Student Projects

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Shaping Microrobots from Ferrofluid Droplets

We invite applications for a Master's thesis / semester project that focuses on the fabrication of microrobots with custom shapes. Using our developed droplet printing technique, this project will explore how different microrobot shapes, created by different magnetic fields and materials, influence their control behaviors in blood vessels. This research aims to advance biomedical technologies, particularly in targeted drug delivery and minimally invasive procedures.

Keywords

Microrobotics, Microfabrication, Magnetic Assembly, Fluid dynamics

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Semester Project , Master Thesis , Student Assistant / HiWi , ETH Zurich (ETHZ)

Description

Project background

In recent years, the field of microrobotics has garnered significant attention, particularly for its potential applications in biomedical engineering, such as targeted drug delivery, minimally invasive surgery, and precise medical diagnostics. Traditional microrobot fabrication techniques predominantly rely on top-down methods, such as 3D printing and lithography. While effective, these methods often involve complex, time-consuming processes and face limitations in achieving high precision at the microscale.

Project details

Our approach diverges from these conventional methods by employing a bottom-up fabrication technique, leveraging the principles of self-assembly and droplet manipulation. Specifically, we focus on the innovative use of ferrofluid droplets and magnetic fields to sculpt microrobots with customized shapes. This method allows for greater flexibility and precision in designing microrobots, enabling the creation of complex geometries that would be challenging to achieve with top-down techniques.

The following experience or skills would be ideal but not necessary:

  • Know-how in nanoparticles synthesis & self-assembly.

  • Prior experience in chemistry lab.

  • Prior experience or knowledge in magnetic control systems.

References

M. Hu et al. "Shaping the assembly of superparamagnetic nanoparticles." ACS Nano 13.3 (2019): 3015-3022.

B. J. Nelson & S. Pané “Delivering drugs with microrobots.” Science 382.6675 (2023): 1120-1122.

Goal

  • Build up a droplet printing fabrication platform towards microrobots fabrications. (~ 1 month)

  • Optimize the fabrication process to produce microrobots with tailored structures. (~ 3 months)

  • Investigate how different microrobot shapes influence their movement under physiological conditions. (~ 2 months)

Contact Details

Please contact minghu@ethz.ch (Dr. Minghan Hu, SNSF Ambizione group leader).

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Published since: 2025-01-18 , Earliest start: 2025-03-03

Organization Multiscale Robotics Lab

Hosts Hu Minghan

Topics Engineering and Technology , Chemistry

Nanometric Thin Films for Brain Stimulation Implants

This project aims to fabricate and characterize thin films of ceramic oxides (with thickness in the nanometer range) which have potential applications in biomedical devices, such as implanted flexible electronics (Fig. a) and functional microrobots (Fig. b).

Keywords

Materials science, Thin films, Brain Implants, Microrobots

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Semester Project , Bachelor Thesis , Master Thesis

Description

Depending on the duration and direction of the project, the student will work on the following topics: deposition of oxide thin films using pulsed laser deposition (PLD; Fig. c), characterization of their structural and functional properties using x-ray diffraction and microscopy techniques, fabrication of PLD targets. Further sample testing could include magnetic robot navigation and ex-vivo studies.

Goal

cf abstract

Contact Details

Mathieu Mirjolet (mmirjolet@ethz.ch) Minsoo Kim (minkim@ethz.ch)

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Published since: 2025-01-08 , Earliest start: 2025-01-19 , Latest end: 2026-12-31

Organization Multiscale Robotics Lab

Hosts Mirjolet Mathieu

Topics Engineering and Technology , Physics

Quantifying the impact of network conditions on telesurgery performance and reliability

In this thesis, our goal is to quantify the impact of various network conditions (e.g., latency, congestion, packet loss) on the performance of stroke treatment via telesurgery. At ETH, we have established a real testbed equipped with agent controllers and robotic instruments, and the student’s role will be to simulate the network environment connecting these devices.

