Robotics in Biomedical Applications

New in Nature Nanotechnology, we report enzymatic microbubble robots, a bioresorbable microrobotic platform designed for targeted therapy in vivo. Congratulations to Songsong Tang and the team! Caltech Nature Portfolio In this work, we introduce two complementary robot types: magnetically controlled microbubble robots (MBRs) that combine enzyme-powered propulsion with real-time ultrasound imaging and magnetically guided navigation in deep tissue, and chemotactic microbubble robots (CBRs) that sense endogenous hydrogen peroxide gradients and autonomously migrate toward tumour microenvironments without external field guidance. By integrating propulsion, imaging, navigation, targeting, and ultrasound-activated therapy within a fully biodegradable system, this platform advances microrobots toward clinically translatable precision therapeutics. Read the paper here: https://lnkd.in/geJ7JQU9 Hong Han Xiaotian Ma Payal Patel Chen Gong Junhang Zhang Ernesto Criado-Hidalgo, PhD Jounghyun Yoo Jiahong Li Gwangmook Kim Shukun Yin Di Wu Mikhail Shapiro QIfa zhou

🧲🤖 When Magnetic Fields Become Surgeons: The Future of Minimally Invasive Medicine What if medical tools could navigate through the human body without large incisions, guided only by magnetic fields? Researchers at ETH Zurich are advancing exactly this vision by developing technologies that allow catheters, guidewires, and even miniature medical robots to be controlled remotely using external electromagnetic fields. The concept sounds futuristic, but the engineering challenges are anything but simple. At the heart of the system are electromagnetic coils that generate precisely controlled magnetic fields. These fields interact with tiny magnetic elements inside the body, enabling navigation through blood vessels and organs without traditional surgical access. One particularly fascinating aspect is the role of magnetic levitation principles. While levitation itself isn't the end goal, it forces researchers to solve some of the most complex control problems imaginable. Magnetic fields are inherently nonlinear. Even the slightest movement can dramatically change the forces acting on an object. To compensate, engineers must develop sophisticated mathematical models capable of calculating control parameters in real time. Perhaps the biggest challenge is feedback. In conventional robotics, cameras continuously track a robot's position. Inside the human body, direct observation is often impossible. A catheter or microrobot may be deep within vessels or organs, completely out of sight. To address this, scientists are developing methods to determine position and orientation using magnetic fields and electrical signals generated by the navigation system itself. In essence, the robot must be "felt" rather than seen. If these technologies successfully reach clinical practice, they could enable: ✅ More precise minimally invasive procedures ✅ Targeted drug delivery directly to affected tissues ✅ Remote control of miniature medical devices in hard-to-reach areas ✅ Reduced patient trauma and faster recovery While still in the research phase, this work offers a glimpse into a future where tiny robots navigate the human body under magnetic guidance, performing tasks that today still sound like science fiction. The convergence of robotics, medicine, physics, and advanced control systems continues to redefine what's possible. #FutureOfMedicine #MedicalRobotics #HealthcareInnovation #MedTech #ETHZurich #Robotics #MagneticFields #MinimallyInvasiveSurgery #DigitalHealth #EmergingTechnology #Innovation #Science #Engineering #FutureTech

🚀 The Future of Precision Medicine: Navigating Microrobots Through the Brain Researchers at ETH Zürich have achieved a major milestone in medical robotics, developing a "clinically ready" microrobotic system capable of delivering drugs directly to hard-to-reach areas like the brain’s vascular system. For conditions like strokes, traditional drug delivery is often "all or nothing"—high doses are sent through the entire body to reach a single clot, risking severe side effects. This new technology changes the game. The Technical Breakdown: Material Innovation: The robots are tiny soluble gel capsules loaded with magnetic iron oxide and tantalum nanoparticles. This allows them to be both steered by magnets and tracked via X-ray. Sophisticated Navigation: Because blood flow velocity varies wildly across the body, the team developed a modular system that uses three different magnetic strategies to roll, pull, or drift the capsules into position. Targeted Release: Once at the destination, a high-frequency magnetic field heats the nanoparticles, dissolving the shell and releasing the medication—be it for dissolving a thrombus, treating a tumor, or delivering antibiotics. Why this matters for the industry: Beyond the robotics, this research involved developing hyper-realistic silicone vessel models (via ETH spin-off Swiss Vascular) that are now being used for medical training and to reduce animal testing. With successful trials already completed in large animals, the team is now moving toward human clinical trials. This is a massive leap forward for minimally invasive surgery and targeted therapeutics. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eehkSu-w

