News
Physical Intelligence
Press Release
25-02-2026
Magnetic Microrobot Swarms Enable Contactless Manipulation of Objects Through Fluidic Torque
The microrobots act as motors to move millimeter-sized passive objects without physical contact
In a study, a team of researchers 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.
Gaurav Gardi
Metin Sitti
Kirstin Petersen
Physical Intelligence
Press Release
28-01-2026
Beyond Polymers: New state-of-the-art 3D micro and nanofabrication technique overcomes material limitations
Method relies on light-driven or optofluidic assembly
In a Nature publication, scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and the National University of Singapore introduce an innovative optofluidic 3D micro- and nanofabrication technique that overcomes the material limitations of traditional two-photon polymerization. Inside a liquid, the team utilizes a femtosecond laser to generate localized thermal gradients and fluid flows that drive a wide range of micro- and nanoparticles into pre-printed microtemplates. This light-driven assembly enables the printing of structures made from a wide range of materials, sometimes even combined, overcoming the previous limitation to polymers. This technology can now be used to construct tiny micro-robots that can be controlled magnetically or by using light.
Xianglong Lyu
Gaurav Gardi
Muhammad Turab Ali Khan
Mingchao Zhang
Metin Sitti
Physical Intelligence
Press Release
14-01-2026
Hydrogel cilia set new standard in microrobotics
Scientists create biologically realistic artificial cilia
Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Koç University in Istanbul have created hydrogel-based artificial cilia that move almost exactly like real biological cilia – the closest imitation achieved so far. The researchers can program each micrometer-sized cilium to move freely in space – just like cilia in the human body. With their research, the scientists aim to investigate how natural cilia function, how they coordinate their movement, and what role they play in brain development, signal perception, and fluid movement, for example. Because the artificial cilia are soft and easy to control, they could one day be used in medical devices to help people whose natural cilia are damaged or not working properly. The fast, low-voltage motion demonstrated in their study could also inspire a new generation of tiny robots that were previously impossible at such small scales. This milestone work was published in Nature on January 14, 2026.
Zemin Liu
Ziyu Ren
Chunxiang Wang
Wenkang Wang
Jongkuk Ko
Shanyuan Song
Chong Hong
Wenqi Hu
Metin Sitti
Physical Intelligence
Press Release
15-09-2025
Matryoshka doll-like robot changes its shape in real time and in situ
In a paper published in Nature, scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, Germany, introduce a method by which they can reprogram a stack of magnetic tubes in real time and in situ. Rearranging and recombining each tube’s magnetic unit enables the nesting doll-like robot to achieve unprecedented shape-shifting capabilities, unlocking new possibilities for soft robots. Such robots could be used for a variety of applications, including medical devices.
Metin Sitti
Xianqiang Bao
Fan Wang
Jianhua Zhang
