Skin-like planar tactile sensors have achieved adaptive gripping, in-hand manipulation, and human-machine interaction but remain limited in tasks requiring active environmental interaction and robustness against large mechanical perturbations. Inspired by the biological antennas of nocturnal insects, we introduce a biological antenna-like electronic tactile sensor with enhanced mechanical robustness, capable of withstanding 1800% twist, 224% stretch, 360° bending, large compression, and punctures. Through segmented flexibility and partial magnetization, it achieves an impressive 1.76° omnidirectional loading recognition accuracy, outperforming biological antennas by 17 times. Its scalable plug-and-play capability, combined with an tactile perception algorithm, ensures seamless integration across various robots for diverse tasks. We demonstrate the vision-free navigation with 0.2 mm tracking deviation, 97% accuracy in ground texture recognition, and conformal robotic brushing on serpentine surfaces with a force variance of 0.34 N. This research offers valuable insights for active tactile-based environmental perception and interaction, promising advancements in robotics across various fields.

Small-scale continuum robots hold promise for interventional diagnosis and treatment, yet existing models struggle to achieve small size, precise steering, and visualized functional treatment simultaneously, termed an “impossible trinity”. This study introduces an optical fiber-based continuum robot integrated imaging, high-precision motion, and multifunctional operation abilities at submillimeter-scale. With a slim profile of 0.95 mm achieved by microscale 3D printing and magnetic spray, this continuum robot delivers competitive imaging performance and extends obstacle detection distance up to ~9.4 mm, a tenfold improvement from the theoretical limits. Besides, the robot showcases remarkable motion precision (less than 30 μm) and substantially widens the imaging region by ~25 times the inherent view. Through ex vivo trials, we validate the robot’s practicality in navigating constrained channels, such as the lung end bronchus, and executing multifunctional operations including sampling, drug delivery, and laser ablation. The proposed submillimeter continuum robot marks a significant advancement in developing biomedical robots, unlocking numerous potential applications in biomedical engineering.

Tactile interfaces are essential for enhancing human-machine interactions, yet achieving large-scale, precise distributed force sensing remains challenging due to signal coupling and inefficient data processing. Inspired by the spiral structure of Aloe polyphylla and the processing principles of neuronal systems, this study presents a digital channel–enabled distributed force decoding strategy, resulting in a phygital tactile sensing system named PhyTac. This innovative system effectively prevents marker overlap and accurately identifies multipoint stimuli up to 368 regions from coupled signals. By integrating physics into model training, we reduce the dataset size to just 45 kilobytes, surpassing conventional methods that typically exceed 1 gigabyte. Results demonstrate PhyTac’s impressive fidelity of 97.7% across a sensing range of 0.5 to 25 newtons, enabling diverse applications in medical evaluation, sports training, virtual reality, and robotics. This research not only enhances our understanding of hand-centric actions but also highlights the convergence of physical and digital realms, paving the way for advancements in AI-based sensor technologies.

Untethered small robots with multiple functions show considerable potential as next‐generation catheter‐free systems for biomedical applications. However, owing to dynamic blood flow, even effective upstream swimming in blood vessels remains a challenge for the robot, let alone performing medical tasks. This paper presents an untethered millirobot with a streamlined shape that integrates the engine, delivery, and biopsy modules. Based on the proposed spiral‐rolling strategy, this robot can move upstream at a record‐breaking speed of ≈14 mm s⁻¹ against a blood phantom flow of 136 mm s⁻¹. Moreover, benefiting from the bioinspired self‐sealing orifice and easy‐open auto‐closed biopsy needle sheath, this robot facilitates several biomedical tasks in blood vessels, such as in vivo drug delivery, tissue and liquid biopsy, and cell transportation in rabbit arteries. This study will benefit the development of wireless millirobots for controllable, minimally invasive, highly integrated, and multifunctional endovascular interventions and will inspire new designs of miniature devices for biomedical applications.