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Meet the Millipede Robot: A Tiny Soft Machine That Could One Day Deliver Medicine Inside Your Body

In a major breakthrough for both medicine and robotics, scientists from the City University of Hong Kong (CityU) have developed a tiny soft robot that could one day travel inside the human body to deliver life-saving drugs exactly where they are needed. This robot, which looks and moves like a millipede, is not only ultra-small but also flexible, adaptable, and efficient. It represents a big step forward in the merging worlds of nanotechnology and healthcare.

Meet the Millipede Robot: A Tiny Soft Machine That Could One Day Deliver Medicine Inside Your Body

The Era of Tiny Medical Robots Has Begun

Over the past few years, scientists have made great progress in creating small machines that can perform useful tasks inside the human body. These machines, often smaller than a grain of rice, could change the way doctors treat diseases in the future.

We are entering a time when tiny robots can go inside our bodies and help doctors in ways never imagined before. These robots could:

  • Deliver medicines directly to specific organs or cells

  • Perform microsurgeries without cutting the skin

  • Monitor health conditions from the inside

  • Help understand the brain and other complex systems

One such exciting development is the new millipede-like soft robot designed by a team of brilliant researchers at CityU.

Designed to Glide Like a Millipede

The inspiration behind this robot came from nature—specifically, from the millipede. Millipedes are creatures that can move easily across difficult surfaces, thanks to their many tiny legs. The scientists used this idea to create a robot that moves smoothly and efficiently inside the human body.

How Big Is This Robot?

  • Body thickness: 0.15 mm (less than the width of a human hair)

  • Leg length: 0.65 mm

  • Gap between legs: 0.6 mm

Despite its tiny size, the robot is designed for maximum performance. The multiple legs help it to move quickly and steadily across different surfaces, even the slippery or uneven ones found inside the human body.

Smart Design, Smart Materials

One of the key reasons this robot works so well is the use of smart engineering and materials.

Proportional Leg Design

According to Dr. Shen Yajing, Assistant Professor at CityU’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, most animals have a leg-length to leg-gap ratio between 2:1 and 1:1. The team chose a 1:1 ratio, which turned out to be perfect for the robot’s movement.

Soft and Flexible Materials

The body of the robot is made of a rubbery material called Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). This is a type of silicone that is:

  • Soft and flexible

  • Easy to cut into different shapes

  • Hydrophobic (does not absorb water)

  • Safe for use inside the body

To make it even more useful, scientists added magnetic particles into the material. This allows the robot to be controlled from outside the body using magnets, which is much safer than using wires or internal batteries.

Professor Wang Zuankai, from CityU’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, explains that the material and multi-leg design help the robot to move easily, even in wet and dry conditions inside the human body.

Fast, Flexible, and Ready for Rough Terrains

One of the most amazing features of this robot is its speed and flexibility. Despite its small size, it can move very fast for a soft robot and can adapt to many different environments inside the body.

Real-Life Challenges Inside the Body

Our bodies are not smooth inside. The organs, blood vessels, and tissues are all shaped differently, and many are soft, slippery, or moving. This makes it very hard for any robot to move inside safely.

Professor Wang points out that the robot had to be tested in many conditions to make sure it could:

  • Climb over obstacles

  • Travel through narrow spaces

  • Function in both wet and dry conditions

Thanks to its design, the robot performs very well in these situations. It can move smoothly over rough or soft surfaces, making it ideal for use inside the body.

Why This Robot Matters for the Future of Medicine

This millipede-inspired soft robot could play a big role in future healthcare.

1. Targeted Drug Delivery

Instead of giving medicine that spreads through the whole body, doctors could use this robot to deliver drugs directly to the affected area. This would:

  • Increase the effectiveness of treatment

  • Reduce side effects

  • Save time and costs

2. Minimally Invasive Procedures

The robot could also be used for microsurgeries. Since it can move inside the body without large cuts, surgeries would be:

  • Less painful

  • Safer

  • Faster to recover from

3. Diagnostic Tools

By equipping the robot with tiny sensors, doctors could also use it to:

  • Check for internal injuries

  • Collect samples

  • Monitor conditions in real-time

Published Research and Global Recognition

This exciting research was officially published in the respected science journal Nature Communications on September 26 under the title:
“A bioinspired multilegged soft millirobot that functions in both dry and wet conditions.”

The publication confirms that the scientific world recognizes the importance and potential of this invention.

What’s Next? The Road Ahead

Even though this robot is still being tested in labs, the researchers are hopeful that it could one day be used in real medical treatments. The next steps include:

  • Testing the robot in living organisms

  • Making sure it’s completely safe and effective

  • Improving its control and precision

  • Developing new versions for different tasks

The good news is that the robot can be easily reshaped for different uses, thanks to its soft material. This means it could be customized to:

  • Fit into different parts of the body

  • Perform different medical tasks

  • Work with other tools and devices

Conclusion: A Tiny Marvel With a Big Future

The millipede-like soft robot developed by the City University of Hong Kong is a tiny marvel with huge potential. Combining smart design, advanced materials, and nature-inspired movement, it shows us what the future of medicine might look like.

In the coming years, robots like this could:

  • Change the way we deliver treatments

  • Make surgeries safer and simpler

  • Help doctors understand the body better

As we move further into the age of soft robotics and nanotechnology, such inventions could become a common part of medical care, making treatments more accurate, less painful, and more effective.

With continued research and testing, we may soon witness a day when a robot no larger than a grain of rice becomes a lifesaver inside the human body.

If you want more updates on the future of soft robotics and medical technology, stay connected. Science is shrinking its tools, but its impact is growing larger every day.

Reference: Lu, H., Zhang, M., Yang, Y. et al. A bioinspired multilegged soft millirobot that functions in both dry and wet conditions. Nat Commun 9, 3944 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-06491-9

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