RodBot: A rolling microrobot for micromanipulation

Abstract

We introduce the modelling and control of a rolling microrobot. The microrobot is capable of manipulating micro-objects through the use of a magnetic visual control system. This system consists of a rod-shaped microrobot, a magnetic actuation system and a visual control system. Motion of the rolling microrobot on a supporting surface is induced by a rotating magnetic field. As the robot is submerged in a liquid this motion creates a rising flow in front, a sinking flow behind, and a vortex above the robot, thus enabling non-contact transportation of micro-objects. Besides this fluid-vortex approach, the microrobot is also able to manipulate micro-objects via a pushing strategy. We present the design and modelling of the 50×60×300 μm micro-agent, the visual control system, and an experimental analysis of the micromanipulation and control methods.