We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Papers
20 resultsShowing papers similar to A Programmable Inchworm-Inspired Soft Robot Powered by a Rotating Magnetic Field
ClearMulti-functional soft-bodied jellyfish-like swimming
Researchers designed a small jellyfish-inspired swimming robot made of magnetic flexible material that can be controlled by an external oscillating magnetic field to perform multiple tasks in water. The robot demonstrates how soft, jellyfish-like designs could be used for underwater object manipulation, and may also help scientists study how real jellyfish move.
Locomotion of an untethered, worm-inspired soft robot driven by a shape-memory alloy skeleton
Researchers built a small untethered robot inspired by maggot locomotion, using a shape-memory alloy that contracts when heated to crawl forward without any attached power cables, and demonstrated it can carry cargo three times its own weight — a step toward miniature robots that could work in confined or inaccessible spaces.
3D nanofabricated soft microrobots with super-compliant picoforce springs as onboard sensors and actuators
Researchers developed tiny 3D-printed soft microrobots using an elastic, magnetic material that can sense forces as small as half a piconewton — roughly the weight of a single molecule — enabling the robots to grasp and manipulate individual biological cells with unprecedented precision for biomedical applications.
Self-Propelled Janus Microdimer Swimmers under a Rotating Magnetic Field
Researchers designed self-propelling microscopic swimmers powered by rotating magnetic fields, with potential uses in medicine and environmental monitoring. While not directly about microplastics, this micro-robotics technology could eventually be applied to detecting or removing contaminants at the microscale.
Propulsion Mechanisms in Magnetic Microrobotics: From Single Microrobots to Swarms
This review examines the propulsion mechanisms of magnetic microrobots, from individual units to coordinated swarms, including their structural design and control methods. Researchers discuss how these tiny robots can be directed using external magnetic fields for tasks like targeted drug delivery and water purification. The technology has potential applications for environmental cleanup, including removing microplastics and other pollutants from water.
Recent Advances on Underwater Soft Robots
This paper describes advances in underwater soft robots made from flexible materials that can adapt to ocean environments. While not directly related to microplastics, these robots have potential applications in ocean monitoring and environmental cleanup. The review covers the materials, movement patterns, power systems, and sensing capabilities that could eventually help address marine plastic pollution.
Collective Behaviors of Isotropic Micromotors: From Assembly to Reconstruction and Motion Control under External Fields
This review covers collective behaviors of self-propelled isotropic micromotors that can be guided by external fields such as light or magnetic forces. These micromotor systems have potential applications for capturing and removing microplastic particles from contaminated water.
Arbitrary Construction of Versatile NIR‐Driven Microrobots
Researchers developed a versatile spin-coating fabrication technique for creating light-driven microrobots using near-infrared-responsive organic semiconductor materials. The method enables coating structures of various shapes and dimensions to create autonomous micro-scale robots capable of performing tasks like cargo transport. While primarily a materials science advance, the technology has potential future applications in environmental cleanup including microplastic collection.
Magneto Twister: Magneto Deformation of the Water–Air Interface by a Superhydrophobic Magnetic Nanoparticle Layer
Researchers developed a superhydrophobic magnetic nanoparticle colloid layer that floats stably at the water-air interface through water repulsion, buoyancy, and lateral capillarity, and demonstrated that it deforms proportionally into a twister-like conical shape under an external gradient magnetic field. This remote-controlled water interface manipulation system shows potential for applications in microfluidics and soft-material engineering.
Magnetically DrivenLiving Microrobot Swarms for AquaticMicro- and Nanoplastic Cleanup
Researchers engineered magnetotactic bacteria-based microrobots capable of three-dimensional swarming motions guided by magnetic fields to capture micro- and nanoplastics from water. The living microrobots successfully captured plastics from commercial products including polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, and rubber microplastics, offering a bio-inspired cleanup strategy.
Multimodal collective swimming of magnetically articulated modular nanocomposite robots
Researchers built small magnetic robots from carbon nanotube frameworks coated in a magnetic polymer composite, demonstrating that groups of these robots can swim cooperatively at high speed and generate water vortices capable of collecting and transporting floating microplastics — pointing toward collective robotic approaches for environmental cleanup.
Hydrogel-Based Stimuli-Responsive Micromotors for Biomedicine
This review summarized progress in hydrogel-based micromotors that respond to stimuli such as temperature, pH, and magnetic fields for biomedical applications. The study suggests these tiny devices could transport drugs or capture targets in hard-to-reach areas of the body, offering potential for minimally invasive diagnosis and therapy.
Reconfigurable Magnetic Liquid Metal Microrobots: A Regenerable Solution for the Capture and Removal of Micro/Nanoplastics
Scientists developed magnetically controlled liquid metal microrobots that can capture and remove micro- and nanoplastics from water. The tiny robots can change shape, be steered with magnets, and be regenerated for reuse, offering a potential new technology for cleaning plastic pollution from water sources before it reaches people.
A Survey of Recent Developments in Magnetic Microrobots for Micro-/Nano-Manipulation
This survey reviews recent advances in tiny magnetically controlled robots designed for manipulating objects at the micro and nano scale, particularly in biomedical applications. Researchers found that these microrobots show promise for targeted drug delivery, cell manipulation, and minimally invasive surgery. While not directly about microplastics, the technology could eventually be applied to detecting or removing micro-scale pollutants from biological systems.
Shape-programmed 3D printed swimming microtori for the transport of passive and active agents
Researchers used nanoscale 3D printing to create microscopic ring-shaped swimmers (microtori) that can be magnetically controlled to switch between two swimming modes — one that collects and carries other tiny particles, and one that guides them along flow lines. These programmable microswimmers could eventually be used to transport materials or interact with cells in medical or environmental applications.
Machine learning–driven design of engineered cilia enables hybrid operations in acoustic microrobots
Scientists have created tiny robots with hair-like structures that can bend, rotate, and change shape inside the human body using sound waves. These microscopic robots could potentially deliver drugs precisely to diseased areas or perform minimally invasive medical procedures. While still in early development, this technology could lead to new treatments that are less harmful than current surgical methods.
Magnetically Driven Living Microrobot Swarms for Aquatic Micro- and Nanoplastic Cleanup
Scientists developed tiny magnetically controlled bacterial microrobots that can swarm together to capture and remove micro- and nanoplastics from water. These living robots use natural swimming motion combined with magnetic guidance to collect plastic particles from various commercial products in aquatic environments. This innovative technology could lead to new ways of cleaning up microplastic pollution before it enters drinking water and the food chain.
Design and Control of the Micromotor Swarm Toward Smart Applications
This review covers recent advances in the design and control of micro- and nanomotor swarms, examining how different energy sources and cooperative behaviors enable collective motion for smart applications. Researchers discuss how micromotors mimicking natural microorganism swarms could be applied to environmental remediation including microplastic removal.
Biomimetic design of a microplastic-absorbing robot for recycling detection application in aquatic environments
Researchers designed a biomimetic aquatic robot inspired by the filtration mechanism of sabellid worms to collect and detect microplastics smaller than 100 micrometers from water. The robot mimics the feather-like crown structure these worms use for efficient particle capture, targeting the smallest and most challenging microplastic particles. The study proposes this bio-inspired approach as a potential tool for both environmental cleanup and monitoring of microplastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems.
Recent Advances in Microrobots Powered by Multi-Physics Field for Biomedical and Environmental Applications
Not relevant to microplastics — this review surveys multi-physics-field-driven microrobots for biomedical and environmental applications such as targeted drug delivery and pollutant degradation, with microplastic removal mentioned only in passing as one of many potential environmental uses.