Inexpensive microrobots capable of probing and manipulating individual cells and tissue for biological research and medical applications are closer to reality with the design of a system that senses the minute forces exerted by a robot's tiny probe.

Professor Timothy Fisher, James G. Dwyer Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and founder and Chief Technology Officer of BlueVine Graphene Industries, developed the technology that is enabling the company to address the challenge of scaling graphene production for commercial applications.

Researchers are developing a robotic fabric that moves and contracts and is embedded with sensors, an approach that could bring "active clothing" and a new class of "soft" robots.

Researchers have developed a chip capable of simulating a tumor's "microenvironment" and plan to use the new system to test the effectiveness of nanoparticles and drugs that target cancer.