<i>In Situ</i>   Reprogrammable Magnetic Microrobots

Programmability is essential for magnetic microrobots to achieve adaptive and multifunctional behaviors. However, most existing systems lack reconfigurability after deployment. Here, we present a reprogrammable microrobot platform based on nickel nanowires of distinct diameters embedded in SU-8, leveraging the difference in their coercivities to enable in situ magnetization switching. A fast, purely magnetic reprogramming strategy is developed, allowing the selective reversal of magnetization states without thermal or structural changes. We systematically explore the effects of ramp time, magnetic field strength, and microrobot geometry on reprogramming success and demonstrate six distinct deformation and locomotion modes in a multisegment robot. The scalable UV photolithography-based fabrication process ensures a high yield and design flexibility. This work provides a generalizable and efficient approach toward reprogrammable microrobotic systems with potential for future applications in dynamic environments such as biomedical actuation or soft robotic manipulation.

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Publication Details

Journal
ACS Materials Letters
Published
2025-11-07
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmaterialslett.5c01084
Primary Topic
Micro and Nano Robotics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

In Situ   Reprogrammable Magnetic Microrobots

Hemin Pan, Yang Zong, Jizhai Cui, Minjie Xi et al.
ACS Materials Letters
Micro and Nano Robotics
article

In Situ   Reprogrammable Magnetic Microrobots

Hemin Pan, Yang Zong, Jizhai Cui, Minjie Xi, Xiangzhong Chen, Shijiang Xiong, Yongfeng Mei, Jinbo Yang, Maxim A. Kurochkin, Guanggen Zeng, Yu Mei
article en

Abstract

Programmability is essential for magnetic microrobots to achieve adaptive and multifunctional behaviors. However, most existing systems lack reconfigurability after deployment. Here, we present a reprogrammable microrobot platform based on nickel nanowires of distinct diameters embedded in SU-8, leveraging the difference in their coercivities to enable in situ magnetization switching. A fast, purely magnetic reprogramming strategy is developed, allowing the selective reversal of magnetization states without thermal or structural changes. We systematically explore the effects of ramp time, magnetic field strength, and microrobot geometry on reprogramming success and demonstrate six distinct deformation and locomotion modes in a multisegment robot. The scalable UV photolithography-based fabrication process ensures a high yield and design flexibility. This work provides a generalizable and efficient approach toward reprogrammable microrobotic systems with potential for future applications in dynamic environments such as biomedical actuation or soft robotic manipulation.

ACS Materials LettersVol. 7(12)
Fudan University (CN), Institute of Molecular Functional Materials (CN), Integrated Optoelectronics (Norway) (NO), Intelligent Health (United Kingdom) (GB), Yiwu Science and Technology Research Institute (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 79%
Micro and Nano Robotics
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