Electromagnetic Steering of a Magnetic Cylindrical Microrobot Using Optical Feedback Closed-Loop Control

Control of small magnetic machines in viscous fluids may enable new medical applications of microrobots. Small-scale viscous environments lead to low Reynolds numbers, and although the flow is linear and steady, the magnetic actuation introduces a dynamic response that is nonlinear. We account for these nonlinearities, and the uncertainties in the dynamic and magnetic properties of the microrobot, by using time-delay estimation. The microrobot consists of a cylindrical magnet, 1 mm long and 500 μm in diameter, and is tracked using a visual feedback system. The microrobot was placed in silicone oil with a dynamic viscosity of 1 Pa.s, and followed step inputs with rise times of 0.45 s, 0.51 s, and 1.77 s, and overshoots of 37.5%, 33.3%, and 34.4% in the x, y, and z directions, respectively. In silicone oil with a viscosity of 3 Pa.s, the rise times were 1.04 s, 0.72 s, and 2.19 s, and the overshoots were 47.8%, 48.5%, and 86.8%. This demonstrates that closed-loop control of the magnetic microrobot was better in the less viscous fluid.