ReviewMicromachines2020
Sperm Cell Driven Microrobots-Emerging Opportunities and Challenges for Biologically Inspired Robotic Design.
Review in Micromachines, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 36 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
36 citing papers in PubMed, 108 citations in OpenAlex.
- Next-generation biomedical nanorobots: active design, intelligent control, and translational opportunities in regenerative and minimally invasive medicine.Journal of nanobiotechnology · 2026Review
- Targeting Cancers with Microrobots and Bacteriobots.Molecular biotechnology · 2026Review
- Carbon dots in cancer therapy: a novel approach to targeted drug delivery and reduced toxicity in gallbladder cancer.Frontiers in chemistry · 2026Review
- Recent advances in engineering nano/microrobots for tumor treatment.Acta pharmaceutica Sinica. B · 2025Review
- Multimodal Field-Driven Actuation in Bioinspired Robots: An Emerging Taxonomy and Roadmap Towards Hybrid Intelligence.Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Cell-Based Drug Delivery Systems: Innovative Drug Transporters for Targeted Therapy.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Micro- and Nano-Bots for Infection Control.Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) · 2025Review
- Bioinspired Soft Machines: Engineering Nature's Grace into Future Innovations.Journal of functional biomaterials · 2025Review
- Metareview: a survey of active matter reviews.The European physical journal. E, Soft matter · 2025Review
- Advancements in Micro/Nanorobots in Medicine: Design, Actuation, and Transformative Application.ACS omega · 2025Review
- Spermatozoon-propelled microcellular submarines combining innate magnetic hyperthermia with derived nanotherapies for thrombolysis and ischemia mitigation.Journal of nanobiotechnology · 2024Article
- A Nanorobotics-Based Approach of Breast Cancer in the Nanotechnology Era.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- Micro/Nanorobotics in In Vitro Fertilization: A Paradigm Shift in Assisted Reproductive Technologies.Micromachines · 2024Review
- Multi-Stimuli-Responsive Tadpole-like Polymer/Lipid Janus Microrobots for Advanced Smart Material Applications.ACS applied materials & interfaces · 2024Article
- Spermbots and Their Applications in Assisted Reproduction: Current Progress and Future Perspectives.International journal of nanomedicine · 2024Review
- Antibacterial micro/nanomotors: current research progress, challenges, and opportunities.Theranostics · 2024Review
- Biohybrid Soft Robots Powered by Myocyte: Current Progress and Future Perspectives.Micromachines · 2023Review
- Multifunctional nanostructures: Intelligent design to overcome biological barriers.Materials today. Bio · 2023Review
- Biodegradable Microrobots and Their Biomedical Applications: A Review.Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Applications and Future Prospects of Micro/Nanorobots Utilizing Diverse Biological Carriers.Micromachines · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 7 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
With the advent of small-scale robotics, several exciting new applications like Targeted Drug Delivery, single cell manipulation and so forth, are being discussed. However, some challenges remain to be overcome before any such technology becomes medically usable; among which propulsion and biocompatibility are the main challenges. Propulsion at micro-scale where the Reynolds number is very low is difficult. To overcome this, nature has developed flagella which have evolved over millions of years to work as a micromotor. Among the microscopic cells that exhibit this mode of propulsion, sperm cells are considered to be fast paced. Here, we give a brief review of the state-of-the-art of Spermbots - a new class of microrobots created by coupling sperm cells to mechanical loads. Spermbots utilize the flagellar movement of the sperm cells for propulsion and as such do not require any toxic fuel in their environment. They are also naturally biocompatible and show considerable speed of motion thereby giving us an option to overcome the two challenges of propulsion and biocompatibility. The coupling mechanisms of physical load to the sperm cells are discussed along with the advantages and challenges associated with the spermbot. A few most promising applications of spermbots are also discussed in detail. A brief discussion of the future outlook of this extremely promising category of microrobots is given at the end.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.