Magnetic Actuation of Small-Scale Soft Robots

Abstract

Soft miniaturized robots, characterized by their simple manufacturability and manipulation, offer advantages in controllability and potential for medical applications. In the context of untethered robotic systems, a notable method of actuation is the use of magnetic fields. This research concentrates on the comprehensive modeling and fabrication of soft millimeter scale filaments subjected to magnetic actuation, designed to be applied in the human urinary tract. The investigation seeks to clarify the response of magnetic soft filaments with two distinct magnetic configurations to a rotating magnetic field resulting in a fin-like and a screw-like motion. This study analyses the degree of bending and the resulting forward motion by frequency response experiments. The results show that fin-like configuration of the magnetic robot results in 3 times faster motion than the screw-like robots in tubular confinement.