Four-Dimensional-Printed Microrobots and Their Applications: A Review.

Area of Science:

• Robotics and Materials Science
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Microrobots offer numerous applications due to their small scale.
• Four-dimensional (4D) printing allows for dynamic, stimulus-responsive shape transformations.
• Integrating microrobots with 4D printing technology enhances design sophistication and functionality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in 4D-printed microrobots.
• To explore strategies for shape transformation and stimuli-responsive actuation.
• To highlight the diverse applications of these microrobots in various fields.

Main Methods:

• Review of literature on 4D printing techniques for microrobot fabrication.
• Analysis of different external stimuli (e.g., thermal, magnetic, light) used for actuation.
• Categorization of current and potential applications, including medical and non-medical uses.

Main Results:

• Successful fabrication of microrobots capable of reversible shape changes using 4D printing.
• Demonstration of various stimuli-responsive mechanisms for microrobot actuation.
• Identification of key applications such as targeted drug/cell delivery, soft robotics, and object manipulation.

Conclusions:

• 4D-printed microrobots represent a significant advancement in micro-robotics.
• These microrobots show great promise for sophisticated applications, particularly in medicine.
• Further research is needed to address challenges and fully realize the potential of 4D-printed microrobots.