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Microrobots in the Gastrointestinal Tract

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Field-Driven Micro and Nanorobots for Biology and Medicine

Abstract

Micro-/nanorobots that can autonomously propel in liquid media have attracted tremendous attention due to their unique properties stemming from mobility. By controlling the motion of functionalized microrobots, applications like environmental remediation, in vivo imaging, and drug delivery can be realized with high efficiency. In this chapter, the applications of microrobots in gastrointestinal tract (GI tract) is summarized and discussed. Based on the acidic environment, potential propulsion mechanisms in GI tract are demonstrated, followed by typical examples of microrobots propelling in GI tract. After entering and propelling in GI tract, with multiple imaging methods, the location of microrobots is monitored, which is crucial for following microrobot-based cargo delivery and therapy in both the stomach and intestines. Then biocompatibility and biodegradability of microrobots for in vivo applications are discussed. Finally, the challenges before practical application are summarized and offered some perspectives on possible solutions. This chapter is expected to help understand the development of microrobots in GI tract and spark new ideas that may promote large-scale in vivo application of microrobots.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (Grant No. 1931214) and Caltech Space-Health Innovation Fund by Translational Research Institute for Space Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA

    Ming You, Daniel Mukasa & Wei Gao

Authors
  1. Ming You
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  2. Daniel Mukasa
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  3. Wei Gao
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wei Gao .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  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

    Xian 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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You, M., Mukasa, D., Gao, W. (2022). Microrobots in the Gastrointestinal Tract. 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_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80197-7_14

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-80196-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-80197-7

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

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