Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada have developed plant-based microrobots that are intended to pave the way for medical robots that can enter the body and perform tasks such as obtaining a biopsy or performing a surgical procedure. The robots consist of a hydrogel material that is biocompatible, with cellulose nanoparticles derived from plants. The researchers can tune the orientation of the cellulose nanoparticles so that they respond predictably to certain chemical cues, such as changes in pH, altering their shape to better adapt to their environment. Incorporating magnetic elements allows the robots to be moved using external magnetic fields and deliver cargoes, such as drugs, to different areas of the body.
While larger soft robots show potential in the field of medicine due to their interaction with soft tissues, the potential of soft microrobotics is relatively unexplored. Using a plant-based soft material made of cellulose nanoparticles, which is non-toxic, biocompatible, and has self-healing properties, the new microrobots offer opportunities for further development in medicine. The robots are a maximum of one centimeter in length and can be moved by incorporating magnetic components that can then be influenced using magnetic fields applied outside the body. In this manner, the robots can deliver drugs or other therapeutics to precise areas of the body.
Despite being relatively unexplored, the researchers have been able to manipulate the robots to travel through a maze in initial tests, suggesting that they may be capable of navigating tortuous vasculature. See a Waterloo Engineering video of this process below:
These findings have been published in Nature Communications under the study, “Programmable nanocomposites of cellulose nanocrystals and zwitterionic hydrogels for soft robotics”.
For more details, see a video from the University of Waterloo:
