News | Physical Intelligence

Physical Intelligence News 05-02-2026 OptoMaG: An Optoacoustically Augmented Magnetic Guidewire for Radiation-Free Image-Guided Therapies Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, ETH Zurich, Southeast University, and Koç University have developed an optoacoustically augmented magnetic guidewire (OptoMaG), that integrates optoacoustic imaging, magnetic navigation, and therapeutic functionality into a single flexible guidewire, enabling radiation-free, real-time navigation in complex vascular environments. Unlike conventional X-ray–guided interventions, OptoMaG provides high-contrast three-dimensional visualization in deep tissue and contact-free magnetic steering. Fan Wang Xianqiang Bao Erdost Yildiz Yan Yu Ren Hao Soon Jelena Zinnanti Metin Sitti Wenbin Kang Devin Sheehan

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 Blog Post 3 minute read 03-11-2025 BLOG: Active Droplets Get a Magnetic Upgrade: Controlling Self-propelling Droplets and Their Collectives This blog post was written by Muhammad Turab Ali Khan from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems. Muhammad Turab Ali Khan Gaurav Gardi Ren Hao Soon Mingchao Zhang Metin Sitti Ugur Bozüyük

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

Physical Intelligence News 29-07-2025 EndoSurge wins 3rd place in Science2Start competition Max Planck Start-up develops MRI-compatible catheter system to treat cardiovascular disease Martin Phelan Siddhant Prakash

Physical Intelligence News 13-04-2025 Ren Hao Soon named 2025 Schmidt Science Fellow Pioneering researcher in magnetic millirobotics to pivot into biomedical sciences with prestigious fellowship

Physical Intelligence News 17-03-2025 Magnetic microalgae on a mission to become robots Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems developed a single-cell green microalgae coated with magnetic material. This miniature robot was put to the test: would the microalgae with its magnetic coating be able to swim through narrow spaces and, additionally, in a viscous fluid that mimics those found in the human body? Would the tiny robot be able to fight its way through these difficult conditions? The team's research has now been published in the journal Matter. Metin Sitti Birgül Akolpoglu Saadet Baltaci

Physical Intelligence News 07-11-2024 3D robot navigation could enable multi-site medical procedures Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, Germany, developed a novel method for deploying several magnetic miniature robots which can easily navigate through a 3D matrix resembling a network of blood vessels. This new method could one day enable the simultaneous treatment of multiple locations in hard-to-reach areas of the human body, which is currently unattainable with conventional tools. This innovative approach could significantly reduce procedure time and increase the effectiveness of minimally invasive therapies. Chunxiang Wang Tianlu Wang Li Mingtong Rongjing Zhang Metin Sitti

Physical Intelligence Appointment 01-10-2024 Mengmeng Sun became Assistant Professor at National University of Singapore, Singapore. Mengmeng Sun

Physical Intelligence Appointment 01-10-2024 Mingchao Zhang became the Presidential Assistant Professor at National University of Singapore. Mingchao Zhang

Physical Intelligence Appointment 15-07-2024 Rongjing Zhang becomes Associate Professor at the Beihang University, China Rongjing Zhang

Physical Intelligence Appointment 01-07-2024 Aarushi Bhargava becomes Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA Aarushi Bhargava

Physical Intelligence Award 01-05-2024 Ali Amini Harandi received the NSREC postdoctoral fellowship from Canada. Ali Amini Harandi

Physical Intelligence CELLnROLL News 11-04-2024 Cyber Valley grants 500K to CELL’n’ROLL via 2023 Innovation Fellowship Program Cyber Valley Community is advancing diagnostics for the future CELL’n’ROLL aims to develop next-generation diagnostic solutions for detecting complex diseases such as cancer. Alp Can Karacakol Erdost Yildiz Ugur Bozüyük

Physical Intelligence Award 01-04-2024 CELLnROLL team has been awarded the CyberValley Innovation Fellowship. Erdost Yildiz Alp Can Karacakol Ugur Bozüyük

