Tiny, soft robot flexes its potential as a life saver

Flexible, semi-autonomous robot could potentially find disaster victims buried in rubble, deliver medicine inside body

Penn State

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These tiny robots use magnetism to move and explore tight spaces, potentially including disaster rubble or the human body. 

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Credit: Jennifer M. McCann/Penn State

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A tiny, soft, flexible robot that can crawl through earthquake rubble to find trapped victims or travel inside the human body to deliver medicine may seem like science fiction, but an international team led by researchers at Penn State are pioneering such adaptable robots by integrating flexible electronics with magnetically controlled motion. 

Soft robotics, unlike traditional rigid robots, are made from flexible materials that mimic the movement of living organisms. This flexibility makes them ideal for navigating tight spaces, such as debris in a disaster zone or the intricate pathways of the human body. However, integrating sensors and electronics into these flexible systems has posed a significant challenge, according Huanyu “Larry” Cheng, James L. Henderson, Jr. Memorial Associate Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Penn State. 

"The biggest challenge really was to make it smart," said Cheng, co-corresponding author of the team’s study published in Nano-Micro Letters. "For most applications, soft robotics have been a one-way communication system, meaning they rely on external control to navigate through complex environments. Our goal was to integrate smart sensors so these robots could interact with their surroundings and operate with minimal human intervention." 

A principal factor in making these robots smarter lies in the integration of flexible electronics, which enables their key features. 

"We wanted to design a system where soft robotics and flexible electronics work together seamlessly," Cheng said. "Traditional electronics are rigid, which makes integration difficult. Our solution was to distribute the electronic components in a way that preserves the robot’s flexibility while maintaining robust performance." 

Cheng and his team shot videos of the robots in action, capturing their dynamic behavior as they crawl and roll into a ball to move along a simple course. The robots move using hard magnetic materials embedded in their flexible structure, which allows the robots to respond predictably to an external magnetic field. By adjusting the field’s strength and direction, researchers can control the robots’ movements, such as bending, twisting or crawling, without onboard power or physical connections such as wires.  

A major hurdle in developing this technology was figuring out how to keep the flexible electronics from hindering the robot’s movement.  

"Even though we designed the electronics to be flexible, their stiffness is still hundreds to thousands of times greater than the soft robotic material," Cheng said. "To overcome this, we distributed the electronics across the structure, reducing their impact on movement." 

Another challenge was blocking unwanted electrical interference, which can disrupt how an electronic device or system works. This interference comes from outside sources, like other electronics or wireless signals. Such interference would hinder movement and affect sensor performance.  

"Magnetic fields are crucial for controlling motion, but they can also disrupt electronic signals," Cheng noted. "We had to carefully design the electronic layout to minimize these interactions, ensuring that the sensors remained functional even in the presence of strong magnetic fields." 

With the magnetic interference minimized, the robots can be guided remotely using electromagnetic fields or handheld magnets — which limits the human intervention they need. Additionally, integrated sensors allow them to react autonomously to environmental cues. In search-and-rescue, for example, they are smart enough to navigate debris by detecting heat or obstacles. In medical applications, they might respond to pH changes or pressure, ensuring precise drug delivery or accurate sample collection.  

The next step for Cheng’s team is to refine the technology for such applications — including creating a “robot pill.” 

"One of the most fascinating potential applications is in implantable medical devices," said co-author Suk-Won Hwang, associate professor at the Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University. "We’re working on miniaturizing the system to make it suitable for biomedical use. Imagine a small robotic system that could be swallowed like a pill, navigate through the gastrointestinal tract and detect diseases or deliver drugs precisely where they’re needed." 

Such technology could provide a less invasive alternative to traditional diagnostic procedures, like biopsies, gathering data directly from the patient in real time, according to the researchers. 

"With integrated sensors, these robots could measure pH levels, detect abnormalities and even deliver medication to precise locations inside the body," Cheng explained. "That means fewer invasive surgeries and more targeted treatments, improving patient outcomes." 

Cheng said he also envisions future applications in vascular treatments.  

