Medical Design Briefs - January 2025 - 19

n Toroidal Micro Robot Swims Autonomously
Researchers have made
a significant breakthrough
in soft robotics. Their
study introduces the
first toroidal, light-driven
micro robot that can
move autonomously in
viscous liquids, such as
mucus. This innovation
marks a major step forward
in developing microrobots capable of navigating complex
environments, with promising applications in fields
such as medicine and environmental monitoring.
At the heart of their research is a synthetic material known
as liquid crystalline elastomer. This elastomer reacts to stimuli like
lasers. When heated, it rotates on its own due to a special zero-elastic-energy
mode (ZEEM), caused by the interaction of
static and dynamic forces. By using a single beam of light to
trigger nonreciprocal motion, these robots leverage ZEEM to
autonomously determine their movements.
Future research will explore the interactions and collective
dynamics of multiple tori, potentially leading to new methods
of communication between these intelligent microrobots. (Image
credit: Hao Zeng, Tampere University)
For more information, visit www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/
roundup/0125/soft-robotics.
n Wearable Laser Monitors Brain Blood Flow
Researchers have
developed a laserbased
device that
can be placed on the
head to noninva sively
monitor changes
in brain blood flow
and volume. The
new device could
one day help save lives by offering a direct and simple way to assess
stroke risk based on physiological markers rather than indirect
markers like lifestyle factors.
The approach uses speckle contrast optical spectroscopy
(SCOS) to track changes in blood flow and volume during a
breath-holding exercise. The researchers report that the portable
system was able to differentiate between low and high
stroke risk in a group of 50 volunteers.
The simple, portable spectroscopy system that consists of a laser
diode and a CMOS-based camera that can be placed on the head
with no external optical elements. SCOS works by shining an infrared
laser or light onto the brain and analyzing the patterns of scattered
light. The infrared light can penetrate the skull and brain,
producing a back-scattered speckle pattern that varies with changes
in blood flow and tissue oxygenation. (Image credit: Optica)
For more information, visit www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/
roundup/0125/wearable-laser.
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Medical Design Briefs, January 2025
www.medicaldesignbriefs.com
19

http://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/roundup/0125/wearable-laser http://ww.medicaldesignbriefs.com/roundup/0125/soft-robotics http://ww.medicaldesignbriefs.com/roundup/0125/soft-robotics http://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/roundup/0125/wearable-laser http://info.hotims.com/87800-732 http://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com

Medical Design Briefs - January 2025

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