Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

From Fourier topology representation to optimal robot: evolution of an ultrahigh performance XYθ<sub>z</sub> nanopositioner.

Communications engineering·2025
Same author

Magnetic Miniature Soft Robot with Reprogrammable Drug-Dispensing Functionalities: Toward Advanced Targeted Combination Therapy.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2024
Same author

Differences in Health Care and Palliative Care Use at the End of Life: A Comparison Study Among Lung Cancer, COPD, and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.

Chest·2024
Same author

Small-Scale Magnetic Actuators with Optimal Six Degrees-of-Freedom.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2021
Same author

Locomotion of Miniature Soft Robots.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2020
Same author

Bioinspired cilia arrays with programmable nonreciprocal motion and metachronal coordination.

Science advances·2020
Same journal

Bioinspired Electrostatic-Field Perturbated Sensing for General Material Noncontact Perception.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2026
Same journal

Engineering Layered Magnetic Hydrogels for Cell Placement via Shear and Magnetic Field-Induced Assembly.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2026
Same journal

Interfacial Acid Sites-Mediated ZnO-Based Electrocatalysts for Sustainable Dual-Pathway H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> Production and Rechargeable Zn-H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> Electrochemical Cell.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2026
Same journal

Zein-Ceria Hybrid Microparticles Enable Long-Term ROS-Scavenging Oxygenation for Osteogenic Microtissues Engineering.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2026
Same journal

Toward Practical Solid-State Lithium Batteries With High-Nickel Cathodes: An Interface-Centered Perspective.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2026
Same journal

A Planarity-Hindrance Co-Balance Strategy to Develop Antiparallel H-Aggregates With Minimal Absorbance Blueshift for Type I Photodynamic Therapy.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 17, 2026

Design and Fabrication of an Elastomeric Unit for Soft Modular Robots in Minimally Invasive Surgery
11:06

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

Published on: November 14, 2015

Miniature Soft Robot With Magnetically Reprogrammable Surgical Functions.

Chelsea Shan Xian Ng1, Yu Xuan Yeoh1, Nicholas Yong Wei Foo1

  • 1School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.

Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|May 16, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed smart magnetic composites for a millimeter-scale soft robot. This robot offers enhanced drug delivery, tissue cutting, and sample gripping capabilities with full six-degrees-of-freedom motion, enabling safer minimally invasive surgery.

Keywords:
magnetic materialsminiature robotsminimally invasive treatmentssoft actuatorssoft robots

More Related Videos

Rod-based Fabrication of Customizable Soft Robotic Pneumatic Gripper Devices for Delicate Tissue Manipulation
07:49

Rod-based Fabrication of Customizable Soft Robotic Pneumatic Gripper Devices for Delicate Tissue Manipulation

Published on: August 2, 2016

Bioinspired Soft Robot with Incorporated Microelectrodes
08:24

Bioinspired Soft Robot with Incorporated Microelectrodes

Published on: February 28, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 17, 2026

Design and Fabrication of an Elastomeric Unit for Soft Modular Robots in Minimally Invasive Surgery
11:06

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

Published on: November 14, 2015

Rod-based Fabrication of Customizable Soft Robotic Pneumatic Gripper Devices for Delicate Tissue Manipulation
07:49

Rod-based Fabrication of Customizable Soft Robotic Pneumatic Gripper Devices for Delicate Tissue Manipulation

Published on: August 2, 2016

Bioinspired Soft Robot with Incorporated Microelectrodes
08:24

Bioinspired Soft Robot with Incorporated Microelectrodes

Published on: February 28, 2020

Area of Science:

  • Robotics
  • Biotechnology
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) can be enhanced by untethered magnetic miniature robots.
  • Current robots have limited functionalities, five degrees-of-freedom (DOF) motion, and require close proximity (<4 cm) for actuation.
  • These limitations restrict their application and effectiveness in complex environments.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To engineer smart magnetic composites for advanced millimeter-scale soft robots.
  • To enable enhanced functionalities and full six-DOF motion for surgical applications.
  • To overcome the limitations of current magnetic actuators in terms of dexterity, functionality, and operational range.

Main Methods:

  • Developed smart magnetic composites with engineered symmetry and heterogeneous material properties.
  • Constructed a millimeter-scale soft robot capable of reprogrammable magnetization.
  • Utilized relatively uniform and weak magnetic fields (10-30 mT for actuation, 60-65 mT for reprogramming) for safe tissue penetration and actuation beyond 5 cm.

Main Results:

  • The soft robot demonstrated multiple on-board functionalities: drug dispensing, tissue cutting, sample gripping, and remote heating.
  • Achieved full six-DOF motions, including rotation about its magnetic moment, enabling rolling and two-anchor crawling.
  • Successfully operated in challenging unstructured environments impassable by five-DOF robots.

Conclusions:

  • Smart magnetic composites enable versatile millimeter-scale soft robots with unprecedented capabilities for MIS.
  • The developed robot offers enhanced dexterity, multiple functionalities, and a greater operational range.
  • This technology promises safer, more effective treatments and procedures in minimally invasive surgery.