Technology Roadmap of Micro/Nanorobots
Xiaohui Ju, Chuanrui Chen, Çağatay M. Oral, Semih Sevim, Ramin Golestanian, Mengmeng Sun, Negin Bouzari, Xiankun Lin, Mario Urso, Jong Seok Nam, Yujang Cho, Peng Xia, Fabian C. Landers, Shihao Yang, Azin Adibi, Nahid Taz, Raphael Wittkowski, Daniel Ahmed, Wei Wang, Veronika Magdanz, Mariana Medina‐Sánchez, Maria Guix, Naimat K. Bari, Bahareh Behkam, Raymond Kapral, Yaxin Huang, Jinyao Tang, Ben Wang, Konstantin I. Morozov, Alexander M. Leshansky, Sarmad Ahmad Abbasi, Hongsoo Choi, Subhadip Ghosh, Bárbara Borges-Fernandes, Giuseppe Battaglia, Peer Fischer, Ambarish Ghosh, Beatriz Jurado‐Sánchez, Alberto Escarpa, Quentin Martinet, Jérémie Palacci, Eric Lauga, Jeffrey L. Moran, Miguel A. Ramos‐Docampo, Brigitte Städler, Ramón Santiago Herrera Restrepo, Gilad Yossifon, James D. Nicholas, Jordi Ignés‐Mullol, Josep Puigmartí-Luis, Yutong Liu, Lauren D. Zarzar, C. Wyatt Shields, Longqiu Li, Shanshan Li, Xing Ma, David H. Gracias, Orlin D. Velev, Samuel Sánchez, M.J. Esplandiu, Juliane Simmchen, Antônio Lobosco, Sarthak Misra, Zhiguang Wu, Jinxing Li, Alexander Kuhn, Amir Nourhani, Tijana Marić, Ze Xiong, Amirreza Aghakhani, Yongfeng Mei, Yingfeng Tu, Fei Peng, Eric Diller, Mahmut Selman Sakar, Ayusman Sen, Junhui Law, Yu Sun, Abdon Pena‐Francesch, Katherine Villa, Huaizhi Li, Donglei Fan, Kang Liang, Tony Jun Huang, Xiangzhong Chen, Songsong Tang, Xueji Zhang, Jizhai Cui, Hong Wang, Wei Gao, Vineeth Kumar Bandari, Oliver G. Schmidt, Xianghua Wu, Jianguo Guan, Metin Sitti, Bradley J. Nelson, Salvador Pané, Li Zhang, Hamed Shahsavan, Qiang He
Abstract
, the field of micro/nanorobots has evolved from science fiction to reality, with significant advancements in biomedical and environmental applications. Despite the rapid progress, the deployment of functional micro/nanorobots remains limited. This review of the technology roadmap identifies key challenges hindering their widespread use, focusing on propulsion mechanisms, fundamental theoretical aspects, collective behavior, material design, and embodied intelligence. We explore the current state of micro/nanorobot technology, with an emphasis on applications in biomedicine, environmental remediation, analytical sensing, and other industrial technological aspects. Additionally, we analyze issues related to scaling up production, commercialization, and regulatory frameworks that are crucial for transitioning from research to practical applications. We also emphasize the need for interdisciplinary collaboration to address both technical and nontechnical challenges, such as sustainability, ethics, and business considerations. Finally, we propose a roadmap for future research to accelerate the development of micro/nanorobots, positioning them as essential tools for addressing grand challenges and enhancing the quality of life.