Research Project: Soft-bodied Miniature Mobile Robotsw
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Contributors
Funders
ID
EC.00203
Authors
Sitti, Metin
Faculty Member
Publications
Roadmap on embodying mechano-intelligence and computing in functional materials and structures
(Iop Publishing Ltd, 2025) Sitti, Metin; Alu, Andrea; Arrieta, Andres F.; Del Dottore, Emanuela; Dickey, Michael; Ferracin, Samuele; Harne, Ryan; Hauser, Helmut; He, Qiguang; Hopkins, Jonathan B.; Hyatt, Lance P.; Li, Suyi; Mariani, Stefano; Mazzolai, Barbara; Mondini, Alessio; Pal, Aniket; Preston, Daniel J.; Rajappan, Anoop; Raney, Jordan R.; Reis, Pedro M.; Sarles, Stephen A.; Ubamanyu, Uba K.; van Hecke, Martin; Wang, K. W.; School of Medicine; Department of Mechanical Engineering; Yes; SCHOOL OF MEDICINE; College of Engineering
This is a roadmap article with multiple contributors on different aspects of embodying intelligence and computing in the mechanical domain of functional materials and structures. Overall, an IOP roadmap article is a broad, multi-author review with leaders in the field discussing the latest developments, commissioned by the editorial board. The intention here is to cover various topics of adaptive structural and material systems with mechano-intelligence in the overall roadmap, with twelve sections in total. These sections cover topics from materials to devices to systems, such as computational metamaterials, neuromorphic materials, mechanical and material logic, mechanical memory, soft matter computing, physical reservoir computing, wave-based computing, morphological computing, mechanical neural networks, plant-inspired intelligence, pneumatic logic circuits, intelligent robotics, and embodying mechano-intelligence for engineering functionalities via physical computing. In this paper, we view all the sections with equal contributions to the overall roadmap article and thus list the authorship on the front page via alphabetical order of their last names. On the other hand, for each individual section, the authors decide on their own the order of authorship. (Abstract written by Guest Editors Kon-Well Wang (aka K W Wang) and Suyi Li.)
Combining tethered and untethered magnetic robots via a magnetically triggerable latch for target payload delivery and retrieval
(American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2026) Sitti, Metin; Brockdorff, Michael; Calme, Benjamin; Wang, Tianlu; Tinsley, Luke J.; Davy, Joshua; Lloyd, Peter; Chandler, James H.; Harris, Russell A.; Valdastri, Pietro; School of Medicine; Yes; SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
The reach and scope of minimally invasive surgical procedures can be transformed via the development of continuum robots. Through soft, flexible structures and accurate navigation, previously inaccessible anatomical regions can be safely reached. Dependent on both actuation mode and clinical application, however, rigidity and miniaturization potential can still present substantial challenges. Magnetic soft continuum robots (mSCRs) offer promising solutions to these key questions. Furthermore, micrometer- to millimeter-scale untethered magnetic robots (mUMRs) offer unparalleled miniaturization potential enabling targeted therapeutic delivery. Leveraging the benefits of magnetic actuation, this study introduces a bespoke, continuously magnetized catheter that synergizes the navigational strengths of mSCRs with the functional effectiveness of mUMRs to precisely deliver drug-doped payloads to otherwise unreachable regions deep within the anatomy. In particular, this system uses a magnetic latching mechanism, ensuring precise drug delivery and efficient retrieval, demonstrated in an ex vivo porcine kidney model for organ transplantation-related immunosuppressant delivery.
