Magnetically Actuated Miniature Robots for Medical Applications: Advancements in Design, Control and Navigation

This book investigates in detail magnetically actuated microrobots technology. It explores the potential of magnetically actuated miniature robots to revolutionize medical interventions, such as targeted drug delivery, minimally invasive surgeries, and tissue manipulation. Drawing interest from multidisciplinary fields including robotics, medicine, and materials science, this book provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the design, control, and navigation of magnetically actuated miniature robots. It emphasizes integrated analysis and underscores the pivotal role of precise control and navigation in enhancing medical procedures. Tailored for researchers, engineers, and medical professionals, this book serves as a valuable resource for advancing the frontier of medical robotics and improving patient outcomes.

Li Zhang is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering and a Professor by Courtesy in the Department of Surgery at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). He also serves as a supervisor for joint training of PhD students at the Shenzhen Loop Area Institute (SLAI), and acts as a programme leader in the Multi-scale Medical Robotics Center (MRC), InnoHK, at the Hong Kong Science Park. Dr. Zhang’s primary research interests include small-scale robotics and their translational applications. He has authored or co-authored over 400 publications (H-index: 93), including Science Robotics (2017, 2021, 2024, 2025a, 2025b), Nature Machine Intelligence (2020, 2022,2024), Nature Materials (2024), Nature Reviews Bioengineering (2024, 2026a, 2026b), Nature Synthesis (2025), Nature Biomedical Engineering (2025), as a corresponding author. Dr. Zhang is elected as Fellow of IEEE (FIEEE), American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (FAIMBE), American Society of Mechanical Engineers (FASME), Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC), Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association (FAAIA), The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (FHKIE), a member of the Hong Kong Young Academy of Sciences (YASHK), and an Outstanding Fellow of the Faculty of Engineering at CUHK. He also serves as Senior Editor for IEEE T-ASE and IEEE T-RO, and as Associate Editor for Science Advances (AAAS).

Tiantian Xu (Senior Member, IEEE) is currently a Professor with the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China. Dr. Xu’s main research interests include small-scale robotics and their applications for translational biomedicine. She has authored or co-authored over 100 publications, including Nature、Nature Biomedical Engineering、Science Robotics,TRO,Advanced Materials.

Mingxue Cai received the Ph.D. degree in control theory and control engineering from the Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China, in 2020. From 2021 to 2023, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. He is currently an Associate Professor with the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China. He has authored or co-authored over 40 publications, including Nature、Nature Communication,TRO.

Moqiu Zhang is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering (MAE) at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). He obtained his Ph.D. in Mechanical and Automation Engineering from CUHK in 2024. His research interests lie in the development of magnetic manipulation systems, magnetic microrobot localization, and tethered magnetic microrobots for medical applications. Dr. Zhang was the recipient of the Best Student Paper Award at the 2022 International Conference on Manipulation, Automation and Robotics at Small Scales (MARSS). He has authored or co-authored multiple publications in prestigious journals, including Nature Synthesis, Science Advances, and IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics (TMECH).