Julien Leclerc
Papers
11
Total Citations
180
H-Index
7
About
Julien Leclerc is a pioneering roboticist whose research centers on the design, control, and medical application of millimeter-scale magnetic robots for minimally invasive surgery. His most significant contribution is the development of a rotating helical magnetic swimmer capable of combined 3-D navigation and blood clot removal, a breakthrough detailed in his highly cited 2020 paper (67 citations). This 2.5 mm-diameter robot, equipped with diamond-coated cutting tips, can both steer through complex vascular pathways and mechanically fragment thrombi. Leclerc has also advanced the field through innovations in magnetic manipulation, including a liquid nitrogen-cooled electromagnetic system for generating stronger fields (29 citations) and a magnetic hammer actuation method for tissue penetration using MRI scanners (23 citations). His work extends to closed-loop control strategies, such as Model Reference Adaptive Control for precise 3-D path-following, and swarm robotics, where he has developed motion-planning algorithms for robots controlled by global magnetic inputs. With over 170 total citations and recent work on hybrid thrombus fragmentation validated in ex vivo tissue models (2025), Leclerc continues to push the boundaries of wireless medical microrobotics, bringing us closer to a future of scarless, targeted interventions.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2A Magnetic Manipulator Cooled With Liquid Nitrogen29 citations · 2018
- 3Magnetic Hammer Actuation for Tissue Penetration using a Millirobot23 citations · 2017
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- 7Closed-Loop Control of Magnetic Modular Cubes for 2D Self-Assembly7 citations · 2023
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