The Role of Soft Robotic Micromachines in the Future of Medical Devices and Personalized Medicine

Lourdes Garcia; Genevieve Kerns; Kaitlin O’Reilley; Omolola Okesanjo; Jacob Lozano; Jairaj Narendran; Conor Broeking; Xiaoxiao Ma; Hannah Thompson; Preston Njapa Njeuha; Drashti Sikligar; Reed Brockstein; Holly M. Golecki

doi:10.3390/mi13010028

Micromachines (Dec 2021)

The Role of Soft Robotic Micromachines in the Future of Medical Devices and Personalized Medicine

Lourdes Garcia,
Genevieve Kerns,
Kaitlin O’Reilley,
Omolola Okesanjo,
Jacob Lozano,
Jairaj Narendran,
Conor Broeking,
Xiaoxiao Ma,
Hannah Thompson,
Preston Njapa Njeuha,
Drashti Sikligar,
Reed Brockstein,
Holly M. Golecki

Affiliations

Lourdes Garcia: Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Genevieve Kerns: Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Kaitlin O’Reilley: Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Omolola Okesanjo: Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Jacob Lozano: Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Jairaj Narendran: Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Conor Broeking: Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Xiaoxiao Ma: Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Hannah Thompson: Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Preston Njapa Njeuha: Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Drashti Sikligar: Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Reed Brockstein: Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Holly M. Golecki: Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13010028
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 13, no. 1
p. 28

Abstract

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Developments in medical device design result in advances in wearable technologies, minimally invasive surgical techniques, and patient-specific approaches to medicine. In this review, we analyze the trajectory of biomedical and engineering approaches to soft robotics for healthcare applications. We review current literature across spatial scales and biocompatibility, focusing on engineering done at the biotic-abiotic interface. From traditional techniques for robot design to advances in tunable material chemistry, we look broadly at the field for opportunities to advance healthcare solutions in the future. We present an extracellular matrix-based robotic actuator and propose how biomaterials and proteins may influence the future of medical device design.

Published in Micromachines

ISSN: 2072-666X (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Technology: Mechanical engineering and machinery
Website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/micromachines

About the journal

Abstract

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