Researchers from the School of Engineering of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have successfully developed the world’s smallest multifunctional biomedical robot, which is 60% smaller than current models. Capable of imaging, high-precision motion, and multifunctional operations like sampling, drug delivery, and laser ablation, the robot offers competitive imaging performance and a tenfold improvement in obstacle detection, paving the way for robotic applications in narrow and challenging channels of the human body, such as the lung’s end bronchi and the oviducts.

In an era where artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous systems are rapidly transforming various sectors, a book by a multidisciplinary group of scholars offers a timely and critical examination of these technologies from a human-centered perspective. The open access book delves into the ethical, humane, and holistic aspects of AI and autonomous systems, emphasising their impact on human lives and ways of working.