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Micromachines
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Medical Micro/Nanorobots
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Medical Micro/Nanorobots

A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X). This special issue belongs to the section "E：Engineering and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 24823

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Tianlong Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
Interests: magnetic micro-/nanorobots
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Zhiguang Wu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Medicine and Health, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
Interests: micro/nanorobots; nanomedicine; intelligent control
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Medical micro/nanorobots that can be navigated into hard-to-reach tissues are promising candidates for the application in biomedicine and micromanipulation. Considerable efforts have been devoted to various aspects of medical micro/nanorobots, including fabrication, propulsion, cargo loading, transportation, and targeted release to achieve therapeutic functions. Various functionalized medical micro/nanorobots have been developed for biological tasks or work in superficial tissues and locations with relatively easier access routes (e.g., the gastrointestinal tract and peritoneal cavity). Minimally invasive administration and deployment of medical microrobots to tissues in deeper locations in the body remain grand challenges toward practical medical applications. Accordingly, this Special Issue seeks to showcase research papers, short communications, and review articles that focus on novel methodological developments in medical microrobots, i.e., novel fabrication technology, functional performance and the breakthrough of biological barriers.

We look forward to receiving your submissions!

Prof. Dr. Tianlong Li
Prof. Dr. Zhiguang Wu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Micromachines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • micro/nanorobots
  • theranostics
  • drug delivery
  • cell manipulation

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review

10 pages, 2771 KiB  
Article
Reconfigurable Disk-like Microswarm under a Sawtooth Magnetic Field
by Tao Zhang, Yuguo Deng, Bo Zhou, Jiayu Liu, Yufeng Su, Mu Li and Weiwei Zhang
Micromachines 2021, 12(12), 1529; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/mi12121529 - 09 Dec 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2386
Abstract
Swarming robotic systems, which stem from insect swarms in nature, exhibit a high level of environmental adaptability and enhanced tasking capabilities for targeted delivery and micromanipulation. Here, we present a strategy that reconfigures paramagnetic nanoparticles into microswarms energized by a sawtooth magnetic field. [...] Read more.
Swarming robotic systems, which stem from insect swarms in nature, exhibit a high level of environmental adaptability and enhanced tasking capabilities for targeted delivery and micromanipulation. Here, we present a strategy that reconfigures paramagnetic nanoparticles into microswarms energized by a sawtooth magnetic field. A rotary-stepping magnetic-chain mechanism is proposed to address the forming principle of disk-like swarms. Based on programming the sawtooth field, the microswarm can perform reversible transformations between a disk, an ellipse and a ribbon, as well as splitting and merging. In addition, the swarms can be steered in any direction with excellent maneuverability and a high level of pattern stability. Under accurate manipulation of a magnetic microswarm, multiple microparts with complicated shapes were successfully combined into a complete assembly. This reconfigurable swarming microrobot may shed light on the understanding of complex morphological transformations in living systems and provide future practical applications of microfabrication and micromanipulation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medical Micro/Nanorobots)
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17 pages, 7806 KiB  
Article
Orthogonal Optimal Design of Multiple Parameters of a Magnetically Controlled Capsule Robot
by Puhua Tang, Liang Liang, Zhiming Guo, Yu Liu and Guanyu Hu
Micromachines 2021, 12(7), 802; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/mi12070802 - 06 Jul 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2286
Abstract
Magnetically controlled capsule robots are predominantly used in the diagnosis and treatment of the human gastrointestinal tract. In this study, based on the permanent magnet method, magnetic driving and fluid measurement systems for in-pipe capsule robots were established. Using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) [...] Read more.
Magnetically controlled capsule robots are predominantly used in the diagnosis and treatment of the human gastrointestinal tract. In this study, based on the permanent magnet method, magnetic driving and fluid measurement systems for in-pipe capsule robots were established. Using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and particle image velocimetry (PIV), the fluid velocity and vorticity in the pipe of the capsule robot were calculated and measured. The running characteristics of the capsule robot were numerically analyzed in the curved pipe and the peristaltic flow. Furthermore, the range and variance method of orthogonal design was used to analyze the influence of four typical parameters (namely, pipe diameter, robotic translational speed, robotic rotational speed, and fluid viscosity) on the three operating performance indicators of the capsule robot (namely, the forward resistance of the robot, fluid turbulent intensity near the robot, and maximum fluid pressure to the pipe wall). In this paper, the relative magnitude and significance of the influence of each typical parameter on different performance indicators of the robot are presented. According to the different performance requirements of the robot, the different four parameter combinations are optimized. It is hoped that this work provides a reference for the selection of the appropriate mucus, translational speed, and rotational speed of the robot when it is working in pipes with different diameters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medical Micro/Nanorobots)
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Review