🚨 New Research Alert! 🚨 Proud to share our latest publication in Communications Engineering: "Powered knee exoskeleton improves sit-to-stand transitions in stroke patients using electromyographic control" Millions of stroke survivors struggle daily with basic tasks like standing up from a chair. Our team developed a lightweight powered knee exoskeleton that listens to the user's muscle signals and provides assistance during sit-to-stand transitions. 🦿 Key findings from our study: ✅ 59% increase in peak torque at the paretic knee ✅  32% reduction in muscle effort ✅  13.7% improvement in weight-bearing symmetry ✅  8.8% faster stand-up times Most excitingly, this is the first study to show that EMG-driven powered knee assistance can improve sit-to-stand transitions in individuals with hemiparesis post-stroke, without requiring extensive training. 🙏 A big thank you to our incredible participants and interdisciplinary team, including mechanical engineers, physical therapists, and rehabilitation scientists. This work moves us closer to intuitive, wearable robotics that restore independence and mobility. 🔗 Link to full study in comments 🔬 If you're working at the intersection of robotics, neurorehab, or human movement science, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Andrew Gunnell, Sergei Sarkisian, PhD Lukas Gabert #BionicEngineering #WearableRobotics #Exoskeletons #StrokeRehab #HumanCenteredDesign #RehabilitationTechnology #EMGControl #Biomechanics #Neuroengineering #robotics University of Utah University of Utah John and Marcia Price College of Engineering University of Utah Research University of Utah Robotics Center

An American lab has created robotic white blood cells that track and kill infections in real time At a bioengineering facility in Maryland, scientists have successfully built the first fully autonomous synthetic leukocytes — robotic white blood cells that can detect and destroy bacterial invaders inside the human body. These microbots are about the size of real neutrophils and are powered by biothermal gradients, allowing them to move with the bloodstream. Each unit is coated in protein sensors that detect bacterial enzymes and chemical distress signals from infected tissue. Once locked on, they pierce the pathogen’s membrane using a mechanical lancing mechanism — all without damaging nearby human cells. The bots are built using flexible hydrogel shells that mimic natural cell walls, letting them squeeze through capillaries and evade immune rejection. Early trials in mice showed a 74% faster recovery from bloodstream infections with no observed toxicity or side effects. This approach could revolutionize how we treat infections, especially antibiotic-resistant strains. Instead of flooding the body with drugs, doctors could deploy fleets of programmable immune support bots directly into the blood. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is funding the next phase of trials, hoping to deploy these bots for battlefield wound infections and sepsis prevention. Civilian applications will follow — especially in hospitals where resistant bacteria thrive. We may soon live in a world where your immune system is backed by an army of programmable defenders — silently navigating your veins.

We Can't Treat What We Can't Reach. When a lesion curves behind a critical structure, surgeons face an impossible choice: open the skull or leave it untreated. Hundreds of thousands of patients with irregular or hard-to-reach pathologies need to go through a highly invasive, high-risk surgery or remain untreated. Symphony Robotics has developed the world's first MRI-guided steerable micro-robotic platform capable of navigating through the brain, maneuvering smoothly along non-linear, snake-like trajectories, carefully guided by AI-controlled algorithms. Unlike conventional tools restricted to rigid straight-line access, Symphony's flexible robotic system bends, steers, and maneuvers through complex brain anatomy to reach targets previously considered inaccessible. Through a single minimally invasive entry point, physicians can deliver energy, perform biopsies, and precisely deliver therapeutic agents to multiple locations deep within the brain. One entry. Multiple targets. More reach. More precision. Less trauma. Backed by $12M+ in NIH and NSF funding and validated through more than a decade of research, Symphony is creating a new frontier in medicine. Disclaimer: Symphony Robotics' technology is currently investigational and under development. It has not been cleared or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for clinical use. Any statements regarding potential performance, safety, or clinical benefit are based on preclinical research and are subject to further validation and regulatory review.

Researchers in Japan and Spain are making major strides toward bioengineered prosthetics that look, move, and function like real human limbs, using living muscle tissue and even the patient’s own cells. At the University of Tokyo, scientists created an 18cm muscle-driven robotic arm capable of finger movement. Their innovation, called MuMuTAs, uses rolled sheets of lab-grown muscle tissue and biocompatible components stimulated by electric pulses to mimic natural motion. Meanwhile, Spain’s Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) has developed 3D bioprinted muscle structures with realistic internal architecture. Their work enables more precise local stimulation, better drug testing, and potential medical applications, including prosthetics that grow stronger and adapt like real muscles. Key challenges ahead include neural control, vascularization, long-term viability, and scaling. But researchers agree: functional, cell-based prosthetics and muscle systems are no longer science fiction.....they’re on the horizon. Read more: https://lnkd.in/ejWiMpF8

