A ‘5-in-1’ seed-sized surgical robot

Researchers at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore have developed a 4.4 mm seed-sized soft robot capable of performing five distinct surgical functions — cutting tissue, releasing drugs, gripping tissue samples, storing samples, and generating heat — all controlled wirelessly via weak magnetic fields. The robot can switch between functions in under a second by reprogramming its central magnetic module. A key innovation is engineering different regions of the robot to respond independently to the same magnetic field, overcoming a major limitation of miniature magnetic robots where the entire device reacts as one. The robot also adds a sixth degree of freedom (rolling) for finer navigation in narrow body spaces. Lab tests on chicken liver and gelatin tissue models confirmed functional performance, and biocompatibility tests showed over 99% cell viability. The team is now working toward integrating imaging and sensing systems and collaborating with surgeons for clinical workflow integration.

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