ACS Biomater Sci Eng. 2026 Sep 22. doi: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.6c00562. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
Microrobotics, while emerging as a promising technological platform for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, is also enabling minimally invasive manipulation, localized stimulation, targeted delivery, and controlled organization of cells and biomaterials within complex tissue-based environments. This review examines the fundamental principles governing the design and operation of microrobotic systems, with particular emphasis on magnetic, acoustic, optical, and biohybrid actuation strategies. The influence of microrobot geometry, material composition, fabrication approach, biocompatibility, collective behavior, and interactions with viscoelastic biological media is discussed in relation to their functional performance. The review further evaluates the operational roles of microrobots in mechanotransduction, cellular stimulation, delivery of therapeutic molecules, cell transport and assembly, biosensing, and spatial organization of tissue-engineered constructs. Their usage in musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and neural tissue engineering, as well as in organoid manipulation and disease modeling, is critically examined. Specific attention is given to magnetically actuated microrobots because of their fuel-free operation, precise external control, compatibility with medical imaging, and potential for multifunctional therapeutic interventions. Even after substantial progress, clinical translation remains constrained by challenges associated with scalable fabrication, propulsion and navigation in heterogeneous physiological environments, long-term biocompatibility, biodegradation, retrieval, imaging, biosafety, and standardized performance assessment. Emerging opportunities that involve stimuli-responsive disassembly, biohybrid architectures, microrobot swarms, real-time imaging, and artificial-intelligence-assisted navigation may help address these limitations. Overall, this review outlines the current capabilities, translational barriers, and future research priorities required to advance microrobotic systems from experimental platforms toward clinically relevant tools for tissue regeneration and repair.
PMID:42770866 | DOI:10.1021/acsbiomaterials.6c00562