Advancement and Future of Nanorobotics in Medicine: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Nanorobots are nanoscale devices engineered to perform precise diagnostic or therapeutic tasks in the body. This narrative review synthesizes advances in nanorobot design (materials, propulsion, navigation, and communication) and highlights applications in drug delivery, imaging/diagnostics, surgery, and immune system modulation. We searched PubMed and Google Scholar using keywords “nanorobots,” “nanorobotics,” “drug delivery,” “diagnostics,” and “theranostics,” including peer-reviewed English original research and review articles and excluding non-peer-reviewed. In drug delivery, targeted nanocarriers have enabled precise chemotherapy delivery; a stimulus-responsive DNA-origami nanobot delivered ligands to cluster death receptors on breast cancer cells, yielding ~70% tumor reduction in a mouse model. Other designs use magnetic or chemical propulsion to traverse barriers (e.g., blood–brain barrier) and release drugs via triggers (pH, temperature, enzymes). In imaging/diagnostics, magnetically actuated nanorobots carrying radiopaque materials (barium sulfate/magnetite) have been navigated for micro-Computed Tomography tracking of gastrointestinal targets, and sensor-equipped nanobots can detect tumor biomarkers and relay signals for early disease detection. In microsurgery, remotely controlled microdrills and soft robots enable minimally invasive procedures such as plaque removal and targeted thrombectomy. Nanorobots can also modulate immunity: polymeric nanocarriers deliver immunosuppressants to inflamed tissue, and artificial antigen-presenting nanobots expand regulatory T cell populations in vivo. These advances demonstrate high-precision capabilities, but findings remain largely preclinical, and we have tempered language about “imminent” translation. Clinical readiness requires overcoming biocompatibility, powering, manufacturability, and safety hurdles; regulatory classification is unclear, and many may be high-risk (Class III) devices requiring full premarket approval. Ethical and societal issues (patient autonomy, data privacy, long-term persistence, equitable access) also demand attention, while bio-hybrid designs (cell-membrane coatings, living cell robots) seek to mitigate immune clearance. Conclusion: nanorobots hold transformative potential for personalized medicine, but cautious optimism is warranted.

Received: 2 September 2025 | Revised: 8 December 2025 | Accepted: 31 December 2025

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest to this work.

Data Availability Statement

Data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Author Contribution Statement

Sai Han Htun: Conceptualization, Methodology, Validation, Resources, Data curation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing, Visualization, Supervision, Project administration. Iqra Mumtaz: Conceptualization, Validation, Resources, Data curation, Writing – original draft. Umaira Abbasi: Methodology, Resources, Writing – original draft. Marriyum Rashid Khan: Conceptualization, Resources, Writing – original draft. Saptarshi Mukherjee:  Resources, Writing – original draft, Visualization, Supervision. Arun Kumar Maloth: Conceptualization, Resources, Writing – original draft. Fadila shuaibu Bello: Resources, Writing – original draft.