Cutting-edge research, the European Research Council funds with an ERC Starting Grant the I-BOT project for the development of implantable microrobots able to navigate in a controlled and non-invasive way through the human body

Developing the first generation of implantable microrobots able to navigate in a controlled and non-invasive way through the human body. This is the main objective of I-BOT (Implantable microroBOT), the new project of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna of Pisa funded by the European Research Council (ERC) with ERC Starting Grants. The project will officially start on 1 January 2025, will last five years with an investment of €1.5 million, and will be coordinated by Veronica Iacovacci, assistant professor at the BioRobotics Institute of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna. After graduating in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Pisa, Iacovacci obtained her PhD in BioRobotics in 2017 and worked as a Post Doctoral Fellow at the BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, ETH Zurich and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. In 2020, he was awarded a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship for the Mambo project (development of magnetic microrobots for localised therapies inside the human body).

"Receiving an ERC Starting Grant represents a unique opportunity for professional and scientific growth. I-BOT aims to develop new core technologies, from robotics to materials science, to address challenges in the field of medical devices and non-invasive interventional medicine" says Veronica Iacovacci.

Microrobotics in the medical field: scenarios and perspectives

Microrobotics in the medical field originated from a literary intuition. In 1966, Isaac Asimov published the novel ‘Fantastic Voyage’ in which a team of miniaturised surgeons sails aboard a submarine into the body of a patient to save his life. This sci-fi vision inspired generations of researchers and marked the birth of medical micro-robotics. Over the years, research has focused on developing systems for the controlled delivery of drugs or other therapies directly to specific cells or tissues.
The ERC I-BOT project aims at a substantial paradigm shift to design implantable micro-robots capable of performing medical procedures such as sutures, tissue repair and long-term diagnostic monitoring.

A new generation of microrobots

The ERC project I-BOT aims to address this challenge by developing the first generation of implantable microrobots. The microrobots will be able to navigate in a controlled and non-invasive way through the human body to reach the area to be treated. Through the combined action of ultrasound and magnetic fields, the microrobots will be able to change their geometry and size to adapt to the implant site and get in contact with the surrounding tissues. This interaction will last long providing the microrobots with the ability to exert force and perform the medical function for which they were designed.

"During the project, we will analyse a number of case studies ranging from ulcers filling in the gastro-intestinal tract, to vascular grafts and up to systems for monitoring tumoral lesions. These case studies will allow us to understand the potential of implantable micro-robots and their clinical impact" add Iacovacci.