Magnetic soft robots toward localized therapy: magnetization programming and multimaterial integration
Magnetic soft robots toward localized therapy: magnetization programming and multimaterial integration
Magnetic soft robots are flexible devices that can be moved and controlled from outside the body using magnetic fields. This makes them promising for minimally invasive treatments, because they can operate without wires or batteries and may reach specific locations inside the body.
This thesis of Zhuoyue Wang develops new ways to make such robots more controllable, easier to manufacture, and better able to carry useful materials. First, a method was developed to program different magnetic directions within a single three-dimensional soft structure. This allows the robot to change shape and mechanical behaviour in a controlled way. Second, a multi-layer screen-printing method was introduced to produce magnetic soft robots more efficiently while combining different materials and functions.
Finally, these technologies were used to create a magnetic carrier for the targeted delivery of beneficial bacteria in the intestine. In a mouse model of ulcerative colitis, magnetic guidance improved the localization and retention of the treatment in the colon and resulted in better therapeutic recovery than non-localized delivery.
Together, the results show how magnetic soft robots can progress from programmable materials to integrated systems for localized, minimally invasive therapy.