Development of the novel types of biomimetic microrobots driven by external magnetic field

This paper reports several prototypes of the magnetically controlled microrobots working in narrow area such as blood vessels for application in microsurgery. The magnetic moving mechanism without the wire for supplying the energy is driven by the alternating magnetic field. In this paper, the experiments of the magnetic mechanisms are carried out in a transparent polyvinylchloride pipe filled with water. And also, the microrobots can move inside of horizontal, vertical and curvature pipe. The motion mechanism and locomotive characteristic of the microrobot have been evaluated. Experimental results indicate that the directional control can be realized with adjusting frequency of the input current. Based on the results, the microrobots have a rapid response, and they can clear out dirt which is adhering to the inner wall of pipe. These microrobots will play an important role in both industrial and medical applications such as microsurgery.