Magnetically driven robots can perform complex functions in biological settings with minimal destruction. However, robots designed to damage deleterious biostructures could also have important impact. In particular, there is an urgent need for new strategies to eradicate bacterial biofilms as we approach a post-antibiotic era. Biofilms are intractable and firmly attached structures ubiquitously associated with drug-resistant infections and destruction of surfaces. Existing treatments are inadequate to both kill and remove bacteria leading to reinfection. Here we design catalytic antimicrobial robots (CARs) that precisely and controllably kill, degrade and remove biofilms with remarkable efficiency. CARs exploit iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) with dual catalytic-magnetic functionality that (i) generate bactericidal free radicals, (ii) breakdown the biofilm exopolysaccharide (EPS) matrix, and (iii) remove the fragmented biofilm debris via magnetic field driven robotic assemblies. We develop two distinct CAR platforms. The first platform, the biohybrid CAR, is formed from NPs and biofilm degradation products. After catalytic bacterial killing and EPS disruption, magnetic field gradients assemble NPs and the biodegraded products into a plow-like superstructure. When driven with an external magnetic field, the biohybrid CAR completely removes biomass in a controlled manner, preventing biofilm regrowth. Biohybrid CARs can be swept over broad swathes of surface or can be moved over well-defined paths for localized removal with microscale precision. The second platform, the 3D molded CAR, is a polymeric soft robot with embedded catalytic-magnetic NPs, formed in a customized 3D printed mold to perform specific tasks in enclosed domains. Vane-shaped CARs remove biofilms from curved walls of cylindrical tubes, and helicoid-shaped CARs drill through biofilm clogs, while simultaneously killing bacteria. In addition, we demonstrate applications of CARs to target highly confined anatomical surfaces in the interior of human teeth. These ‘kill-degrade-and-remove’ CARs systems could have significant impact in fighting persistent biofilm-infections and in mitigating biofouling of medical devices and diverse surfaces.

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Microrobots have many potential uses in microbiology since they can be remotely actuated and precisely manipulated in biochemical fluids. Cellular function and response depends on biochemicals. Therefore, various delivery methods have been developed for delivering biologically relevant cargo using microrobots. However, localized targeting without payload leakage during transport is challenging. Here, we design a microrobotic platform capable of on-demand delivery of signaling molecules in biological systems. The on-demand delivery method is based on a light-responsive photolabile linker which releases a cell-to-cell signaling molecule when exposed to light, integrated on the surface of microrobots. Successful delivery of the signaling molecules and subsequent gene regulation is also demonstrated. This proposed method can be used for multiple applications, especially in biology, engineering, and medicine where on-demand delivery of chemical cargo at targeted locations is important.

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