Physical Intelligence Award 01-04-2024 Chong Hong, Yingdan Wu and Metin Sitti received the Best Workshop Poster Award in the IEEE Robotics and Automation Conference Chong Hong Yingdan Wu Metin Sitti

Physical Intelligence Award 01-04-2024 Xianqiang Bao and Metin Sitti received the Best Paper Award in Automation in the IEEE Int. Conference on Mechatronics and Automation Xianqiang Bao Metin Sitti

Physical Intelligence Award 06-02-2024 Metin Sitti is elected as a member of National Academy of Engineering Metin Sitti

Physical Intelligence Award 01-01-2024 Metin Sitti was elected as the Highly Cited Researcher and received the Material Science Leader Award by Clarivate. Metin Sitti

Physical Intelligence Appointment 01-01-2024 Tianlu Wang becomes Assistant Professor at the University of Hawaii Tianlu Wang

Physical Intelligence Appointment 01-01-2024 Yingdan Wu became Assistant Professor at Harbin Institute of Technology in China. Yingdan Wu

Physical Intelligence Appointment 01-01-2024 Ziyu Ren became Associate Professor at Beihang University, China Ziyu Ren

Physical Intelligence Award 01-12-2023 Ugur Bozüyük receives the ETH Silver Medal for his outstanding doctoral thesis "Magnetic Surface Microrollers for Endovascular Navigation". Ugur Bozuyuk

Robotic Materials Physical Intelligence News 06-10-2023 Eine Qualle steht Modell Test Sie gelten nicht als Sympathieträger der Meere, doch in puncto Unter- wasserantrieb setzen sie Maßstäbe: Nicht zuletzt weil Quallen besonders effizient schwimmen, hat ein Team des Max-Planck-Instituts für Intelligente Systeme in Stuttgart einen Roboter nach dem Vorbild der Nesseltiere konstruiert. Jellyfish-Bots könnten in Zukunft helfen, besonders empfind- liche Ökosysteme wie Korallenriffe von Plastikmüll zu befreien. Tianlu Wang Hyeong-Joon Joo

Physical Intelligence Appointment 03-10-2023 Yunus Alapan has been appointed Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. Yunus Alapan

Physical Intelligence Appointment 01-09-2023 Aniket Pal becomes an Assistant Professor at the University of Stuttgart, Germany. Aniket Pal

Physical Intelligence Appointment 31-08-2023 Wenqi Hu became Assistant Professor at HKUST in Hong Kong, China. Wenqi Hu

Physical Intelligence Blog Post 3 minute read 22-08-2023 Blog: Shaping the future: Hydrogel muscles empowering advanced information encryption Recent research led by Professor Metin Sitti at the Physical Intelligence Department of the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems has introduced an innovative strategy for achieving precise transformations of microscale metastructures actuated by hydrogel artificial muscles. Mingchao Zhang Metin Sitti Aniket Pal Zhiqiang Zheng Gaurav Gardi Erdost Yildiz

Physical Intelligence News 18-08-2023 Soft Robotic Tool provides new 'eyes' in endovascular surgery The magnetic device can help visualise and navigate complex and narrow spaces Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart have developed a soft robotic tool that promises to one day transform minimally invasive endovascular surgery. The two-part magnetic tool can help to visualise in real time the fine morphological details of partial vascular blockages such as stenoses, even in the narrowest and most curved vessels. It can also find its way through severe blockages such as chronic total occlusions. This tool could one day take the perception of endovascular medical devices a step further. Metin Sitti Tianlu Wang Yingbo Yan Rongjing Zhang Wenqi Hu

Physical Intelligence Appointment 01-08-2023 Junghwan Byun became Senior Researcher at KIST in S. Korea. Junghwan Byun

Physical Intelligence Appointment 01-08-2023 Metin Sitti has been appointed as the President of the Koc University Metin Sitti

Physical Intelligence Award 14-07-2023 Birgül Akolpoglu wins the 2023 MPI-IS Outstanding Female Doctoral Student Prize. Nihal Olcay Dogan receives an Honorable Mention for this prize. Birgül Akolpoglu Nihal Olcay Dogan

