Magnetically Actuated Microrobot for Drug Delivery: Current Progress and Challenges

Abstract

Magnetically actuated microrobots have emerged as promising wireless platforms for targeted drug delivery, offering active navigation, deep‐tissue accessibility, and externally programmable therapeutic release at length scales inaccessible to conventional medical devices while reducing systemic exposure. This review summarizes recent progress in magnetically actuated microrobots for drug delivery, with an emphasis on how structural design, material selection, fabrication strategy, drug‐loading methodology, and release mechanisms collectively determine therapeutic performance. In addition, current imaging and localization modalities, navigation and control strategies, biocompatibility considerations, and translational barriers are critically evaluated. Finally, the review highlights remaining challenges in scalable manufacturing, controllable in vivo navigation, deep‐tissue imaging, biosafety, biodegradation, and regulatory translation and outlines future directions toward clinically relevant microrobotic drug delivery systems.