-medical fields such as drug transport, surgery and diagnosis. Especially in micro-object transportation, since sophisticated control is required, a light-driven micro-robot which has excellent controllability is advantageous. Micro-robots for transportation so far have focused on force, speed and control, but a few of them have a function of holding objects to avoid object loss. Our micro-object transportation Ni-Ti structure robot(MTNs) not only has sufficient thrust force and speed but also has the capability of holding objects and physically separating them from external systems, thus demonstrating the advantage of excellent transport stability and controllability. It can be fabricated and controlled automatically by a vision-guided laser control system. In consideration of mass production, we designed the micro-robot so that the fabrication process has low cost in terms of time, price and labor, and can be operated by commercial equipment. The newly designed transport micro-robot, which displays holding capability and enhanced control, can be used as an actuator in lab-on-a-chip testing.마이크로 로봇은 원격 제어를 통해 시스템 내에서 미세작업을 수행할 수 있는 도구로써, 약물 수송, 수술, 진단과 같은 생물 의학 분야에서 많 은 연구가 진행되고 있다. 마이크로 로봇은 외력을 통해 에너지를 공급 받고, 제어되므로, 이용하는 외력의 종류에 따라 구동 특성이 달라진다. 여러 외력 중 광 구동형 마이크로 로봇은 정밀하고 국소적인 제어가 가 능하다는 장점을 가지고 있다. 그러므로 정교한 제어가 필요한 마이크로 물체 운반 작업에 광구동형 마이크로 로봇이 적합하다. 지금까지 운송용 마이크로 로봇은 힘, 속도 및 제어에 중점을 두었지만, 물체 유실을 방 지하기 위해 물체를 잡는 기능을 가진 로봇은 거의 없습니다. 우리가 개 발한 미세 물체 수송 Ni-Ti 마이크로 로봇은 충분한 추진력과 속도를 가질 뿐만 아니라 운반 목표 물체를 포획한 상태로 외부 시스템과 격리 한 상태로 운반할 수 있는 능력을 갖추고 있어 우수한 수송 안정성과 제 어 편의성 등 이점을 보인다. 본 로봇은 비전 유도 레이저 제어 시스템에 의해 자동으로 제작이 가능 하다. 양산을 고려하여 상용장비 만으로 제작 공정을 구성하였으며, 시 간, 가격 그리고 노동력 측면에서 저렴하도록 마이크로 로봇을 설계하였 다. 포획 능력과 향상된 제어 기능을 가진 본 로봇은 랩 온어 칩 테스트 에서 액추에이터로 사용될 수 있다.Chapter 1. Introduction 1 1.1. Reviews on micro robots for bio-medical applications 1 1.2. Reviews on micro transportation 3 1.3. Reviews on micro robots using external forces 4 1.4. Reviews on light-driven Ni-Ti micro robots 5 1.5. Purpose of research 7 Chapter 2. Ni-Ti Unit 8 2.1. Actuation mechanism 8 2.2. Fabrication of Ni-Ti unit 10 Chapter 3. Fabrication process 11 3.1. Overview of fabrication process 11 3.2. Formation morphing control 13 3.2.1. Single unit control 13 3.2.2. Vision-guided laser control system 15 3.2.3. Control strategy 17 3.3. Bonding process 19 3.3.1. Adhesion applying using EHD 19 3.3.2. Adhesion applying using microstage 22 Chapter 4. Experiment and Application 23 4.1. Force measurement experiment 23 4.2. Energy efficiency comparison 25 4.3. Functionality of transportation 27 Chapter 5. Conclusion 29 Bibliography 30 Abstract in Korean 35석

Nanoarchitectonic Engineering of Thermal-Responsive Magnetic Nanorobot Collectives for Intracranial Aneurysm Therapy

Stent-assisted coiling is a main treatment modality for intracranial aneurysms (IAs) in clinics, but critical challenges remain to be overcome, such as exogenous implant-induced stenosis and reliance on antiplatelet agents. Herein, we report an endovascular approach for IA therapy without stent grafting or microcatheter shaping, enabled by active delivery of thrombin (Th) to target aneurysms using innovative phase-change material (PCM)-coated magnetite-thrombin (Fe3O4-Th@PCM) FTP nanorobots. The nanorobots are controlled by an integrated actuation system of dynamic torque-force hybrid magnetic fields. With robust intravascular navigation guided by real-time ultrasound imaging, nanorobotic collectives can effectively accumulate and retain in model aneurysms constructed in vivo, followed by controlled release of the encapsulated Th for rapid occlusion of the aneurysm upon melting the protective PCM (thermally responsive in a tunable manner) through focused magnetic hyperthermia. Complete and stable aneurysm embolization was confirmed by postoperative examination and 2-week postembolization follow-up using digital subtraction angiography (DSA), contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and histological analysis. The safety of the embolization therapy was assessed through biocompatibility evaluation and histopathology assays. Our strategy, seamlessly integrating secure drug packaging, agile magnetic actuation and clinical interventional imaging, avoids possible exogenous implant rejection, circumvents cumbersome microcatheter shaping, and offers a promising option for IA therapy

Frontiers of Medical Micro/Nanorobotics: in vivo Applications and Commercialization Perspectives Toward Clinical Uses

The field of medical micro/nanorobotics holds considerable promise for advancing medical diagnosis and treatment due to their unique ability to move and perform complex task at small scales. Nevertheless, the grand challenge of the field remains in its successful translation towards widespread patient use. We critically address the frontiers of the current methodologies for in vivo applications and discuss the current and foreseeable perspectives of their commercialization. Although no “killer application” that would catalyze rapid commercialization has yet emerged, recent engineering breakthroughs have led to the successful in vivo operation of medical micro/nanorobots. We also highlight how standardizing report summaries of micro/nanorobotics is essential not only for increasing the quality of research but also for minimizing investment risk in their potential commercialization. We review current patents and commercialization efforts based on emerging proof-of-concept applications. We expect to inspire future research efforts in the field of micro/nanorobotics toward future medical diagnosis and treatment