Printable Nanorobots and Microswimmers for Therapeutic Advancement: Present Status and Future Opportunities

초록

Recently, additive manufacturing or 3D printing has gained enormous attention in developing nanorobots and microswimmers for biomedical advancement. 3D printing allows the translation of computer-aided designs into accurate 3D models through the layer-by-layer deposition method. Various printing methods, such as stereolithography (SLA), inkjet, laser, and direct-ink-writing (DIW), are employed to achieve high-resolution 3D structures using biocompatible and biodegradable polymers. 3D printable biopolymers can be categorized as shape-morphing, photo-curable, or cell-laden polymers. 3D printing can help to develop nanorobots for several therapeutic applications, such as drug delivery, bioimaging, tumor clearance, and toxic compound removal. This chapter briefly discusses an overview of various 3D printable nanorobots/microswimmers and their fabrication process, stimuli responsiveness, and drug delivery application for tumor therapy. A future outlook on the 3D printing of intelligent microrobots and microswimmers is also discussed in this chapter. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023.

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