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Bionaut Labs

Bionaut Labs

Precision Microrobotic Medicine

Andrew Kuzemczak
July 22, 2025

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Welcome to the 2 new subscribers who have joined Future Human since our last edition! Join 208 other leaders learning about the future of human health by subscribing here:

TL;DR

Bionaut Labs is developing magnetically controlled microrobots, called Bionauts™, that navigate through the brain to deliver drugs or perform microsurgeries with high precision and minimal invasiveness
The company was founded by the team behind PrimeSense (acquired by Apple) and has raised over $70 million from top investors including Khosla Ventures, Gates Ventures, Upfront, Revolution, and the Mayo Clinic
Initial clinical targets include brainstem gliomas, hydrocephalus, Dandy Walker Malformation, and other neurologic conditions where conventional treatments are risky, invasive, or ineffective

Hi friend,

Welcome back to Future Human! Thank you to all who read last week’s write up on Formation Bio. It was a smashing success! The company not only reposted our work, which many of our deep dive subjects do, but their marketing team also reached out to send the Future Human team some swag. Catch me wearing Formation gear in every lecture beginning in August. It is a small step in the right direction for Future Human and I could not be more stoked. First swag, eventually contracts for longer form analysis. Thank you to Formation Bio for supporting us. Your act went down in our new “Small Wins” spreadsheet for safe keeping.

Okay, let me transition you to sci-fi.

With each deep dive I write, and the team collects data for, we are more and more blown away by the potential of health tech globally. Some startups, however, force a double take as their tech is so outlandish you don’t believe it at first. For this week’s dive, we went that direction and couldn’t be more excited.

So with that, let me ask you:

Would you let a tiny robot navigate your brain to deliver a drug or perform surgery? As this tech becomes real, where should we draw the line between precision and risk?

The Story

I have read about the potential for microrobots in medicine since early college. I must admit, after so many years of hearing it though, the initial shock has worn off. Innovation takes time, I get it, but I am certainly waiting eagerly for the first serious application of such technology. It may just be here, and it’s targeting cancer no less. This week’s startup is Bionaut Labs, a team redefining what’s possible in medicine by building microscale robots to perform precision treatments deep within the human body. These robots are magnetically propelled and can be guided through 3D trajectories to reach previously inaccessible areas, especially within the brain. Once in position, they can perform highly localized procedures, such as delivering drugs directly to a tumor, detecting disease markers, or conducting microsurgeries—all with a remarkable level of precision that sends a shiver down my spine. The startup is based in Los Angeles, with R&D outposts in Israel and Germany’s Max Planck Institute.¹

The origin of Bionaut is as futuristic as its technology. Cofounders Michael Shpigelmacher, Aviad Maizels, and Alex Shpunt first worked together at PrimeSense, the Israeli startup behind the 3D sensing tech that powered Xbox Kinect and eventually Apple’s Face ID. After selling PrimeSense to Apple for $400 million, the team turned their attention from consumer electronics to medical microrobotics–glad they finally moved to something useful. Inspired by work at the Max Planck Institute led by Professor Peer Fischer, the team began collaborating on a commercial application of magnetic microscale robots. Fischer is now Bionaut’s senior scientific advisor.²^,³

Unsurprisingly, they are backed by >$70 million in funding from prominent investors including Khosla Ventures, Upfront Ventures, Revolution, Gates Ventures, and the Mayo Clinic.⁴

Though the idea of tiny magnetic robots dates back to crude experiments in the 1980s, recent advances in robotics and precision manufacturing have made scalable production of medical-grade microrobots a reality. Shpigelmacher’s “aha moment” came when he realized how absurd it was that even highly targeted treatments typically flood the entire body. Robotics, he argued, is about doing things locally and precisely—and medicine should be no different.

Bionaut Labs emerged from stealth in 2021, and its rise is being closely watched by experts in the field. With clinical trials on the horizon and a team stacked with interdisciplinary talent, the company is uniquely positioned to bring the era of microrobotic medicine from science fiction to clinical reality.⁵

The Tech

Bionaut Labs isn’t just building a new class of medical devices—it’s reimagining how we access, treat, and understand disease inside the human body. The company’s microscale wireless robots, known as Bionauts™, are engineered to precisely reach deep, including within the brainstem. The devices are roughly the size of a breadcrumb and are inserted through the skull or spine. Using external magnetic fields, physicians can steer these robots to precise locations to deliver drugs or perform procedures. Initial targets include brainstem gliomas and rare pediatric cancers with no existing cures. They appear to be honing in on conditions that qualify for regulatory advantages like FDA Orphan Drug Designation and a more streamlined path to market. Unlike traditional surgical tools that require tethers or rigid endoscopes, Bionauts offer direct wireless access to anatomical targets, enabling a level of precision that minimizes trauma and expands what’s treatable inside the body.¹

Each Bionaut is designed modularly, meaning components can be reconfigured based on the anatomy, task, and therapy needed. The design considerations range from size and shape to payload compatibility, allowing the devices to carry everything from small molecules and biologics to gene and cell therapies. Some Bionauts are equipped for surgical interventions—others for diagnostics, stimulation, monitoring, or real-time delivery of therapeutics. After completing its mission, the device can be retrieved through the same access point, leaving no trace behind. This platform makes me question the long term potential of a variety of other lauded innovations that only serve one purpose, lacking modularity.

