{"id":"d75effae-b293-4eea-9d67-1a9fdbfcd4ed","slug":"lum-guo-zhan","name":"Lum Guo Zhan","bioBrief":"Associate Professor in the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore ([NTU Robotics](/companies/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.","priorExits":null,"nationality":"Singaporean","verificationPosture":"verified","aliases":[],"sources":[{"url":"https://www.ntu.edu.sg/news/detail/a--5-in-1--seed-sized-surgical-robot","title":"A '5-in-1' seed-sized surgical robot | NTU Singapore","sourceName":"NTU Singapore (official)"},{"url":"https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1129533","title":"NTU Singapore scientists develop '5-in-1' seed-sized surgical robot","sourceName":"EurekAlert!"},{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMjugTGBo_M","title":"NTU scientists develop seed-sized surgical robot","sourceName":"Channel News Asia"}],"reviewStatus":"reviewed","createdAt":"2026-08-27T03:08:01.332Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-27T21:52:34.274Z","educations":[],"companyRoles":[{"id":"3f66782a-4b1d-4639-8942-75034643c9fb","personId":"d75effae-b293-4eea-9d67-1a9fdbfcd4ed","companyId":"9c667833-792a-49c4-b6c7-b0ee82528797","role":"researcher","roleTitle":"Associate Professor, MAE","startDate":null,"endDate":null,"currentRole":true,"roleBasis":"verified_secondary","createdAt":"2026-08-27T03:08:02.168Z","company":{"slug":"ntu-robotics","name":"NTU Singapore Robotics"}}],"boardRoles":[],"investorRoles":[],"foundings":[]}