Lum Guo Zhan

Associate Professor in the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Robotics). A pioneer in miniature robots made from soft, flexible materials, he led the development of a 4.4 mm seed-sized surgical microrobot capable of performing five functions — movement, cutting, drug delivery, gripping tissue samples, and generating localized heat — switched in under one second via magnetic field reprogramming.

The research was published in _Advanced Materials_ and received international media coverage. His long-term goal is for doctors to use these mini robots for targeted in-body treatments, including magnetic hyperthermia approaches for cancer therapy. The seven-year project was supported by the NTU Start-up Grant, A*STAR, and NHG Health.