Overview

Through fusing materials into thin, elongated strands with structured cross-sections, recent advances in multimaterial fibers have enabled myriad applications for simultaneous sensing of many different inputs. Addressing the underlying challenges of preform fabrication, thermal compatibility of dissimilar materials with heterogeneous properties, and functional material deposition enables the creation of flexible embodiments such as smart fabrics or miniaturized devices for in vivo applications. By leveraging micro-nano fabrication techniques, microscale devices can be integrated at the tip of the fiber with photo, thermal, magnetic, electro, pneumatic, or hydraulic actuation, leading to thin, tethered fiberbots for targeted therapy and endoluminal intervention.

Why it Matters

The emergence of Fiberbots has brought breakthrough solutions to the field of minimally invasive medicine, with its core value lying in addressing key bottlenecks in traditional minimally invasive surgery, such as unstable energy transmission, insufficient instrument flexibility, and low functional integration. Through innovative processes including multimaterial thermal drawing, this technology seamlessly integrates functionalities of optics, magnetics, electronics, and microfluidics into ultra-fine fiber structures, enabling the synergy of multiple capabilities such as precise navigation, sensing, and laser ablation. It has demonstrated remarkable advantages of minimal invasiveness, high efficiency, and high precision in clinical scenarios like neuromodulation and knee joint surgery. This technological evolution from concept to clinical validation has not only propelled the development of medical robots toward miniaturization, flexibility, and multifunctionality but also furnished a new paradigm for precise diagnosis and treatment in complex anatomical environments. It is anticipated to substantially improve surgical outcomes, thereby accelerating the clinical translation of interdisciplinary medical innovations.

Highlights

This article systematically summarizes the key advances of Fiberbots from laboratory concepts to practical applications: In terms of core fabrication, relying on multimaterial thermal drawing process and micro-nano fabrication technologies such as two-photon polymerization and oxygen plasma etching, the integration of functional materials including magnetic particles, infrared-transmitting glasses, and shape-memory polymers has been achieved, constructing an ultra-fine fiber architecture with both mechanical stability and biocompatibility; in terms of actuation and control, diversified schemes such as thermal actuation, optical actuation, and magnetic actuation have been developed; in terms of functions and applications, Fiberbots have been implemented in diverse scenarios including neural interface construction, gut-brain signal modulation, and precise bone tissue ablation. Additionally, the article further identifies key directions for clinical translation, such as fiber diameter optimization, closed-loop image-guided control, and interdisciplinary collaboration, laying a solid foundation for the large-scale application of this technology.

Figure 1. Evolution of fiberbot technologies from laboratory settings to practical applications. (A) Fabrication of multimaterial blocks for multifunctional fibers, including preform assembly, thermal drawing, and subsequent treatments. (B) Microelectronics-integrated fibers enabling wireless brain-gut neural modulation. (C) Microgripper for a tethered snake-like robot and SEM image of the microgripper at the tip. (D) Bistable fiber tip microgripper for stable micro-object grasping and handling. (E) Tip displacement patterns and integration with laser scanning confocal endomicroscopy and rapid evaporative ionization mass spectrometry platforms for in situ, in vivo tissue characterization. (F) Thermal drawing process for shape memory polymer fibers (SMPFs) and shape recovery with straight and helical wires. (G) Submillimeter fiberbot for endoluminal manipulation with decoupled macro-micro motion. (H) Multifunctional ferromagnetic fiber robots for neural probe insertion. (I) Magnetically actuated multimaterial fiberbot for precise knee laser surgery.

https://www.cell.com/matter/fulltext/S2590-2385(25)00577-6