Contents | Science Robotics 7, 70

ONLINE COVER Microrobots Make Big Steps Toward Autonomy. Existing microrobots are generally limited to external control through magnetic fields or light. Microrobots that are able to integrate control, power, and sensing internally (or onboard) are expected to achieve greater autonomy than their externally controlled counterparts. Reynolds et al. have built microscopic robots controlled by onboard complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) electronics. These microrobots are powered by light and use onboard computers to execute pre-programmed motions. This month’s cover is a false-color scanning electron microscope image of microscopic robots before release.

Credit: Qingkun Liu/McEuen and Cohen Labs/Cornell University

Science Robotics

Volume 7|
Issue 70|
Sep 2022

Credit: Qingkun Liu/McEuen and Cohen Labs/Cornell University

Focus

Clearing away barriers to oral drug delivery

BY
- Dengning Xia
- Amy J. Wood-Yang
- Mark R. Prausnitz
28 Sep 2022
NO ACCESS

Ingestible devices have the potential to clear away barriers to oral delivery of biologics to improve drug bioavailability.

Abstract

Ingestible devices have the potential to clear away barriers to oral delivery of biologics to improve drug bioavailability.

Is it safe to hug a robot like Baymax?

BY
- Robin R. Murphy
28 Sep 2022
NO ACCESS

Disney’s Baymax! series may be science fiction but soft robotics is real.

Abstract

Disney’s Baymax! series may be science fiction, but soft robotics is real.

Research Articles

Gastrointestinal tract drug delivery using algae motors embedded in a degradable capsule

BY
- Fangyu Zhang
- Zhengxing Li
- Yaou Duan
- Amal Abbas
- Rodolfo Mundaca-Uribe
- Lu Yin
- Hao Luan
- Weiwei Gao
- Ronnie H. Fang
- Liangfang Zhang
- Joseph Wang
28 Sep 2022
NO ACCESS

Green algae, embedded in a capsule, has been utilized as an active motor for oral drug delivery to the gastrointestinal tract.

Abstract

The use of micromotors for active drug delivery via oral administration has recently gained considerable interest. However, efficient motor-assisted delivery into the gastrointestinal (GI) tract remains challenging, owing to the short ...

RoboCap: Robotic mucus-clearing capsule for enhanced drug delivery in the gastrointestinal tract

BY
- Shriya S. Srinivasan
- Amro Alshareef
- Alexandria V. Hwang
- Ziliang Kang
- Johannes Kuosmanen
- Keiko Ishida
- Joshua Jenkins
- Sabrina Liu
- Wiam Abdalla Mohammed Madani
- Jochen Lennerz
- Alison Hayward
- Josh Morimoto
- Nina Fitzgerald
- Robert Langer
- Giovanni Traverso
28 Sep 2022
NO ACCESS

An ingestible capsule was designed to robotically clear intestinal mucus in order to heighten drug absorption.

Abstract

Oral drug delivery of proteins is limited by the degradative environment of the gastrointestinal tract and poor absorption, requiring parenteral administration of these drugs. Luminal mucus represents the initial steric and dynamic barrier to absorption. ...

Microscopic robots with onboard digital control

BY
- Michael F. Reynolds
- Alejandro J. Cortese
- Qingkun Liu
- Zhangqi Zheng
- Wei Wang
- Samantha L. Norris
- Sunwoo Lee
- Marc Z. Miskin
- Alyosha C. Molnar
- Itai Cohen
- Paul L. McEuen
21 Sep 2022
NO ACCESS

Microscopic robots controlled by onboard integrated circuits that walk when powered by light are realized.

Abstract

Autonomous robots—systems where mechanical actuators are guided through a series of states by information processing units to perform a predesigned function—are expected to revolutionize everything from health care to transportation. Microscopic robots ...