Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are essential components in many electronic technologies for consumer and industrial applications. Such devices are typically made using materials selected to support long operational lifetimes, but MEMS designed to physically disintegrate or to dissolve after a targeted period could provide a route to reduce electronic waste and could enable applications that require a finite operating timeframe, such as temporary medical implants. Here we report ecoresorbable and bioresorbable MEMS that are based on fully water-soluble material platforms and can either naturally resorb into the environment to eliminate solid waste or in the body to avoid a need for surgical extraction. We illustrate the biocompatibility of the approach with mechanobiology, histology and haematology studies of the implanted devices and their dissolution end products. We also demonstrate bioresorbable encapsulating materials and deployment strategies in small animal models to reduce device damage, confine mobile fragments and provide robust adhesion with adjacent tissues.

微机电系统 (MEMS) 是用于消费和工业应用的许多电子技术中必不可少的组件。此类设备通常使用选择支持较长使用寿命的材料制成，但设计为在目标时间后物理分解或溶解的 MEMS 可以提供减少电子浪费的途径，并且可以实现需要有限工作时间框架的应用，例如临时医疗植入物。在这里，我们报告了基于完全水溶性材料平台的生态可吸收和生物可吸收 MEMS，它们既可以自然吸收到环境中以消除固体废物，也可以在体内吸收以避免手术提取的需要。我们用机械生物学来说明该方法的生物相容性，植入装置及其溶解终产物的组织学和血液学研究。我们还在小动物模型中展示了生物可吸收封装材料和部署策略，以减少设备损坏、限制移动碎片并提供与相邻组织的牢固粘附。