Soft robots developed by CityU enable medical inspection
Tiny, soft robot with multi-legs paves the way for drug delivery in the human body
[Sponsored Article]
A novel tiny, soft robot with caterpillar-like legs capable of carrying heavy loads and adaptable to adverse environments has been developed by a research team led by City University of Hong Kong (CityU). The mini delivery-robot could pave the way for medical technology advances, such as drug delivery in the human body.
The highly agile milli-robot is able to leap over 10 times its leg length. Thanks to its multi-leg design, which helps reduce friction significantly, the robot can move efficiently inside surfaces in the body lined with, or entirely immersed in, body fluids, such as blood or mucus.
The research findings have been published in the scientific journal Nature Communications in a paper titled “A Bio-inspired Multilegged Soft Millirobot that Functions in Both Dry and Wet Conditions”.
Dr Shen Yajing, Assistant Professor in CityU’s Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME), who leads the research, said the robot has hundreds of less than 1 mm-long pointed legs, which look like tiny hairs. This greatly reduces the contact area and hence friction with the surface. Laboratory tests show that the multi-legged robot has 40 times less friction than a limbless robot in both wet and dry environments.
The materials are another key feature. The robot is fabricated with a silicon material called polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), which is embedded with magnetic particles that enable it to be remotely controlled by applying electromagnetic force.