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The advancement of micro-robotics in recent years has permitted a vast field of active research and application in the biomedical sector. Latest developments in microrobotics point to some ground-breaking work using light for manufacturing as well as actuation. Optical manipulation in three-dimensional space for living biological cells in a minimally invasive manner is crucial for different biomedical applications. This article attempts to provide an overview of the accomplishments and future possibilities of light-powered microbots. An overview of the feasibility of different fabrication techniques and control modalities is compared, along with prospective applications and design considerations of light-powered microbots. A variety of challenges that still prohibit polymeric light-powered microbots from attaining their full potential are pointed out, and viable ways to overcome such challenges are proposed. This study will help future researchers to study and develop the next generation of light-actuated microbots by overcoming the current limitations and challenges in fabrication, control, and design.

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Untethered mobile robots at the micro-scale have the ability to improve biomedical research by performing specialized tasks inside complex physiological environments. Light-controlled wireless microbots are becoming the center of interest thanks to their accuracy in navigation and potential to carry out operations in a non-invasive manner inside living environments. The pioneering light-engineered microbots are currently in the early stage of animal trials. There is a long way ahead before they can be employed in humans for therapeutic applications such as targeted drug delivery, cancer cell diagnosis, tissue engineering, etc. The design of light-actuated microbots is one of the challenging parts along with the biocompatibility and precision control for in vivo applications. Recent progress in light-activated microbots has revealed a few innovative design concepts. In this study, we presented a framework on the different aspects with a comparative analysis of potential designs for the next generation of light-controlled microbots. Utilizing numerical simulations of fluid-structure interactions, limiting design elements of the microbots are addressed. We envision that this study will eventually facilitate the integration of robotic applications into the real world owing to the described design considerations.

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