"If we can make these robots even smaller, they could be injected into blood vessels to treat cardiovascular diseases or deliver medication directly to affected areas," Cheng said. "That would open up entirely new possibilities for non-invasive medical treatments." 

While the team hasn’t yet given these robots an official name, Cheng said they are open to suggestions.  

"That’s a good suggestion," he said with a laugh. "Maybe we should get the public involved in naming them." 

Readers are invited to submit naming ideas to Cheng at huanyu.cheng@psu.edu.  

Along with Cheng and Hwang, other authors of the study from Penn State include Bowen Li, research assistant in engineering science and mechanics, and Ankan Dutta, doctoral student in mechanical engineering who is also affiliated with the Center for Neural Engineering. Joong Hoon Lee, Gwan-Jin Ko, Tae-Min Jang, Won Bae Han, Sueng Min Yang, Dong-Je Kim, Heeseok Kang, Jun Hyeon Lim, Chan-Hwi Eom and So Jeong Choi, KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University; and Sungkeun Han, Semiconductor R&D Center, Samsung Electronics Co., also contributed to the paper.  

The National Research Foundation of South Korea and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology supported this research.  

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Journal

Nano-Micro Letters

DOI

10.1007/s40820-024-01601-3 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Wireless, Multifunctional System-Integrated Programmable Soft Robot

 

Smoke from US wildfires, prescribed burns caused premature deaths, billions in health damages

Elderly, Native Americans, and Black communities suffered greatest harms

Carnegie Mellon University

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Since the end of the 20th century, air pollution from most U.S. sources has decreased, but emissions from wildland fires have risen. In a new study, researchers estimated that smoke from wildfires and prescribed burns caused $200 billion in health damages in 2017, and that these were associated with 20,000 premature deaths. Senior citizens were harmed the most, and Native American and Black communities experienced the greatest damages per capita.

The study, by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business, appears in Communications Earth & Environment.

“Many studies have found that fire smoke, like other air pollutants, is associated with increased morbidity and mortality risk,” explained Nicholas Muller

, CMU's Lester and Judith Lave Professor of Economics, Engineering and Public Policy, who coauthored the study. “But until recently, the associated social costs were less well understood.”

Fires produce ammonia, nitrogen oxides, primary fine particulate matter (PM2.5), sulfur dioxide and volatile organic compounds, all of which contribute to concentrations of ambient PM2.5. Any level of long-term exposure to PM2.5 is statistically associated with increased risk of mortality. Hence, in addition to the costs associated with fires themselves (e.g., flame-related injuries or deaths, property damage), substantial costs are associated with exposure to the resulting smoke. Similar pollution risks come from prescribed burns, which are used widely to mitigate wildfire risks.

In this study, researchers used an integrated assessment model to investigate the damages caused by ambient PM2.5 from smoke from wildfires and prescribed burns in census tracts across the contiguous United States in 2017.

Damages from fire smoke in 2017 amounted to more than $200 billion (17% of the total across all emission sources in the contiguous United States). The monetary damages are from approximately 20,000 premature deaths; roughly half were due to wildfire smoke and half were due to prescribed burns. In addition, the study found that:

• Nearly half of the damage came from wildfires, predominantly in the West, with the remainder from prescribed burns, mostly in the Southeast.
• Exposure to smoke correlated positively with various measures of social vulnerability, but when also considering susceptibility to smoke, these disparities were systematically influenced by age.
• Senior citizens, who are disproportionately white, represented 16% of the population but incurred 75% of the damages.
• Nonetheless, within most age groups, Native American and Black communities experienced the greatest damages per capita.

