Control of a three-dimensional magnetic force generated from a magnetic navigation system to precisely manipulate the locomotion of a magnetic microrobot

Abstract

We propose a method to generate a three-dimensional (3D) magnetic force to manipulate a magnetic microrobot in various environments by using a magnetic navigation system. The proposed method is based on the control of the magnetic force with respect to the change in the magnetization direction of the microrobot and an external magnetic flux gradient. We derived the nonlinear constraint equations which can determine the required direction of the uniform magnetic fields and magnetic gradients to generate the 3D magnetic force of a microrobot. The solutions of the equations were calculated using a geometrical analysis of the equations without any singular point. The proposed methodology was verified on 3D planar environments considering gravitational force, and we also conducted an experiment in a 3D water-filled tubular environment to verify the possibility of the clinical application in human blood vessels. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.