Soft robotics for physical simulators, artificial organs and implantable assistive devices

Abstract

In recent years, soft robotics technologies enabled the development of a new generation of biomedical devices. The combination of elastomeric materials with tunable properties and muscle-like motions paved the way toward more realistic phantoms and innovative soft active implants as artificial organs or assistive mechanisms. This review collects the most relevant studies in the field, giving some insights about their distribution in the past ten years, and their level of development, and opening a discussion about the most commonly employed materials and actuating technologies. The reported results show some promising trends, highlighting that the soft robotics approach can help replicate specific material characteristics, in the case of static or passive organs, but also reproduce peculiar natural motion patterns for the realization of dynamic phantoms or implants. At the same time, some important challenges still need to be addressed. However, by joining forces with other research fields and disciplines, it will be possible to get one step closer to the development of complex, active, self-sensing and deformable structures able to replicate as closely as possible the typical properties and functionalities of our natural body organs.

Advancements in materials, manufacturing, propulsion and localization: propelling soft robotics for medical applications

“…In vitro medical applications of soft robots include but not limit to: environmental monitoring ( Rao et al, 2015 ; Chen X.-Z. et al, 2017 ), surgical assistance ( Kim H. et al, 2020 ), rehabilitation therapy ( Al-Fahaam et al, 2016 ), targeted delivery ( Li et al, 2022 ), developing disease models ( Roche et al, 2017 ; Zrinscak et al, 2023 ), functional structures ( Calderon et al, 2019 ; Pang et al, 2021 ; Ying et al, 2021 ) and tissue engineering ( Zhou Y. et al, 2021 ). Solovev et al (2010) wirelessly controlled microrobots using external magnets to assist with loading, transport, delivery, and assembly of microparticles and nanosheets in fuel solutions, shown in Figure 2A .…”

“…Given ethical constraints, direct in vivo experimentation with humans can be highly complex, so establishing accurate in vitro disease models is crucial for furthering soft robotics in biomedicine. In Zrinscak et al (2023) , the authors introduce disease models of the gastrointestinal tract, respiratory system, cardiovascular system, and other organs amenable to soft robotics research. Adams et al (2017) fabricated a kidney using diverse materials, illustrated in Figure 2B .…”

Bioadhesive Technology Platforms

“…On a larger scale, soft robotic technologies that recapitulate the mechanical motion of natural body parts have transformative potential as assistive devices and artificial organs. − Such implants have previously leveraged mechanical bands, sutures, or suction to fix them in place; however, these methods increase device bulkiness, inflict uneven stress localization, and can elicit significant inflammation . Efficient mechanical coupling between soft robots and tissues is a crucial but challenging aspect of their performance, requiring a bioadhesive material that can achieve conformal contact over a large, nonplanar surface area .…”

A Soft Robotic Actuator System for In Vivo Modeling of Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus

“…Motivated by recent advances in soft robotics that led to the development of simulators of pathophysiology and in vivo models of disease [15], [16], [17], [18], this article introduces a new soft robotic actuator system for the reproduction of pathological CSF dynamics in vivo. More specifically, the objective is to support the development of an alternative large animal model of hydrocephalus by mimicking the pathological characteristics of the ICP waveform in normal pressure hydrocephalus through mechanical amplification of the intracranial pulse pressure amplitudes [19], [20], [21].…”