Magnetic Swarm Intelligence—Versatile Task Execution by Mass Production of Programmable Microrobot Assemblies

Magnetic microrobots can maneuver in confined and constrained enviroments. However, their sensor-free system and lightweight body complicate autonomous interactions between microrobots. Here, we demonstrate the swarm intelligence of magnetic microrobots that self-organize into pre-programmed configurations. Mass production of microrobot swarms was achieved via in-situ replica molding and magnetization. The microrobots autonomously assembled through local dipolar interactions, resulting in swarms with diverse assembly features. Capitalizing on their assembly features, microrobot swarms were deployed to perform various tasks such as climbing, throwing, lifting obstacles, connecting wires, merging liquid metal, and guiding organisms. These versatile, mass-produced microrobot swarms aim to provide a wide range of future applications in robotic engineering, including microrobot control in complex obstacle-laden environments, shape manipulation of high surface tension liquids, cargo transportation, potential biomedical solutions for arteriosclerosis and thrombosis, organism guidance.