Small-scale wireless soft robotics can be designed as implantable, interventional or wearable devices for various biomedical applications. Their flexibility, dexterity, adaptability and safe interactions with biological environments make them promising candidates for enabling precise and remote healthcare and disease diagnosis. However, the clinical translation of wireless soft robotic medical devices remains challenging. In this Review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the robotic technologies, the navigation methods, the dexterous functions and the translational challenges of wireless soft robotic medical devices. We first discuss safety and biocompatibility from a biological and technical perspective and then examine navigation methods for overcoming biological barriers for delivery, mobility and retrieval, highlighting dexterous medical functions at small scales. Finally, we identify key product development challenges, as well as the regulatory and ethical considerations that should be addressed to enable the clinical translation of wireless soft robotic medical devices.
Key points: Small-scale wireless soft robotic devices are promising for various clinical applications, but important challenges remain to be addressed to enable their clinical translation.Proof-of-concept devices have been designed with various navigation and control strategies for overcoming biological barriers and for allowing device deployment, mobility and retrieval from the body.Biocompatibility, navigation methods, basic and dexterous functions, and fabrication challenges should be solved interdependently with a holistic perspective.Ethical concerns, regulatory requirements, scalable production techniques and financial sustainability should be addressed to enable the clinical translation of small-scale wireless soft robotic devices.
Small-scale wireless soft robotic devices are promising tools for various medical applications. This Review outlines safety, navigation and functionality challenges, as well as the ethical and regulatory considerations that remain to be addressed for their clinical translation.