The platform emphasizes four technological pillars: precision, access, safety, and payload versatility. The robots are designed to move in highly predictable ways, navigating through complex tissue structures with minimal disruption. Their untethered design eliminates risks associated with cables and actuators, especially in delicate structures like the brain. In theory, the precision should mean reduced systemic toxicity and higher localized concentrations of treatments. This is critical in areas like neuro-oncology or neurodegeneration, where fragile tissue and disease location pose massive challenges to conventional approaches.

Today, Bionaut’s pipeline spans five major therapeutic areas, including hydrocephalus, Dandy Walker Malformation, neuro-oncology, brainstem glioma, and neurodegeneration. In each, the company is developing tailored Bionauts that perform minimally invasive microsurgical tasks, targeted drug delivery, and localized diagnostics. For example, their Dandy Walker program, which holds a Humanitarian Use Device designation from the FDA, uses a Bionaut to fenestrate brain cysts without open craniotomy. For gliomas, another Bionaut delivers approved chemo agents like doxorubicin directly to tumors—enhancing radiation sensitivity while minimizing systemic side effects.

Bionaut Labs is positioning itself at the forefront of a new era in therapeutic access—one where the limitations of anatomy no longer define the boundaries of treatment.

The Market

Bionaut Labs is emerging at a pivotal moment for precision medicine, targeting a rapidly growing market with major unmet therapeutic need. As we mentioned above, their platform is best positioned within the neurodegenerative disease space—a market estimated to reach $83.37 billion by 2030, driven by rising prevalence, aging populations, and intensifying R&D efforts. Despite being semi-consolidated around major pharmaceutical players like Roche, Merck, and Pfizer, this sector could be disrupted through more targeted and minimally invasive solutions (enter Bionaut).⁶

Concurrently, the neurotechnology market—which includes devices like neurostimulators, brain-machine interfaces, and AI-assisted diagnostics—is undergoing explosive growth. Valued at $15.3 billion in 2024, the space is projected to quadruple to $52.86 billion by 2034, expanding at a CAGR of 13.19%. Bionaut’s approach, while distinct from traditional neurostimulation, benefits from many of the same trends: miniaturization of medical hardware, AI integration, and a clinical push toward precision therapies for epilepsy, Parkinson’s, and chronic pain. Its unique use of external magnetic propulsion to guide wireless microscale devices aligns with the market’s broader shift toward personalized, tech-forward interventions that avoid the trauma of invasive cranial surgery.⁷

There is also meaningful overlap with adjacent and emerging markets like brain implants and neurobionics, where innovation is targeting the friction between artificial device materials and soft biological tissues. The brain implants market alone is expected to grow from $2.36 billion in 2025 to $4.93 billion by 2032, a CAGR of 11.1%. Existing technologies like deep brain stimulation probes often cause scarring due to material stiffness. Bionaut, by contrast, uses soft-compatible devices to avoid penetrating sensitive tissue.⁸^,⁹

Clinical applications for microrobotics are booming. I would want to be the Bionaut horse in this race. As each pharma giant looks to offer precision medicine, Bionaut appears to be the shovel manufacturer for these gold miners.¹⁰

The Sick

Bionaut Labs is reimagining how we treat some of the most challenging neurological diseases—by sending precision micro-robots directly to the source. For patients facing conditions that are currently inoperable, poorly managed, or treated with invasive procedures, Bionaut offers a new path forward: targeted, minimally invasive interventions in the deep brain and spinal cord, where traditional tools can’t safely reach.

For patients with hydrocephalus, a condition characterized by a dangerous buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain, the current standard of care involves surgically implanted shunts—a method associated with infection risk, lifelong monitoring, and high rates of revision surgery. Bionaut’s technology provides a minimally invasive alternative using externally guided robots designed to safely clear obstructions in cerebrospinal fluid circulation without the need for permanent hardware or open surgery.

