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Shape-Programmable Magnetic Miniature Robots: A Critical Review

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Field-Driven Micro and Nanorobots for Biology and Medicine

Abstract

This chapter reviews the key advancements and challenges of shape-programmable magnetic robots that are in the micro- to millimeter length scales. A critical advantage of these miniature soft robots is that they have significant potential to attain mechanical functionalities beyond those of their traditional rigid counterparts. As a result, shape-programmable magnetic miniature robots have shown great potential in revolutionizing a broad range of applications pertaining to biomedicine, bioengineering, and lab-on-chip technology. To have a comprehensive discussion, various aspects of these robots, including their theory, programming and fabrication methods, untethered locomotion, and mechanical functionalities are analyzed. It is envisioned that this chapter will be able to provide critical analyses, which can inspire scientists and engineers to make shape-programmable magnetic miniature robots significantly more dexterous and functional in the future.

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Acknowledgments

G.Z.L. was funded by the startup grant awarded by Nanyang Technological University. C.S.X.N. and C.X. contributed equally to this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore

    Chelsea Shan **an Ng, Changyu Xu, Zilin Yang & Guo Zhan Lum

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  1. Chelsea Shan **an Ng
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  2. Changyu Xu
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  3. Zilin Yang
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  4. Guo Zhan Lum
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Correspondence to Guo Zhan Lum .

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  1. Robotics Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Yu Sun

  2. Program in Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada

    **an Wang

  3. Shenzhen Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics for Society, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China

    Jiangfan Yu

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Ng, C.S.X., Xu, C., Yang, Z., Lum, G.Z. (2022). Shape-Programmable Magnetic Miniature Robots: A Critical Review. In: Sun, Y., Wang, X., Yu, J. (eds) Field-Driven Micro and Nanorobots for Biology and Medicine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80197-7_9

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