Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39841149›Full record

ArticleProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2025

Multiorifice acoustic microrobot for boundary-free multimodal 3D swimming.

Nima Mahkam, Musab C Ugurlu, Sandeep Kumar Kalva, Amirreza Aghakhani, Daniel Razansky, Metin Sitti

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Nima MahkamPhysical Intelligence Department, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart 70569, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-5450-4624
Musab C UgurluPhysical Intelligence Department, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart 70569, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-3812-1444
Sandeep Kumar KalvaDepartment of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich 8093, Switzerland.
Amirreza AghakhaniInstitute of Biomaterials and Biomolecular Systems, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart 70569, Germany.
Daniel RazanskyDepartment of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich 8093, Switzerland.
Metin SittiPhysical Intelligence Department, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart 70569, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-8249-3854

Funding

Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems (CLS) NIMax Planck Society NI
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The emerging new generation of small-scaled acoustic microrobots is poised to expedite the adoption of microrobotics in biomedical research. Recent designs of these microrobots have enabled intricate bioinspired motions, paving the way for their real-world applications. We present a multiorifice design of air-filled spherical microrobots that convert acoustic wave energy to efficient propulsion through a resonant encapsulated microbubble. These microrobots can swim boundary-free in three-dimensional (3D) space while switching between various frequency-dependent locomotion modes. We explore the locomotion dynamics of microrobots with diameters ranging from 10 μm to 100 μm, focusing on their boundary-free 3D swimming and multimodal locomotion in response to acoustic stimuli below 1 MHz. Further, we elucidate the dynamics of these microrobots, featuring a single multiorifice cavity, which contributes to complex acoustic streaming and facilitates swift, unrestricted movements. Finally, we demonstrate that incorporating microrobots with additional nickel and gold layers significantly enhances their steering and visibility in optoacoustic and ultrasound imaging, enabling the development of the next generation of microrobots in healthcare applications.

Indexed as

AcousticsRoboticsSwimmingEquipment DesignMicrobubblesacoustic actuationacoustofluidic dynamicsdrug deliverymedical imagingmicrorobotics

Identifiers

PMID39841149
PMCPMC11789062

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.