BIO-INSPIRED magnetic soft robots capable of climbing in all directions have been developed to navigate the gastrointestinal tract and deliver targeted treatment with reduced patient discomfort. The flexible devices, inspired by the golden wheel spider, have shown promising results in preliminary in vitro animal experiments.
The incidence of gastrointestinal cancers has been rising globally, heightening the need for early, effective, and less invasive interventions. Current diagnostic and therapeutic methods, such as endoscopic procedures, remain uncomfortable for patients and are often unable to reach deep or convoluted areas of the gut. Researchers at the University of Macau sought to address these limitations by designing soft robotic systems that combine flexibility, mobility, and precision drug delivery.
The team engineered bio-inspired magnetic soft robots (BMSRs) fabricated from deformable materials and steered by an external rotating magnetic field. Using two six-degree-of-freedom robotic arms, one for manipulation and one for monitoring, the robots demonstrated the ability to climb inclined and inverted surfaces. They overcame biological mobility barriers such as mucus, tissue folds, and organ height differences of up to 8 cm, with sufficient output force to maintain progress. When coupled with an endoscope, they also offered real-time visual navigation. In initial in vitro animal experiments, the robots successfully reached targeted sites and delivered drugs while avoiding tissue damage, confirming feasibility for minimally invasive gastrointestinal interventions.
These results suggest that BMSRs could form the basis of a new generation of non-rigid, minimally invasive devices for cancer treatment. For clinical practice, such technology could reduce the reliance on uncomfortable endoscopic methods and open avenues for earlier screening and treatment of gastrointestinal cancers.
Reference
Xu R et al. Bio-inspired magnetic soft robots with omnidirectional climbing for multifunctional biomedical applications. International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing. 2025;DOI:10.1088/2631-7990/ae0214.
