『Cover Story』From nanometers to sub-millimeters: the transformation of microrobots!

Volume 24 Issue 1, January 2025

Qingkun Liu, Wei Wang, Himani Sinhmar, Itay Griniasty, Jason Z. Kim, Jacob T. Pelster, Paragkumar Chaudhari, Michael F. Reynolds, Michael C. Cao, David A. Muller, Alyssa B. Apsel, Nicholas L. Abbott, Hadas Kress-Gazit, Paul L. McEuen & Itai Cohen 

The cover of this issue of Nature Materials is "Electronically configurable microscopic metasheet robots" published by Professor Itai Cohen of Cornell University and Associate Professor Liu Qingkun of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Research background

In the field of microbiology, shape morphing is essential for the movement of tiny organisms. However, achieving this shape change in submillimeter robots has always been a technical challenge. This is mainly because as the size decreases, various obstacles associated with miniaturization (such as manufacturing difficulty, design of driving mechanism, etc.) become particularly prominent. Therefore, developing robots that can achieve shape change at the microscale is of great significance for promoting the development of micro-robotics technology

Research significance

This study successfully demonstrated microscopic electronic programmable deformable metasheet robots by overcoming the challenges brought by miniaturization. These robots use a five-order-of-magnitude kirigami structure from 10-nanometer electrochemically driven hinges to 100-micrometer unfolding panels to achieve local expansion. These panels are organized into unit cells that can expand and contract by 40%, creating a metasurface with more than 200 hinges and independent electronically driven areas within a robot size of about 1 mm. This design enables the robot to switch between different target geometries with unique curvature distributions. By electronically driving independent areas and presetting phase delays, this study also achieved the robot's motion gait.

This research result not only demonstrates the feasibility of morphological changes at the microscopic scale, but also opens up a new path for the development of microscopic, continuous, compliant, and programmable robots. This is not only a major breakthrough in the field of robotics, but also provides a theoretical basis and technical support for a wide range of applications such as reconfigurable micromachines, tunable optical metasurfaces, and micro biomedical devices.

Research Prospects

This research result is expected to promote the development of a series of innovative applications. In the field of reconfigurable micromachines, this microscopic morphological change technology can be used to manufacture micromachines that can automatically adjust their shapes according to environmental changes or task requirements. In the field of tunable optical metasurfaces, by dynamically adjusting the morphology of the metasurface, precise manipulation of light can be achieved, bringing revolutionary changes to fields such as optical communications, imaging, and sensing. In addition, in the field of biomedicine, this micro programmable robot is expected to be used in cutting-edge fields such as precision medicine, in vivo drug delivery, and microsurgery, greatly improving medical efficiency and accuracy.

Cover Design Process

1. The main focus of the cover design is to show the deformation ability of the microscopic robots under electronic configuration. By highlighting the structural changes of these micro-robots at different scales, the design conveys the deformation ability of robots from nanometer level to sub-millimeter level mentioned in the paper. The main color scheme is gold and orange, which are often associated with technology, futuristic and energetic. The gradient effect of gold and orange enhances the visual impact, while also highlighting the three-dimensional and dynamic sense of the structure. The background uses a darker tone to highlight the bright robot structure in the foreground.
2. The design style tends to combine futuristic technology with abstraction, and the overall feeling is very modern and high-tech. The microscopic robot structure on the cover is displayed in a three-dimensional geometric form, and the visual layering is enhanced by light and shadow effects. The cover also uses a grid-like background pattern, which implies the concept of digitalization and virtual reality. The microscopic robot structure on the cover is realized through complex geometric modeling, showing a delicate and futuristic form. The robot structure presents a design similar to kirigami, suggesting its deformable nature. The modeling is rich in details, and the surface reflection and shadow processing are delicate, which enhances the three-dimensional and real sense.
3. The cover successfully conveyed the ability of microscopic robots to transform under electronic configuration through a futuristic and technological design, attracting readers' attention while also reflecting cutting-edge technology and innovation in this field. In the end, the cover was highly recognized by teachers and journal editors and was successfully published!