Microbotics
The microrobots can use a small lightweight battery source like a coin cell or can scavenge power from the surrounding environment in the form of vibration or light energy.[17] When describing the locomotion of microrobots, several key parameters are used to characterize and evaluate their movement, including stride length and transportation costs.A stride refers to a complete cycle of movement that includes all the steps or phases necessary for an organism or robot to move forward by repeating a specific sequence of actions.The low Reynolds number also allows for accurate movements, which makes it good application in medicine, micro-manipulation tasks, and environmental monitoring.[19] In the specific instance when microrobots are at the air-fluid interface, they can take advantage of surface tension and forces provided by capillary motion.At the point where air and a liquid, most often water, come together, it is possible to establish an interface capable of supporting the weight of the microrobots through the work of surface tension.Through such concepts, microrobots could perform specific locomotion functions, including climbing, walking, levitating, floating, and or even jumping, by exploring the characteristics of the air-fluid interface.[22] The control system of HAMR-E is developed to allow the robot to function in a flexible and maneuverable manner in a challenging environment.[23] With four compliant and electro-adhesion footpads, HAMR-E can safely grasp and slide over various substrate types, including glass, wood, and metal.[22] The robot has a slim body and is fully posable, making it easy to perform complex movements and balance on any surface.Flying microrobots are miniature robotic systems meticulously engineered to operate in the air by emulating the flight mechanisms of insects and birds.These microrobots have to overcome the issues related to lift, thrust, and movement that are challenging to accomplish at such a small scale where most aerodynamic theories must be modified.This equation illustrates that a small insect or robotic device must impart sufficient momentum to the surrounding air to counterbalance its own weight.Harvard University invented the RoboBee, a miniature robot that mimics a bee fly, takes off and lands like one, and moves around confined spaces.The DelFly Nimble, developed by the Delft University of Technology, is one of the most agile micro aerial vehicles that can mimic the maneuverability of a fruit fly by doing different tricks due to its minimal weight and advanced control mechanisms.[32][33][34][35] Various microorganisms, including bacteria,[36][37] microalgae,[38][39] and spermatozoids,[40][41] have been utilised to fabricate different biohybrid microswimmers with advanced medical functionalities, such as autonomous control with environmental stimuli for targeting, navigation through narrow gaps, and accumulation to necrotic regions of tumor environments.[42] Steerability of the synthetic cargo carriers with long-range applied external fields, such as acoustic or magnetic fields,[43][44] and intrinsic taxis behaviours of the biological actuators toward various environmental stimuli, such as chemoattractants,[45] pH, and oxygen,[46][47] make biohybrid microswimmers a promising candidate for a broad range of medical active cargo delivery applications.[42][29] For example, there are biocompatible microalgae-based microrobots for active drug-delivery in the brain,[28] lungs and the gastrointestinal tract,[48][49][50] and magnetically guided engineered bacterial microbots for 'precision targeting'[51] for fighting cancer[52][53] that all have been tested with mice.
Biohybrid bacterial microswimmers
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Biohybrid diatomite microswimmer drug delivery system
Diatom frustule surface functionalised with photoactivable molecules (orange spheres) linked to vitamin B-12 (red sphere) acting as a tumor-targeting tag. The system can be loaded with chemotherapeutic drugs (light blue spheres), which can be selectively delivered to colorectal cancer cells. In addition, diatomite microparticles can be photoactivated to generate carbon monoxide or free radicals inducing tumor cell apoptosis.
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