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It is either body or brain first when building autonomous microrobots

Nature Electronics volume 9, pages 2–4 (2026)Cite this article

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Microscopic robots (microrobots) with integrated electronic chips have a range of potential medical, environmental and industrial applications. However, such systems have only recently become mass-producible, using either a body-first or a brain-first approach to fabrication.

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Fig. 1: Building microscopic robots controlled by silicon chips.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Center for Materials, Architectures and Integration of Nanomembranes (MAIN), Chemnitz University of Technology, Chemnitz, Germany

    Oliver G. Schmidt, Vineeth K. Bandari & John S. McCaskill

Authors
  1. Oliver G. Schmidt
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  2. Vineeth K. Bandari
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  3. John S. McCaskill
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Oliver G. Schmidt, Vineeth K. Bandari or John S. McCaskill.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Schmidt, O.G., Bandari, V.K. & McCaskill, J.S. It is either body or brain first when building autonomous microrobots. Nat Electron 9, 2–4 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41928-025-01556-2

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