Jeong Moonkwang, Tian Jiyuan, Zhang Meng, Qiu Tian
Cyber Valley group - Biomedical Microsystems Institute of Physical Chemistry University of Stuttgart Pfaffenwaldring 55 70569 Stuttgart Germany.
Division of Smart Technologies for Tumor Therapy German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) Site Dresden Blasewitzer Str. 80 01307 Dresden Germany.
Adv Intell Syst. 2025 Aug;7(8):2401028. doi: 10.1002/aisy.202401028. Epub 2025 May 19.
Inspired by bacteria flagella, miniature robots often use a helical shape to propel themselves in fluids at low Reynolds numbers. The helical microstructures in the robots are often rigid and are made by advanced 3D micro-/nanofabrication techniques. However, it remains challenging to fabricate these 3D helical structures without complicated machinery. Herein, for the first time, a magnetically transformable millirobot-TwistBot-with a flexible body that can transform from a simple flat ribbon to a helical shape under an applied magnetic field is reported, enabling its propulsion in viscous fluids. The robot's twisting is modeled using numerical simulation and its geometry is optimized to maximize the twist angle. The unique shape transformation not only allows the propulsion through narrow lumens but also facilitates TwistBot in carrying and delivering solid cargo successfully to the target. The concept of the TwistBot opens new opportunities in designing soft transformable minirobots for targeted cargo delivery.
受细菌鞭毛启发，微型机器人常采用螺旋形状在低雷诺数流体中推进自身。机器人中的螺旋微结构通常是刚性的，由先进的3D微纳制造技术制成。然而，在没有复杂机械的情况下制造这些3D螺旋结构仍然具有挑战性。在此，首次报道了一种具有柔性主体的可磁转变的毫微型机器人——TwistBot，它能在施加磁场的情况下从简单的扁平带状转变为螺旋形状，从而在粘性流体中实现推进。利用数值模拟对机器人的扭转进行建模，并对其几何形状进行优化以最大化扭转角度。独特的形状转变不仅允许通过狭窄管腔推进，还便于TwistBot成功携带和运送固体货物至目标。TwistBot的概念为设计用于靶向货物递送的软可转变微型机器人开辟了新机遇。
