Untethered Microgrippers for Biopsy in the Upper Urinary Tract

A Multifunctional Capsule-like Puncture Biopsy Robot for the Gastrointestinal System

Gastrointestinal submucosal tumors (SMTs) are difficult to diagnose accurately due to their deep location and the limitations of traditional biopsy tools. To address these issues, we propose a multifunctional capsule-shaped puncture biopsy robot (PBR) with capabilities for tissue sampling, thermal hemostasis, and multi-stage drug delivery. The PBR measures 27 mm in length and 13 mm in diameter, integrating a micro-scale electro-permanent magnetic system with a 60-turn dual-layer coil (wire diameter: 0.6 mm) to drive an 8 mm-depth puncture needle. A graphene-carbon nanotube composite heating film enables rapid and safe temperature elevation, achieving effective hemostasis and triggering sequential drug release using paraffin-based phase-change materials. Heating remains within the clinical safety range. Experiments demonstrated successful tissue penetration, precise magnetic control, and reliable staged pigment release simulating drug delivery. Tests on an ex vivo porcine stomach confirmed adaptability to irregular gastric surfaces. This compact PBR provides an integrated and minimally invasive approach to both the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal lesions.

Design and fabrication of a parasite-inspired, millimeter-scale tissue anchoring mechanism

Optimizing mechanical adhesion to specific human tissue types is a field of research that has gained increasing attention over the past two decades due to its utility for diagnostics, therapeutics, and surgical device design. This is especially relevent for medical devices, which could benefit from the presence of attachment mechanisms in order to better target-specific regions of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract or other soft tissues for sensing, sample collection, and drug release. In this work, and inspired by the tissue anchoring adaptations found in diverse parasitic taxa, we present a design and manufacturing platform for the production of a nonintuitive bioinspired millimeter-scale articulated attachment mechanism using laminate fabrication techniques. The functional design closely mimics the geometry and motions of curved hooks employed by some species of tapeworms to attach to their host's intestinal walls. Here, we show the feasibility of such a mechanism both in terms of attachment capabilities and manufacturability. Successful attachment of a prototype to tissue-simulating synthetic medical hydrogels is demonstrated with an adhesion force limited only by the ultimate strength of the tissue. These results demonstrate the efficacy of parasite-inspired deployable designs as an alternative to, or complement to, existing tissue attachment mechanisms. We also describe the design and manufacturing process workflow and provide insights for scaling the design for mass-production.