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International Journal of Bioprinting Robotic in situ bioprinting

through bioprinting. The motor and sensory functions of field of robotic-assisted automated in situ bioprinting. The
grafts have been tested using a rat sciatic nerve injury model. primary modalities of 3D bioprinting, robot configurations,
The practicability of bioprinting for nerve regeneration has and the applications in cartilage, bone, and skin repair are
[57]
been validated . Zhou et al. developed a ferromagnetic discussed. With the accelerated growth of knowledge and
soft catheter robot (FSCR) system capable of performing advancements of technologies in computer science and
in situ computer-controlled bioprinting in a minimally manufacturing engineering, in situ bioprinting is believed
invasive manner. The FSCR was guided by the magnetic to be feasible in the near future.
field to complete printing with high precision. The in situ
printing of curved surfaces on a porcine tissue phantom Acknowledgments
and the liver of a living rat demonstrated the advantages of The authors gratefully thank Professor Hui Guo, the
the intelligent and minimally invasive approach . Director of Shanghai Neuromedical Centre, and Yi Huang,
[58]
5. Challenges and suggestions the Director of Experimental Research Centre in Clinical
Medicine, Fujian Provincial Hospital for their helpful
Although robotic-assisted systems have high operating suggestions.
accuracy and automation and are compatible with minimally
invasive surgeries, their applications in clinical settings Funding
remain a challenge. In situ bioprinting robots are now in the This work was supported by the National Natural Science
prototype testing phase. Three issues should be addressed Foundation of China [Grant Numbers: 62173093,
before promoting their applications in clinical settings. 61604042] and Fujian Provincial Nat. Sci. Foundation
First, defect scanning, digital model reconstruction, code [Grant Numbers: 2020Y0014].
programming, trajectory planning, and printer calibration
are all time-consuming. Furthermore, professional skills Conflict of interest
are required for human-controlled robotic-assisted
operations during intraoperative work; therefore, they may There are no conflicts to declare.
be impractical for resource-limited areas. In addition, in Author contributions
situ bioprinting approaches are still restricted to locations
near the skin; otherwise, surgery is required for printing Conceptualization: Hui Dong, Hao Sun, Junyi Shang
on internal organs. Supervision: Hao Sun
Writing – original draft: Bo Hu, Weikang Zhang, Wantao
Industry 4.0 technologies, including artificial
intelligence (AI), 5G, big data, and cloud computing, Xie, Jin Mo
have revolutionized many fields. Healthcare and medical Writing – review & editing: Bo Hu, Weikang Zhang, Wantao
sectors are also benefiting from these technologies. For Xie, Jin Mo, Hao Sun
example, the aforementioned time-consuming issue can Ethics approval and consent to participate
be minimized by AI-based systems, and teleoperation
combined with 5G can help to scale and accelerate the Not applicable.
applications of robotic-assisted 3D bioprinting in resource- Consent for publication
limited areas. Miniature robotics may be more useful for
minimally invasive or noninvasive surgeries. Selectively Not applicable.
biodegradable robots with bio-inks for target tissues
and organs will be useful for internal repair tasks. Four- Availability of data
dimensional bioprinting technologies, which add time as Not applicable.
the fourth dimension, can be integrated with miniature
robots to modulate their shapes or functionalities with References
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6. Conclusions https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cad.2015.04.001
The potential of in situ regeneration of cartilage, skin, and 2. Kruth JP, Leu MC, Nakagawa T, 1998, Progress in additive
bone in animal models through robotics has been widely manufacturing and rapid prototyping. Cirp Ann, 47: 25–540.
recognized. This article reviews the advancements in the https://doi.org/10.1016/S0007-8506(07)63240-5

Volume 9 Issue 1 (2023) 105 https://doi.org/10.18063/ijb.v9i1.629