“Our work reveals the extraordinary and disproportionate effects of the growing threat of fire smoke,” said Luke Dennin

, a Ph.D. student in engineering and public policy at Carnegie Mellon, who led the study. “We also provide suggestions for local, state and national decision-makers and planners addressing the growing environmental hazard of fire smoke, particularly its impact on vulnerable communities.” Among their suggestions:

• Expanding real-time air quality monitoring and enhancing public outreach — particularly through trusted community leaders — in smoke-prone areas could better inform vulnerable and historically marginalized groups on how to adapt.
• Because indoor air quality also deteriorates during smoke events, investing in filtration technologies could establish clean air spaces in locations strategically targeted to vulnerable populations and accessible to the public, such as senior centers in lower-income neighborhoods.
• Distributing respiratory protection, such as N95 masks, through well-coordinated systems before or during smoke events could help safeguard populations with limited access to safe indoor spaces, including outdoor workers.

The study was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory and KeyLogic, by the National Science Foundation, and by the Heinz Endowments.

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Journal

Communications Earth & Environment

DOI

10.1038/s43247-025-02100-y 

Article Title

Socially vulnerable communities face disproportionate exposure and susceptibility to U.S. wildfire and prescribed burn smoke

 

Dinosaurs’ apparent decline prior to asteroid may be due to poor fossil record

University College London

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Reconstruction of a late Maastrichtian (~66 million years ago) palaeoenvironment in North America, where a floodplain is roamed by dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex, Edmontosaurus annectens and Triceratops prorsus.

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Credit: Davide Bonadonna (www.davidebonadonna.it).

The idea that dinosaurs were already in decline before an asteroid wiped most of them out 66 million years ago may be explained by a worsening fossil record from that time rather than a genuine dwindling of dinosaur species, suggests a new study led by UCL researchers.

The study, published in Current Biology, analysed the fossil record of North America in the 18 million years up to the asteroid impact at the end of the Cretaceous period (between 66 and 84 million years ago).

Taken at face value, these fossils - more than 8,000 of them - suggest the number of dinosaur species peaked about 75 million years ago and then declined in the nine million years leading up to the asteroid impact.

But the research team found this trend was due to fossils from that time being less likely to be discovered, primarily because of fewer locations with exposed and accessible rock from the very latest Cretaceous.

Lead author Dr Chris Dean (UCL Earth Sciences) said: “It’s been a subject of debate for more than 30 years - were dinosaurs doomed and already on their way out before the asteroid hit?

“We analysed the fossil record and found that the quality of the record of four groups of dinosaur (clades) gets worse during the final 6 million years prior to the asteroid. The probability of finding dinosaur fossils decreases, while the likelihood of dinosaurs having lived in these areas at the time is stable. This shows we can’t take the fossil record at face value.

“Half the fossils we have from this time were found in North America. Our findings hint that, in this region at least, dinosaurs may have been doing better than previously suggested in the lead-up to the asteroid impact, potentially with a higher diversity of species than we see in the raw rock record.”

For the study, the research team looked at the dinosaur clades Ankylosauridae (armoured herbivores such as club-tailed Ankylosaurus), Ceratopsidae (large three-horned herbivores including Triceratops), Hadrosauridae (duck-billed herbivores such as the Edmontosaurus), and Tyrannosauridae (carnivores such as Tyrannosaurus Rex).

They adopted a technique, occupancy modelling, previously used in ecology and biodiversity studies to estimate how likely a species is to inhabit a particular area.

They divided North America into a grid and, based on the geology, geography and climate of the time, estimated how many of these grid cells the four dinosaur types likely occupied at four different times during the last 18 million years of the Cretaceous.

They found that, during this time, the proportion of land the four dinosaur clades likely occupied remained constant overall, suggesting their potential habitat area remained stable and risk of extinction stayed low.

At the same time, they estimated the likelihood of the four dinosaur types being detected in each area, based on factors such as how much land is accessible to researchers (i.e., if it is covered in vegetation), how much relevant rock is exposed, and how many times researchers had attempted to find fossils from that area.

The team found that the likelihood of detection declined over the four time periods, with the most influential factor being how much relevant rock was exposed and accessible.

The researchers also found that, in contrast to the other three clades, Ceratopsian dinosaurs (such as Triceratops) were more likely to be detected later on in this period, as well as occupying more areas.

