A bioinspired magnetically driven mother–child robot with controllable exfoliation behavior for targeted drug delivery

A bioinspired magnetically driven mother–child robot with controllable exfoliation behavior for targeted drug delivery | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article A bioinspired magnetically driven mother–child robot with controllable exfoliation behavior for targeted drug delivery Xinjian Fan, Dingwen Tong, Yanshuo Wei, Xuanyi Huang, Yinglun Zhou, and 7 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9206525/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Intrinsic physiological barriers impede the effective accumulation of locally acting drugs at target spots, and overcoming these physiological obstacles has become a major bottleneck limiting the advancement of targeted drug delivery systems. Existing drug-loaded micro/nanorobots attempt to adapt to the physiological environment. However, they encounter challenges in balancing actuation performance, controlled drug release and biological compatibility. Inspired by the attachment behavior of North American opossum, we present a magnetically driven mother-child robot (MCR) system: the mother robot (MR) uses NdFeB as the core to achieve strong magnetic response and load-bearing capacity, while the child robots (CRs) use Fe₃O₄-gelatin as the matrix to ensure biocompatibility and drug-loading functionality. The MCR can exhibit behaviors such as trench crossing, gap passing, and obstacle climbing that CRs cannot accomplish independently. Employing the excised porcine stomach with relatively complex physiological environments as the experimental model, coupled with a large-space magnetic control system and ultrasonic detection system, MCR enables directional navigation and controllable exfoliation of CRs. Through acid-resistant modification with calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) and stimulation by near-infrared (NIR) laser and magnetic field, the CRs possess structural stability in acidic environments and drug controlled-release. The MCR system offers an innovative solution that can break through complex physiological barriers and drive the development of targeted drug delivery technology. Physical sciences/Engineering/Biomedical engineering Biological sciences/Drug discovery/Drug delivery Bioinspired magnetically driven mother-child robot targeted drug delivery controlled drug release gastric administration Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SupportinginformationNC.pdf Supporting information SupplementaryMovies.zip Supplementary Movies Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9206525","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":630228272,"identity":"7af69667-531e-48d5-9c07-2f3b6b78c9dd","order_by":0,"name":"Xinjian 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