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18 pages, 2100 KiB  
Review
Applications of Nano/Micromotors for Treatment and Diagnosis in Biological Lumens
by Shandeng Huang, Yinghua Gao, Yu Lv, Yun Wang, Yinghao Cao, Weisong Zhao, Dongqing Zuo, Haoran Mu and Yingqi Hua
Micromachines 2022, 13(10), 1780; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/mi13101780 - 19 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2262
Abstract
Natural biological lumens in the human body, such as blood vessels and the gastrointestinal tract, are important to the delivery of materials. Depending on the anatomic features of these biological lumens, the invention of nano/micromotors could automatically locomote targeted sites for disease treatment [...] Read more.
Natural biological lumens in the human body, such as blood vessels and the gastrointestinal tract, are important to the delivery of materials. Depending on the anatomic features of these biological lumens, the invention of nano/micromotors could automatically locomote targeted sites for disease treatment and diagnosis. These nano/micromotors are designed to utilize chemical, physical, or even hybrid power in self-propulsion or propulsion by external forces. In this review, the research progress of nano/micromotors is summarized with regard to treatment and diagnosis in different biological lumens. Challenges to the development of nano/micromotors more suitable for specific biological lumens are discussed, and the overlooked biological lumens are indicated for further studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medical Micro/Nanorobots)
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37 pages, 4539 KiB  
Review
Recent Process in Microrobots: From Propulsion to Swarming for Biomedical Applications
by Ruoxuan Wu, Yi Zhu, Xihang Cai, Sichen Wu, Lei Xu and Tingting Yu
Micromachines 2022, 13(9), 1473; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/mi13091473 - 05 Sep 2022
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4424
Abstract
Recently, robots have assisted and contributed to the biomedical field. Scaling down the size of robots to micro/nanoscale can increase the accuracy of targeted medications and decrease the danger of invasive operations in human surgery. Inspired by the motion pattern and collective behaviors [...] Read more.
Recently, robots have assisted and contributed to the biomedical field. Scaling down the size of robots to micro/nanoscale can increase the accuracy of targeted medications and decrease the danger of invasive operations in human surgery. Inspired by the motion pattern and collective behaviors of the tiny biological motors in nature, various kinds of sophisticated and programmable microrobots are fabricated with the ability for cargo delivery, bio-imaging, precise operation, etc. In this review, four types of propulsion—magnetically, acoustically, chemically/optically and hybrid driven—and their corresponding features have been outlined and categorized. In particular, the locomotion of these micro/nanorobots, as well as the requirement of biocompatibility, transportation efficiency, and controllable motion for applications in the complex human body environment should be considered. We discuss applications of different propulsion mechanisms in the biomedical field, list their individual benefits, and suggest their potential growth paths. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medical Micro/Nanorobots)
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19 pages, 3705 KiB  
Review
Micro/Nanorobots for Medical Diagnosis and Disease Treatment
by Yinglei Zhang, Yuepeng Zhang, Yaqian Han and Xue Gong
Micromachines 2022, 13(5), 648; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/mi13050648 - 19 Apr 2022
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 8181
Abstract
Micro/nanorobots are functional devices in microns, at nanoscale, which enable efficient propulsion through chemical reactions or external physical field, including ultrasonic, optical, magnetic, and other external fields, as well as microorganisms. Compared with traditional robots, micro/nanorobots can perform various tasks on the micro/nanoscale, [...] Read more.
Micro/nanorobots are functional devices in microns, at nanoscale, which enable efficient propulsion through chemical reactions or external physical field, including ultrasonic, optical, magnetic, and other external fields, as well as microorganisms. Compared with traditional robots, micro/nanorobots can perform various tasks on the micro/nanoscale, which has the advantages of high precision, strong flexibility, and wide adaptability. In addition, such robots can also perform tasks in a cluster manner. The design and development of micro/nanorobots and the integration of surface functionalization, remote drive system, and imaging tracking technology will become a key step for their medical applications in organisms. Thus, micro/nanorobots are expected to achieve more efficient and accurate local diagnosis and treatment, and they have broad application prospects in the biomedical field. This paper aims to introduce relevant driving methods of micro/nanorobots preparation in detail, summarizes the progress of research in medical applications, and discusses the challenges it faces in clinical applications and the future direction of development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medical Micro/Nanorobots)
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21 pages, 4863 KiB  
Review
Microscopic Swarms: From Active Matter Physics to Biomedical and Environmental Applications
by Yulei Fu, Hengao Yu, Xinli Zhang, Paolo Malgaretti, Vimal Kishore and Wendong Wang
Micromachines 2022, 13(2), 295; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/mi13020295 - 13 Feb 2022
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4232
Abstract
Microscopic swarms consisting of, e.g., active colloidal particles or microorganisms, display emergent behaviors not seen in equilibrium systems. They represent an emerging field of research that generates both fundamental scientific interest and practical technological value. This review seeks to unite the perspective of [...] Read more.
Microscopic swarms consisting of, e.g., active colloidal particles or microorganisms, display emergent behaviors not seen in equilibrium systems. They represent an emerging field of research that generates both fundamental scientific interest and practical technological value. This review seeks to unite the perspective of fundamental active matter physics and the perspective of practical applications of microscopic swarms. We first summarize experimental and theoretical results related to a few key aspects unique to active matter systems: the existence of long-range order, the prediction and observation of giant number fluctuations and motility-induced phase separation, and the exploration of the relations between information and order in the self-organizing patterns. Then we discuss microscopic swarms, particularly microrobotic swarms, from the perspective of applications. We introduce common methods to control and manipulate microrobotic swarms and summarize their potential applications in fields such as targeted delivery, in vivo imaging, biofilm removal, and wastewater treatment. We aim at bridging the gap between the community of active matter physics and the community of micromachines or microrobotics, and in doing so, we seek to inspire fruitful collaborations between the two communities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medical Micro/Nanorobots)
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