Physical Intelligence Award 06-07-2023 MAXMINDS project has been awarded the MPG Diversity Excellence Fund Erdost Yildiz

Physical Intelligence Award 30-06-2023 Martin Phelan was invited to the launch of the European Cancer Community Foundation Martin Phelan

Physical Intelligence News 20-06-2023 Pangolin the inspiration for medical robot Robot is made of metal and yet is soft and flexible Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart have developed a magnetically controlled soft medical robot with a unique, flexible structure inspired by the body of a pangolin. The robot is freely movable despite built-in hard metal components. Thus, depending on the magnetic field, it can adapt its shape to be able to move and can emit heat when needed, allowing for functionalities such as selective cargo transportation and release as well as mitigation of bleeding. The research was published in Nature Communications on 20 June 2023. Ren Hao Soon Zhen Yin Metin Alp Dogan Nihal Olcay Dogan Mehmet Efe Tiryaki Alp Can Karacakol Asli Aydin Pouria Esmaeili-Dokht Metin Sitti

Physical Intelligence Award 17-06-2023 Martin Phelan: 2nd place in the Fallings Walls Lab competition for Baden-Württemberg for the pitch “Breaking the Wall of Radiation-free Surgery” Martin Phelan

Physical Intelligence Appointment 01-06-2023 Immihan Ceren Garip became Assistant Professor at HKUST in China. Immihan Ceren Yasa

Physical Intelligence Appointment 01-06-2023 Oncay Yasa became Assistant Professor at HKUST in China. Oncay Yasa

Physical Intelligence Appointment 01-06-2023 Zhen Yin became Full Professor at Tongji University in China. Zhen Yin

Physical Intelligence Appointment 01-05-2023 Jongkuk Ko became Tenure-Track Assistant Professor at Kookmin University in S. Korea. Jongkuk Ko

Robotic Materials Physical Intelligence News 25-04-2023 Jellyfish-like robots could one day clean up the world’s oceans Roboticists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart have developed a jellyfish-inspired underwater robot with which they hope one day to collect waste from the bottom of the ocean. The almost noise-free prototype can trap objects underneath its body without physical contact, thereby enabling safe interactions in delicate environments such as coral reefs. Jellyfish-Bot could become an important tool for environmental remediation. Tianlu Wang Hyeong-Joon Joo Shanyuan Song Wenqi Hu Christoph Keplinger Metin Sitti

Physical Intelligence 01-04-2023 Mehmet Efe Tiryaki and Metin Sitti received the Best Medical Robotics Award Honorable Mention in the IEEE Robotics and Automation Conference Mehmet Efe Tiryaki Metin Sitti

Physical Intelligence News 30-03-2023 Birgül Akolpoglu selected to join the 72nd Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting The doctoral researcher from the Physical Intelligence Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, is one of 635 young scientists from across the world who are given the opportunity to participate in a week of scientific exchange with some of the world’s greatest minds. Birgül Akolpoglu Metin Sitti

Physical Intelligence Award 20-03-2023 Wenbin Kang received the Marie-Curie postdoctoral fellowship. Wenbin Kang

Physical Intelligence Appointment 01-03-2023 Wei Feng became Full Professor at University of Science and Technology of China in China. Wei Feng

Physical Intelligence Appointment 01-02-2023 Jaekang Kim became Tenure-Track Assistant Professor at Gachon University in S. Korea. Jaekang Kim

Physical Intelligence Award 30-01-2023 Ziyu Ren was honored with the ETH Silver Medal for his outstanding doctoral thesis. Ziyu Ren

Physical Intelligence News 30-01-2023 Ziyu Ren wins ETH Silver Medal The postdoctoral researcher at MPI-IS was honored for his outstanding doctoral thesis Ziyu Ren Metin Sitti

Physical Intelligence 01-01-2023 Metin Sitti was elected as the Highly Cited Researcher and received the Material Science Leader Award by Clarivate. Metin Sitti