Healthcare Videos

IROS 2025 Keynotes - Medical Robots: Li Zhang

Li Zhang’s IROS 2025 keynote highlighted the rapid evolution of miniature biomedical robots, emphasizing magnetic actuation, bio‑hybrid materials, and modular architectures for safe, targeted therapy. He traced the concept back to Richard Feynman’s swallowable‑surgery vision and described how his team fabricates helical micro‑bots using origami‑style thin‑film lithography, then powers them with rotating magnetic fields that mimic E.coli locomotion. Key insights included the safety and speed of magnetic fields, the use of naturally derived scaffolds—spirulina algae and patient‑derived stem cells—to achieve biodegradability and low immunogenicity, and dual‑mode imaging (fluorescence and MRI) for real‑time tracking. The team demonstrated rapid endoscopic delivery of these bots to deep sites, followed by magnetic steering through tortuous lumens such as the 1‑4 mm bile duct, extending the reach of conventional endoscopy. Notable examples featured spirulina‑based helices injected into mice, producing visible fluorescence and MRI contrast, and a modular robot that separates a magnetic propeller from a degradable therapeutic hydrogel. In rabbit models, the magnetic segment was retrieved via catheter under X‑ray fluoroscopy, while the therapeutic module was anchored using ultrasound‑triggered, temperature‑sensitive glue that melts at 45 °C. The implications are profound: clinicians could perform minimally invasive, personalized interventions with reduced infection risk, while modular designs address safety concerns by allowing post‑treatment removal of magnetic material. Overcoming trade‑offs between actuation strength and biodegradability could accelerate translation of these micro‑robots into routine clinical practice.