LAUSR

Significance Anchoring soft millirobots on surfaces, such as biological tissues, is essential to perform long-duration medical functions robustly on a target position. For robust anchoring, we propose a wireless mechanism that can be precisely controlled by remote heating to achieve on-demand needle release and mechanical interlocking. Such a mechanism can be easily integrated on existing untethered soft robots, allowing them to anchor robustly to soft surfaces while retaining their locomotion capabilities. Furthermore, we demonstrate advanced functionalities of such robots, such as controlled surface detachment and subsurface drug delivery into three-dimensional cancer spheroids. Given these capabilities, the proposed mechanism can serve as a platform for the development of soft robots with a new suite of biomedical capabilities.