They suggested this was due to Ceratopsians favouring green plains away from rivers at a time when this kind of habitat became the main type of environment being preserved. This was due to the retreat of a large inland sea that split the continent in two and river systems feeding this sea drying up.

Co-author Dr Alessandro Chiarenza (UCL Earth Sciences), who has previously published on end-Cretaceous dinosaur diversity and extinction, said: “If we take the fossil record at face value, we might conclude dinosaurs were already experiencing a decline before their final extinction.

“In this study, we show that this apparent decline is more likely a result of a reduced sampling window, caused by geological changes in these terminal Mesozoic fossil-bearing layers - driven by processes such as tectonics, mountain uplift, and sea-level retreat - rather than genuine fluctuations in biodiversity.

“Dinosaurs were probably not inevitably doomed to extinction at the end of the Mesozoic. If it weren’t for that asteroid, they might still share this planet with mammals, lizards, and their surviving descendants: birds.”

Reconstruction of a late Maastrichtian (~66 million years ago) palaeoenvironment in North America, where a floodplain is roamed by dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex, Edmontosaurus annectens and Triceratops prorsus.

Credit

Davide Bonadonna (www.davidebonadonna.it)

Graphic illustration/comic of the Dean et al. paper, showing the passage of time in the North American continent as well as the approach and findings of the research

Credit

Tim Bird (https://www.timothybird.co.uk/)

Journal

Current Biology

DOI

10.1016/j.cub.2025.03.025 

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

“The structure of the Late Cretaceous dinosaur fossil record

 

Coral reefs exude myriad chemicals, fueling dynamic microbial recycling of nutrients

University of Hawaii at Manoa

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The outer reef at Moorea in a coral dominated state. 

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Credit: Beverly French

New research revealed the remarkable chemical diversity of substances exuded by coral reefs and demonstrated that thousands of different chemicals derived from tropical corals and seaweeds are available for microbes to decompose and utilize. The study, published recently in Environmental Microbiology by an international team led by Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) and University of Hawai‘i (UH) at Mānoa scientists, provides crucial insights into the intricate relationships between coral reefs, marine microorganisms, and the carbon cycle.

In dynamic ecosystems, and especially in the nutrient-limited environments where coral reefs grow, not much will go to waste. Microbes dominate when it comes to decomposing, recycling, and transforming what other organisms discard. 

“We’ve known that some of the substances exuded on coral reefs, termed exometabolites, are available for microbial metabolism,” said Craig Nelson, professor in the UH Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology. “However, in this study, we discovered that the number and variety of exometabolites that microbes find useful is much higher than previously considered, and includes hundreds of compounds spanning most of the broad chemical classifications.”

“We were especially surprised to discover that exometabolites belonging to chemical families traditionally thought to be harder for microbes to break down, such as benzene rings, terpenoids, and steroids, were among those that are able to be utilized,” said Zachary Quinlan, lead author, postdoctoral researcher at the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology in SOEST, and former graduate student at SIO. “Our results paint a highly dynamic picture of ecosystem production of bioavailable substrates and their effects on microbial metabolism relevant to carbon cycling in coastal marine environments.”

Carbon cycle and reef resilience

Combined, all of the dissolved organic material in the ocean, including the chemicals exuded by coral reefs, contains an amount of carbon comparable to the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. So, the study authors point out, how microbes utilize this organic material has a major influence on the global carbon cycle. 

When there is a shift in the types of organisms living on a reef, that is stony corals versus fleshy seaweeds, the chemistry of the seawater also changes. In addition to their detailed study of what chemicals are being exuded on the reef, the research team also conducted experiments to determine whether microbes preferred to use substances from stony corals or seaweed. 

“We observed that coral and algae can selectively facilitate the growth of specific microbial communities by exuding distinct chemicals that can be used by specific types of microbes,” said Linda Wegley Kelly, senior author on the study and associate researcher at SIO. “Our results highlight how shifting from coral-dominated to algae-dominated reefs can alter reef ecosystem function and impact resilience of the system, potentially making it more susceptible to disease or bleaching.”

In the future, the team aims to continue discovering how chemical features can inform coral reef management and be used to advance coral restoration success.

