The emergence of micro/nanorobotics stands poised to revolutionize various biomedical applications, given its potential to offer precision, reduced invasiveness, and enhanced functionality. In the face of such potential, understanding the mechanisms that drive these tiny robots, especially their actuation techniques, becomes critical. Although there is a surge in research dedicated to micro/nanorobotics, there exists a gap in consolidating the diverse actuation strategies and their suitability for biomedical applications. This comprehensive review seeks to bridge this gap by providing an in‐depth evaluation of the current actuation techniques employed by micro/nanorobots, particularly emphasizing their relevance and potential for clinical translation. The discussion starts by elucidating the different actuation strategies, ranging from magnetic, electric, acoustic, light‐based, to chemical and biological mechanisms. Then, various examples and meticulous assessment of each technique are offered, spotlighting their respective merits and limitations within a biomedical context. This review illuminates the transformative capabilities of these actuation methods in medicine. It not only highlights the progress made in this burgeoning field but also underscores the areas that require further exploration and development.

Triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC), characterized by its aggressive metastatic propensity and lack of effective targeted therapeutic options, poses a major challenge in oncological management. A proof‐of‐concept neoadjuvant strategy aimed at inhibiting TNBC tumor growth and mitigating metastasis through a localized delivery of chemotherapeutics is reported in this paper. This approach addresses the limitations in payload capacity and stimuli responsiveness commonly associated with microrobotics in oncology. A hydrogel‐based system is developed for the immobilization of chemotherapeutic agents, subsequently encapsulated within magnetically responsive microrobots. This design leverages external magnetic fields to facilitate the precise navigation and localization of the therapeutic agents directly to the tumor site. The efficacy of this approach is demonstrated in an animal model, in which a significant 14‐fold reduction in tumor size and suppression of metastasis to critical organs such as the liver and lungs are observed. Crucially, the drug release mechanism is engineered to be responsive to the tumor microenvironment and is regulated by the overexpression of the enzymatic activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP2 and MMP9) in TNBC tumors, triggering the degradation of the hydrogel matrix, leading to controlled release of the immobilized therapeutic drug. This ensures that the therapeutic action is localized, reducing systemic toxicity and enhancing treatment efficacy. These findings suggest that this neoadjuvant approach holds promise for broader applications in other cancer types.

Femtosecond laser (FSL) technology has created an evolution in ophthalmic surgery in the last few decades. With the advantage of high precision, accuracy, and safety, FSLs have helped surgeons overcome surgical limits in refractive surgery, corneal surgery, and cataract surgery. They also open new avenues in ophthalmic areas that are not yet explored. This review focuses on the fundamentals of FSLs, the advantages in interaction between FSLs and tissues, and typical clinical applications of FSLs in ophthalmology. With the rapid progress that has been made in the state of the art research on FSL technologies, their applications in ophthalmic surgery may soon undergo a booming development.

Recent advancements in smart materials and robotics have propelled the development of magnetic milli‐robots with significant potential in biomedical diagnostics, industrial automation, and environmental monitoring. However, the challenge of achieving in situ functionalization of these small, flexible robots without compromising their magnetic agility has hindered their widespread deployment. Herein, a femtosecond laser‐driven hierarchical assembly mechanism that facilitates the seamless integration of Additive‐LIPSS (laser‐induced periodic surface microstructures) combined with plasmonic nanoparticle deposition through a single step is proposed. This approach effectively overcomes the traditional trade‐off between multifunctionality and miniaturization, offering a pathway for precise and scalable functionalization of magnetic milli‐robots. By exploiting the strain‐tunable property of the soft magnetic substrate, we achieve programmable plasmonic microstructures at ultralow laser power, which simultaneously enhance electromagnetic sensitivity and enable posture‐adpative surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensing. Notably, the dynamic alignment of Additive‐LIPSS enables robot posture‐dependent SERS signal modulation with 5‐fold intensity variation which allows real‐time feedback of the robot's posture in complex environments. As a proof of concept, the functionalized milli‐robot is demonstrated for on‐demand gastric cancer detection, highlighting its potential for real‐time, non‐invasive diagnostics. Our on‐demand functionalization approach thus offers a versatile and scalable platform for next‐generation multifunctional robotic systems.

Biomimetic switchable adhesion interfaces (BSAIs) with dynamic adhesion states have demonstrated significant advantages in micro-manipulation and bio-detection. Among them, gecko-inspired adhesives have garnered considerable attention due to their exceptional adaptability to extreme environments. However, their high adhesion strength poses challenges in achieving flexible control. Herein, we propose an elegant and efficient approach by fabricating three-dimensional mushroom-shaped polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micropillars on a flexible PDMS substrate to mimic the bending and stretching of gecko footpads. The fabrication process that employs two-photon polymerization ensures high spatial resolution, resulting in micropillars with exquisite structures and ultra-smooth surfaces, even for tip/stem ratios exceeding 2 (a critical factor for maintaining adhesion strength). Furthermore, these adhesive structures display outstanding resilience, enduring 175% deformation and severe bending without collapse, ascribing to the excellent compatibility of the micropillar’s composition and physical properties with the substrate. Our BSAIs can achieve highly controllable adhesion force and rapid manipulation of liquid droplets through mechanical bending and stretching of the PDMS substrate. By adjusting the spacing between the micropillars, precise control of adhesion strength is achieved. These intriguing properties make them promising candidates for various applications in the fields of microfluidics, micro-assembly, flexible electronics, and beyond.