Keywords

Surgical robotics, network emulation, test setup design, user study

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Master Thesis

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Published since: 2024-12-17 , Earliest start: 2025-02-01 , Latest end: 2025-12-31

Organization Multiscale Robotics Lab

Hosts Heemeyer Florian

Topics Information, Computing and Communication Sciences , Engineering and Technology

Controlling a Magnetically Actuated Inverted Pendulum

In this project, we aim to not only control one inverted pendulum, but two (potentially also three and four) inverted pendulums simultaneously, within one magnetic workspace. This requires to dynamically model the coupling effects (using system identification tools) and to synthesize feedback controllers that stabilize the system.

Keywords

feedback control, learning-based control, machine learning, dynamic systems

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Semester Project , Bachelor Thesis , Master Thesis , ETH Zurich (ETHZ)

Description

Remote magnetic manipulation, or magnetic actuation, uses magnetic fields to wirelessly control the positioning and orientation of magnetic objects. The electro-Magnetic Navigation System (eMNS) we developed can precisely manipulate a magnetic object's spatial orientation by generating torques and forces through alterations and modulations of the magnetic field and its gradients, respectively. Our eMNS's dynamic capabilities have been demonstrated by stabilizing a 3D inverted pendulum on a magnetically driven arm. This achievement, which can be viewed in a video (https://youtu.be/fNWS-9-lD84), showcases our system's ability to reject disturbances and follow trajectories using an advanced iterative learning controller. For this work, we have used the magnetic field vector as a control input, hence not harnessing the full potential of all eight coils in the OctoMag system. However, there is great potential in leveraging the over-actuation in the eMNS and include magnetic field gradients into the modeling and control. In this project, we aim to not only control one inverted pendulum, but two (potentially also three and four) inverted pendulums simultaneously, within one magnetic workspace. This requires to dynamically model the coupling effects (using system identification tools) and to synthesize feedback controllers that stabilize the system.

Contact Details

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Published since: 2024-11-18 , Earliest start: 2024-11-19 , Latest end: 2025-12-31

Organization Multiscale Robotics Lab

Hosts Zughaibi Jasan

Topics Engineering and Technology

Factory-on-a-chip: intelligent microrobots made from microfluidic technology

This Master's thesis/semester project focuses on the microfluidic fabrication of micromachines with multi-environmental responsiveness. The aim is to develop micromachines capable of adapting to various environmental cues. We envision that these micromachines will be used for complex tasks in biomedical and environmental applications.

Keywords

Microfluidics, Microrobotics, Responsive Polymers

Labels

Semester Project , Internship , Master Thesis , Student Assistant / HiWi , ETH Zurich (ETHZ)

Description

Background

Artificial intelligence allows robotic machines to autonomously adapt to their environments and perform complex tasks. However, micro- and nanomachines cannot accommodate the bulky computational units required for such intelligence. Instead, the intelligence of these small-scale machines, including their ability to sense, control, and adapt, must arise from their physical structures through various responsive mechanisms. Despite significant progress in this area, the integration of diverse types of intelligence into micromachines remains largely unexplored.

This project aims to develop a microfluidic strategy to create intelligent micromachines with multiple responsive capabilities. The outcomes of this project will address fundamental questions in robotics and advance the development of intelligent micromachines for sophisticated biomedical and environmental applications.

The following experience or skills would be ideal but not necessary:

  • Experience or knowledge in microfluidic devices.

  • Prior experience in chemistry lab.

  • Know-how in nanomaterials fabrication.

References

M. Hu et al. "Shaping the assembly of superparamagnetic nanoparticles." Mater. Horiz. 9.6 (2022): 1641-1648.

B. J. Nelson & S. Pané “Delivering drugs with microrobots.” Science 382.6675 (2023): 1120-1122.

Goal

  • Manipulation of droplet-generation microfluidic systems. (~ 1 month)

  • Develop microfabrication process to produce micromachines from different responsive polymers. (~ 3 months)

  • Investigate and test the fabricated intelligent micromachines under different environmental cues. (~ 2 months)

Contact Details

Curious? Please contact minghu@ethz.ch (Dr. Minghan Hu, SNSF Ambizione group leader).

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Published since: 2024-11-14 , Earliest start: 2025-01-06

Organization Multiscale Robotics Lab

Hosts Hu Minghan

Topics Medical and Health Sciences , Engineering and Technology , Chemistry