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Journal

Environmental Microbiology

DOI

10.1111/1462-2920.70064 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Cells

Article Title

Microbial Community Metabolism of Coral Reef Exometabolomes Broadens the Chemodiversity of Labile Dissolved Organic Matter

 

Coffee too weak? Try this!

The optimal way to brew strong pour-over coffee with minimal grind

American Institute of Physics

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Pour-over coffee is made by flowing a strong, laminar water jet through a bed of ground coffee beans.

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Credit: Ernest Park

WASHINGTON, April 8, 2025 – Tens of billions of kilograms of coffee are consumed around the world each year. However, due to its very specific agricultural needs, coffee can be difficult to cultivate, and ongoing climate change threatens its growth.

To efficiently meet the high demand for coffee grounds, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania worked to optimize their use in pour-over coffee. They presented their suggestions in Physics of Fluids, by AIP Publishing.

“What we recommend is making the pour height as high as possible, while still maintaining a laminar flow, where the jet doesn’t break up when it impacts the coffee grinds,” said author Ernest Park.

In particular, the group found the thick water jets typical of standard gooseneck kettles are ideal for achieving this necessary height and laminar flow. Strong — but focused — water jets create an avalanche in the coffee grounds. Displaced grounds recirculate as the water digs deeper into the coffee bed, allowing for better mixing between the water and the grounds, and thus, results in a stronger coffee with fewer beans. If the water jet is too thin, it cannot adequately create this interaction to achieve a desirable strength and sensory experience.

“If you have a thin jet, then it tends to break up into droplets,” said author Margot Young. “That’s what you want to avoid in these pour-overs, because that means the jet cannot mix the coffee grounds effectively.”

The dark color of coffee beans — and of coffee itself — makes it hard to demystify. Along with creating pour-over drinks with actual coffee grounds, the scientists supplemented their study with laser-illuminated transparent particles in a glass funnel to help thoroughly visualize the mixing dynamics and understand how the liquid jet affects the grains.

Though the group does not plan further studies related to coffee, they say there are many other parameters left to explore, such as the impacts of the size of the coffee grounds on the interplay between the physics and chemistry of the brewing process. When it comes to easy, accessible kitchen science, the researchers have some unorthodox advice: Do try this at home.

“We can really learn something from both the chemistry and physics point of view by looking at the kitchen,” said author Arnold Mathijssen. “It leads to new science where you didn’t expect it.”

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The article “Pour-over coffee: Mixing by a water jet impinging on a granular bed with avalanche dynamics” is authored by Ernest Park, Margot Young, and Arnold J.T.M. Mathijssen. It will appear in Physics of Fluids on April 8, 2025 (DOI: 10.1063/5.0257924). After that date, it can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0257924.

ABOUT THE JOURNAL

Physics of Fluids is devoted to the publication of original theoretical, computational, and experimental contributions to the dynamics of gases, liquids, and complex fluids. See https://pubs.aip.org/aip/pof.

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Journal

Physics of Fluids

DOI

10.1063/5.0257924 

Article Title

Pour-over coffee: Mixing by a water jet impinging on a granular bed with avalanche dynamics

Article Publication Date

8-Apr-2025

 

Health care practitioner bias and access to inpatient rehabilitation services among survivors of violence

JAMA Network Open

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About The Study: 

In this mixed-methods qualitative study of hospital patients discharged to rehabilitation centers, significant disparities in denials for admission were observed among survivors of violence, who were disproportionally Black or Hispanic. Stigmatizing language found in medical records suggested that bias within the referral process may have contributed to these disparities. These findings underscore the need for reformed clinical documentation practices and enhanced oversight of rehabilitation referral processes to promote equitable access to care.

Corresponding author: To contact the corresponding author, Megan R. Georges, M.S., email megan.georges@bmc.org.

 To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/

(doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.4074)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

Embed this link to provide your readers free access to the full-text article This link will be live at the embargo time http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.4074?utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_term=040825

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Journal

JAMA Network Open