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

Magnetic helical medical microrobots are promising 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 electromagnetic 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.