Robots as small as a grain deliver drugs

A team of scientists at NTU has developed grain-sized soft robots that can be controlled using magnetic fields for targeted drug delivery, paving the way to possible improved therapies in future.

The new soft robot developed by engineers at NTU’s School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) was reported in a paper published in the scientific journal Advanced Materials.

The study is believed to be the first reported instance of miniature robots that can transport up to four different drugs and release them in reprogrammable orders and doses.

Compared to earlier small-scale robots which can only carry up to three types of drugs and cannot be programmed for release in order, the newly developed miniature robots offer precision functions that have the potential to significantly improve therapeutic outcomes while minimising side effects, said the research team.

The NTU team had previously developed magnetically controlled miniature robots capable of complex manoeuvres such as ‘swimming’ through tight spaces and gripping tiny objects.