Micro/Nanorobots (MNRs) at the Intersection of Mechanobiology and Artificial Intelligence: An Emerging Frontier for Precision Nanomedicine

High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Micro/nanorobots (MNRs) are emerging as active precision-nanomedicine platforms that convert physical energy into propulsion and localized cellular or tissue mechanotransduction. Yet, the ways in which MNR-mediated forces and flows reprogram cell behavior, activate mechanotransduction pathways, or drive tissue remodeling remain poorly understood. Unlike passive nanocarriers that rely on diffusion and vascular permeability, MNRs enable directional transport, barrier penetration, and spatiotemporal control. Beyond locomotion, propulsion-induced stresses act as mechanical cues that engage cellular mechanosensing pathways, including membrane-tension regulation, ion-channel activation, cytoskeletal remodeling, and downstream intracellular transcriptional signaling. Here, we review MNRs as mechanobiology-driven systems in which propulsion physics is intentionally coupled to force-sensitive biological responses. Rather than categorizing MNRs solely by actuation modality, we propose force-to-function coupling as a unifying design principle linking propulsion dynamics to defined mechanotransduction outcomes at the nano–bio interface. We further discuss how artificial intelligence (AI) introduces predictive modeling, imaging-guided feedback, and closed-loop optimization to achieve programmable biological outputs under physiological uncertainty. This review establishes a framework for biology-aware and intelligent MNRs by integrating propulsion engineering, mechanobiology, and computational control, and highlights key translational challenges that must be addressed to realize precision nanomedicine.

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Publication Details

Journal
ACS Nano Medicine
Published
2026-06-09
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnanomed.5c00168
Primary Topic
Micro and Nano Robotics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Micro/Nanorobots (MNRs) at the Intersection of Mechanobiology and Artificial Intelligence: An Emerging Frontier for Precision Nanomedicine

Shyam S. Mohapatra, Subhra Mohapatra, Rahul Sharma, Tahniat Afsari et al.
ACS Nano Medicine
Micro and Nano Robotics
article

Micro/Nanorobots (MNRs) at the Intersection of Mechanobiology and Artificial Intelligence: An Emerging Frontier for Precision Nanomedicine

Shyam S. Mohapatra, Subhra Mohapatra, Rahul Sharma, Tahniat Afsari, Jamile Harmouch, Ruisheng Liu
article en

Abstract

High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Micro/nanorobots (MNRs) are emerging as active precision-nanomedicine platforms that convert physical energy into propulsion and localized cellular or tissue mechanotransduction. Yet, the ways in which MNR-mediated forces and flows reprogram cell behavior, activate mechanotransduction pathways, or drive tissue remodeling remain poorly understood. Unlike passive nanocarriers that rely on diffusion and vascular permeability, MNRs enable directional transport, barrier penetration, and spatiotemporal control. Beyond locomotion, propulsion-induced stresses act as mechanical cues that engage cellular mechanosensing pathways, including membrane-tension regulation, ion-channel activation, cytoskeletal remodeling, and downstream intracellular transcriptional signaling. Here, we review MNRs as mechanobiology-driven systems in which propulsion physics is intentionally coupled to force-sensitive biological responses. Rather than categorizing MNRs solely by actuation modality, we propose force-to-function coupling as a unifying design principle linking propulsion dynamics to defined mechanotransduction outcomes at the nano–bio interface. We further discuss how artificial intelligence (AI) introduces predictive modeling, imaging-guided feedback, and closed-loop optimization to achieve programmable biological outputs under physiological uncertainty. This review establishes a framework for biology-aware and intelligent MNRs by integrating propulsion engineering, mechanobiology, and computational control, and highlights key translational challenges that must be addressed to realize precision nanomedicine.

ACS Nano Medicine
James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital (US), Applied Nanotech (United States) (US), Immunité et Cancer (FR), University of Virginia (US)
Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development, VA Office of Research and Development, National Institutes of Health
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 7%
Micro and Nano Robotics
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