Sometimes, the most meaningful robotics projects aren't built for factories—they're built for family. This inspiring project follows an engineer who built a bionic leg chair for his father, who has lived with multiple sclerosis (MS) and relied on a wheelchair for nearly two decades. Unlike conventional wheelchairs, the prototype uses legged robotic mobility to navigate rough terrain, climb hills, and even tackle stairs—places that are traditionally inaccessible for wheelchair users. Although the system is still an early prototype, it demonstrates how robotics can extend far beyond industrial automation. Advanced locomotion technologies have the potential to transform accessibility, rehabilitation, and personal mobility, helping people regain the freedom to explore the world around them. The true value of robotics isn't only measured by performance—it is measured by the lives it can improve. As legged robots continue to evolve, we can expect broader applications in assistive mobility, healthcare, rehabilitation, and inclusive transportation, bringing intelligent machines closer to everyday life. Technology is at its best when it empowers people. #Robotics #LeggedRobots #AssistiveTechnology #Accessibility #HealthcareInnovation #Mobility #Engineering #Innovation

You don’t need a $2M robot to change lives. You need the right one (and the runway to scale it). Microbot Medical just secured FDA 510(k) clearance for its LIBERTY system: The first fully disposable, single-use robotic platform for peripheral endovascular procedures. That alone is a milestone. But here’s the kicker: They also just unlocked up to $92.2M in potential funding, with approximately $29.2M coming in now and another $63M available This capital isn’t speculative. It’s surgical. Designed to fuel commercial launch, expand indication sets, and deepen clinical data. Here’s how the story breaks down: TAM: Over 6 million endovascular procedures annually in the U.S. (and growing) Team: Leadership from Intuitive, Boston Scientific, Abbott, and J&J; built to scale Tech: LIBERTY is handheld, low-cost, and uses standard wires and catheters (no major capital rig or overhaul required) Mission: Access‑Ability for All; robotics shouldn’t require a ZIP code or a $10M suite This isn’t just a regulatory win. It’s a readiness statement. Because in MedTech, what moves markets isn’t hype. It’s execution. https://lnkd.in/exdtb57s

From Hand-Crafting TILs to Robotic Manufacturing: Why Patients Should Be Excited When I made my first tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) as a fellow more than 30 years ago, we mixed tumor digests with IL-2 and hoped for the best. My mentor Steve Rosenberg had already shown the “magic”: add IL-2 to a dissociated tumor and TILs expand. The art was spotting the “good” cells. But manufacturing? Far from magic. Everything was difficult – patient selection, tissue handling, open culture steps, characterization. Yet TILs sometimes worked spectacularly, and that kept us going. What’s changed—and why I’m optimistic: ·      Clinical proof: From the NCI to MD Anderson, Moffitt, Sheba, Copenhagen, Leiden, and beyond – then lifileucel’s FDA approval. The signal is real. ·      Scale is real: Centralized facilities and “Gen-2” processes show reproducibility beyond heroic single centers. ·      Smarter TILs: Selection of tumor-reactive phenotypes (CD137/4-1BB, PD-1, CD39/CD103) and engineered variants (CISH-KO, PD-1-KO) are now in trials. ·      Stemness preserved: Since our work on T memory stem cells (2009–2011), new methods (IL-2-light, IL-15, IL-21, Akt blockade, high potassium) keep cells “younger,” more proliferative, less toxic. Where the robots come in: Closed, automated platforms are transforming artisanal culture into standardized, GMP-clean manufacturing. ·      Miltenyi CliniMACS Prodigy: direct selection of CD137⁺ TILs, in-system REP, 16-day timeline. ·      Lonza Cocoon: cassette-based, parallel scale-out with integrated selection and non-viral workflows. ·      Next-gen robotics: systems that sense and adapt to T cell biology, not just automate fixed steps. Reality check: Not every approach pans out (e.g. EU regulatory hurdles, paused “Selected-TIL” programs). Cost and logistics still bite. But the trajectory is undeniable: closed, standardized, automated, and increasingly engineered. My takeaway after a lifetime in TILs: Biology sparked the fire. Manufacturing will determine access. Let’s keep building -- better selection, larger closed chambers, gentler regimens, smarter engineering -- so more patients can benefit, faster. 📖 Open-access methods & data on automated TIL manufacturing: https://lnkd.in/egibX_g5 #TIL #Immunotherapy #CellTherapy #Oncology #GMP #Automation #Biotech