Programmable mechanical devices through magnetically tunable bistable elements
(National Academy of Sciences, 2023) Sitti, Metin; Pal, Aniket; Department of Mechanical Engineering; School of Medicine; Yes; College of Engineering; SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Mechanical instabilities, especially in the form of bistable and multistable mechanisms, have recently garnered a lot of interest as a mode of improving the capabilities and increasing the functionalities of soft robots, structures, and soft mechanical systems in general. Although bistable mechanisms have shown high tunability through the variation of their material and design variables, they lack the option of modifying their attributes dynamically during operation. Here, we propose a facile approach to overcome this limitation by dispersing magnetically active microparticles throughout the structure of bistable elements and using an external magnetic field to tune their responses. We experimentally demonstrate and numerically verify the predictable and deterministic control of the response of different types of bistable elements under varying magnetic fields. Additionally, we show how this approach can be used to induce bistability in intrinsically monostable structures simply by placing them in a controlled magnetic field. Furthermore, we show the application of this strategy in precisely controlling the features (e.g., velocity and direction) of transition waves propagating in a multista-ble lattice created by cascading a chain of individual bistable elements. Moreover, we can implement active elements like a transistor (gate controlled by magnetic fields) or magnetically reconfigurable functional elements like binary logic gates for processing mechanical signals. This strategy serves to provide programming and tuning capabilities required to allow more extensive utilization of mechanical instabilities in soft systems with potential functions such as soft robotic locomotion, sensing and triggering ele-ments, mechanical computation, and reconfigurable devices.
Wirelessly actuated thermo and magneto responsive soft bimorph materials with programmable shape-morphing
(Wiley, 2021) Sitti, Metin; Zhang, Jiachen; Guo, Yubing; Hu, Wenqi; Department of Mechanical Engineering; School of Medicine; Yes; College of Engineering; SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Soft materials that respond to wireless external stimuli are referred to as ""smart"" materials due to their promising potential in real-world actuation and sensing applications in robotics, microfluidics, and bioengineering. Recent years have witnessed a burst of these stimuli-responsive materials and their preliminary applications. However, their further advancement demands more versatility, configurability, and adaptability to deliver their promised benefits. Here, a dual-stimuli-responsive soft bimorph material with three configurations that enable complex programmable 3D shape-morphing is presented. The material consists of liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) and magnetic-responsive elastomers (MREs) via facile fabrication that orthogonally integrates their respective stimuli-responsiveness without detrimentally altering their properties. The material offers an unprecedented wide design space and abundant degree-of-freedoms (DoFs) due to the LCE's programmable director field, the MRE's programmable magnetization profile, and diverse geometric configurations. It responds to wireless stimuli of the controlled magnetic field and environmental temperature. Its dual-responsiveness allows the independent control of different DoFs for complex shape-morphing behaviors with anisotropic material properties. A diverse set of in situ reconfigurable shape-morphing and an environment-aware untethered miniature 12-legged robot capable of locomotion and self-gripping are demonstrated. Such material can provide solutions for the development of future soft robotic and other functional devices.
Pangolin-inspired untethered magnetic robot for on-demand biomedical heating applications
(Nature Portfolio, 2023) Sitti, Metin; Soon, Ren Hao; Yin, Zhen; Dogan, Metin Alp; Dogan, Nihal Olcay; Tiryaki, Mehmet Efe; Karacakol, Alp Can; Aydin, Asli; Esmaeili-Dokht, Pouria; Department of Mechanical Engineering; School of Medicine; Yes; College of Engineering; SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Untethered magnetic miniature soft robots capable of accessing hard-to-reach regions can enable safe, disruptive, and minimally invasive medical procedures. However, the soft body limits the integration of non-magnetic external stimuli sources on the robot, thereby restricting the functionalities of such robots. One such functionality is localised heat generation, which requires solid metallic materials for increased efficiency. Yet, using these materials compromises the compliance and safety of using soft robots. To overcome these competing requirements, we propose a pangolin-inspired bi-layered soft robot design. We show that the reported design achieves heating > 70 degrees C at large distances > 5cm within a short period of time <30s, allowing users to realise on-demand localised heating in tandem with shape-morphing capabilities. We demonstrate advanced robotic functionalities, such as selective cargo release, in situ demagnetisation, hyperthermia and mitigation of bleeding, on tissue phantoms and ex vivo tissues. Untethered soft robots developed to date display limited functionalities beyond locomotion and cargo delivery. Here, the authors present a pangolin-inspired robotic design which enables heating >70 degrees C at distances > 5cm without compromising their compliance, for biomedical applications.
