Wireless control of magnetic helical microrobots using a rotating-permanent-magnet manipulator

Abstract — Magnetic helical medical microrobots are promis-ing for use in open fluid, lumen, and soft-tissue environments and will enable minimally invasive access to hard-to-reach locations in the body. Prior work focused on control via uniform magnetic fields from orthogonal arrangements of electromag-netic coils, which are difficult to scale up to the size required for clinical applications. We propose the use of nonuniform magnetic fields emanating from a single rotating-permanent-magnet (RPM) manipulator for the control of magnetic helical microrobots. We theoretically and experimentally demonstrate that the RPM manipulator is a viable option for wireless control of magnetic helical microrobots that warrants further investigation. I