Similarly, in Dandy Walker Malformation—a rare congenital condition affecting 1 in 25,000–30,000 births—patients currently undergo high-risk procedures such as posterior craniotomy or endoscopic third ventriculostomy to alleviate brain pressure caused by fluid-filled cysts. Bionaut’s device offers a safer alternative: navigating through the lower occipital region of the brain to fenestrate the cyst and relieve pressure. This approach aims to reduce complications, eliminate repeat surgeries, and improve long-term outcomes for a vulnerable pediatric population.¹

For patients with brainstem gliomas, one of the most lethal pediatric brain cancers, the outlook is particularly grim. These tumors are inoperable, and traditional radiation offers only a temporary benefit. Chemotherapy struggles to reach the brainstem in meaningful doses. Bionaut’s solution—delivering approved chemotherapeutic agents like doxorubicin directly to the tumor site—aims to dramatically improve survival by increasing local drug concentration with less toxicity.

The company is also targeting a broader category of neuro-oncology and neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s and Huntington’s. These diseases often resist treatment due to the brain’s protective barriers and the difficulty of reaching deep anatomical targets without damaging surrounding tissue. Bionaut could revolutionize care for millions of patients whose symptoms remain poorly managed despite decades of pharmaceutical innovation.

Taken together, Bionaut’s approach addresses a vast and growing burden: neurological disorders now affect over 3.4 billion people globally, accounting for 43% of the world population. These conditions range from childhood epilepsy to Alzheimer’s disease and stroke, and are the leading cause of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in many age groups (we found something doing more damage than cardiovascular disease or cancer). For this staggering population, Bionaut Labs is building a platform not just for treatment—but for precision intervention, meaningful relief, and a new standard of care.

The Economy

Neurological diseases represent not only a devastating personal burden—but a colossal economic one. As of 2017, the annual cost of treating neurological conditions in the United States was estimated at nearly $800 billion, with that figure expected to grow rapidly alongside an aging population. Over 100 million Americans are affected by neurological disease, and nearly 50% of the total health burden in the U.S. is due to the disability these conditions cause—not death. ¹¹^,¹²

“I’m not sure society at large is aware of just what an impact neurologic disease has—not only at the individual level, but also at the aggregate level for society.”

Dr. Clifton L. Gooch, Chair of Neurology at the University of South Florida¹¹^,¹²

The societal costs extend far beyond the hospital. Around 48 million Americans currently serve as informal caregivers for adult family members or friends with chronic conditions, many involving the nervous system. These caregivers often experience stress, depression, and financial strain, especially when forced to balance work, caregiving, and their own health.

“Caregiving is one of the most mind-bending, surreal, frustrating, exhilarating, and lonely experiences that one person can go through.”

Dan Gasby, author and caregiver advocate¹³

Providing better treatments—and ideally fewer lifelong management regimens—would alleviate suffering for both patients and caregivers.

These burdens also deepen existing inequalities. Gasby (author from quote above in case you didn’t read carefully) called brain health the “greatest 21st-century civil rights issue,” pointing to racial disparities in both disease burden and diagnosis. For example, Black Americans are twice as likely to develop late-onset Alzheimer’s disease yet are significantly less likely to be diagnosed, reducing their access to early intervention and treatment.¹³

Take Parkinson’s disease: as of 2017, it affected roughly one million people in the U.S. and imposed a staggering $51.9 billion annual burden, split between medical costs ($25.4B) and indirect losses ($26.5B) such as caregiver time and disability payments. Medicare bears the brunt, spending more than $20,000 annually per Parkinson’s patient. By 2037, total Parkinson’s costs are projected to exceed $79 billion, driven by rising prevalence and age-related vulnerability.¹⁴

Bionaut Labs aims to change the economic equation by targeting diseases with localized, lower-dose interventions that can be delivered with robotic precision. That means fewer side effects, fewer systemic treatments, fewer hospitalizations—and fewer costly complications. The company also sees potential beyond the brain, including future expansion into diseases of the eye, spinal cord, and eventually, other hard-to-reach areas of the body. If successful, Bionaut could shift the economics of neurological care from reactive and high-cost to targeted, efficient, and scalable—an economic as well as clinical breakthrough.

My Thoughts

As I mentioned at the start, I have heard about the revolution of microrobotics in medicine since about 2019. I know, I know, it was a thing even before then (cut me some slack, I wasn’t into healthtech when the dinosaurs roamed). Given the historical tendency for innovation in this space to oversell and under-deliver, I remain hesitant but hopeful. I have not found a team more suited for the job with as much traction as Bionaut Labs.

I look forward to the day we can explore and treat the brain while leaving no trace we were ever there, except for a smaller tumor or less CSF. Onward!

To more lives saved,

Andrew

I always appreciate feedback, questions, and conversation. Feel free to reach out on LinkedIn @andrewkuzemczak.