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Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Design and Fabrication of an Elastomeric Unit for Soft Modular Robots in Minimally Invasive Surgery

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Published on: November 14, 2015

Responsive Hydrogel-Based Modular Microrobots for Multi-Functional Micromanipulation.

Liyuan Tan¹, David J Cappelleri^1,2

¹School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA.

Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)

|July 23, 2024

Summary

This study introduces modular microrobots with responsive parts for microassembly. These adaptable microrobots can perform diverse tasks, overcoming limitations of current single-entity designs.

Keywords:

hydrogel microrobots modular

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Last Updated: Jun 18, 2026

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Area of Science:

Robotics
Biomedical Engineering
Materials Science

Background:

Microrobots offer potential for drug delivery and cell manipulation.
Current microrobots have limited functionality due to single-entity fabrication.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop modular microrobots with stimuli-responsive components for enhanced microassembly.
To create adaptable microrobots capable of performing diverse tasks.

Main Methods:

Fabrication using photolithography and two-photon polymerization.
Design of modular microrobots with responsive mating components (shrinking or open/close motion).
Demonstration of end-effector exchange on identical actuation bases.

Main Results:

Successful fabrication of two types of modular microrobots with distinct responsive mechanisms.
Verified exchangeability of application-specific end-effectors.
Demonstrated various microassembly tasks using different end-effector configurations.

Conclusions:

Modular microrobots offer a versatile platform for microassembly tasks.
Stimuli-responsive hydrogel components enable adaptable microrobot functionality.
The proposed design overcomes limitations of traditional single-entity microrobots.