These soft robots can live inside your body

What does a ‘soft robot’ do inside the body?

They move inside the body. Specifically, they bend, expand, and twist in controlled, bio-compatible ways.

“They are designed to attach to tissues gently, reducing stress and potential damage,” said first author Lin Zhang. “Inspired by natural shapes like starfish and seedpods, they can transform their structures to perform different tasks efficiently.”

Why would such movements be relevant to medical functions? The soft robots can:

• Change shape to conform to an organ for better sensing or treatment delivery
• Continuously model internal organ function, volume, and pressure
• Deliver precise treatments, such as electrical stimulation, based on real-time sensor data

And yes, an ingestible version of the soft robot, called a thera-gripper, can monitor and treat gastrointestinal conditions by monitoring stomach pH levels over time and delivering drugs locally.

But it’s not just the gastrointestinal system that can benefit from soft robot intervention. Robots like the thera-gripper can enhance treatments for conditions like overactive bladder or cardiac arrhythmia. Mouse tests have demonstrated the device’s potential as a next-generation cardiac implant.

“This innovative approach to robot design not only broadens the scope of medical devices but also highlights the potential for future advancements in the synergistic interaction between soft implantable robots and biological tissues,” said Wubin Bai, the principal investigator of the research. “We’re aiming for long-term biocompatibility and stability in dynamic physiological environments.”

Our perspective: Bridging the organic and the mechanical

After answering the question “Can it be done?”, we naturally turn to questions of adoption and patient reactions. 

When it comes to soft robots, there are many compelling examples of effective adoption, especially in rehabilitation. Different kinds of soft robots have already been used in exosuits and other prosthetics. We’ve also seen a form of external soft robot in smart bandages, which monitor wound healing.

However, as you may have felt when we evoked the image of having a robot move around inside your body at the start of this article, things are different when a device goes inside the body. As in our previous discussion about smart pills, a leading concern about this technology is patient trust.

These soft robots don’t raise the kind of concerns some smart pills did. The Abilify MyCite product came under fire for privacy concerns especially because it was designed to treat vulnerable populations, such as patients with schizophrenia. While bladder disorders may be somewhat stigmatized, privacy concerns for these and other patient populations who would potentially use internal soft robots aren’t as potent.

Instead, the potential discomfort we’re anticipating with these products touches on a theme discussed in Hadi’s previous Editorial about bioengineered milk: Bridging the ‘natural’ and ‘unnatural.’ Or, in this case, bridging the organic and the mechanical. 

While these soft robots evoke cyborgs less than the soft prosthetics we mentioned earlier, humans tend to be both fascinated and fearful when technology closely mimics life. Our minds jump to science fiction scenarios in which robots impersonate humans and their actions—the idea of being replaced.

Of course, coming back to reality, there’s no such threat when it comes to these small remote patient monitoring devices. After all, devices such as pacemakers aren’t seen as threatening in this way. As we present these devices to patients, we’ll need to be mindful of how we present risks and rewards, reminding patients that remote monitoring and drug delivery devices improve their care—and that these kinds of robots don’t have minds of their own.