Original story from the International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing. A tiny microrobot enables the performance of precise movements, including grasping, delivering and releasing particles or cells, with applications in medicine, manufacturing and beyond. Microrobots have revolutionized how scientists handle tasks at the smallest scales, from manipulating single cells to delivering drugs with precision within the human body. Yet most existing microrobots are built from a single material and rely on a single driving unit, which limits their ability to sense, grasp, transport and release targets in complex environments. In the International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing, a research team from the Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing, China) report a multi-material, multi-module microrobot to overcome this limit. Using femtosecond laser direct writing to pattern and integrate different materials at the micrometer scale, their three-dimensional, hand-shaped microrobot can grab, carry and release microscopic objects that single-material systems cannot achieve. One part of the microrobot works like a hand. It is made from a material that reacts to acidity. When the surrounding pH changes, the hand opens or closes, similar to how fingers grip an object. This allows the microrobot to catch and release very small items, such as plastic beads about one-tenth the width of a human hair or cell. The second part of the microrobot controls movement. This module contains tiny magnetic particles. When an external magnetic field is applied, the microrobot can move, turn and roll, even around obstacles. By combining these two…
