Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
In a study, a team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, the University of Michigan, and Cornell University show that groups of magnetic microrobots can generate fluidic forces strong enough to rotate objects in different directions without touching them. These microrobot swarms can turn gear systems, rotate objects much larger than the robots themselves, assemble structures on their own, and even pull in or push away many small objects. The work was now published in Science Advances:
“Fluidic Torque-Enabled Object Manipulation by Microrobot Collectives”
Steven Ceron, Gaurav Gardi, Kirstin Petersen, Metin Sitti
doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aea9947
is.mpg.de/en/news/magnetic-microrobot-swarms-enable-contactless-manipulation-of-objects-through-fluidic-torque
In a study, a team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, the University of Michigan, and Cornell University show that groups of magnetic microrobots can generate fluidic forces strong enough to rotate objects in different directions without touching them. These microrobot swarms can turn gear systems, rotate objects much larger than the robots themselves, assemble structures on their own, and even pull in or push away many small objects. The work was now published in Science Advances:
“Fluidic Torque-Enabled Object Manipulation by Microrobot Collectives”
Steven Ceron, Gaurav Gardi, Kirstin Petersen, Metin Sitti
doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aea9947
is.mpg.de/en/news/magnetic-microrobot-swarms-enable-contactless-manipulation-of-objects-through-fluidic-torque
