Volume 20, Issue 43 2403007
Research Article

Field-Directed Motion, Cargo Capture, and Closed-Loop Controlled Navigation of Microellipsoids

Hashir M. Gauri

Hashir M. Gauri

Cain Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803 USA

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Ruchi Patel

Ruchi Patel

Cain Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803 USA

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Nicholas S. Lombardo

Nicholas S. Lombardo

Cain Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803 USA

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Michael A. Bevan

Corresponding Author

Michael A. Bevan

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218 USA

E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]

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Bhuvnesh Bharti

Corresponding Author

Bhuvnesh Bharti

Cain Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803 USA

E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]

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First published: 10 August 2024
Citations: 3

Abstract

Microrobots have the potential for diverse applications, including targeted drug delivery and minimally invasive surgery. Despite advancements in microrobot design and actuation strategies, achieving precise control over their motion remains challenging due to the dominance of viscous drag, system disturbances, physicochemical heterogeneities, and stochastic Brownian forces. Here, a precise control over the interfacial motion of model microellipsoids is demonstrated using time-varying rotating magnetic fields. The impacts of microellipsoid aspect ratio, field characteristics, and magnetic properties of the medium and the particle on the motion are investigated. The role of mobile micro-vortices generated is highlighted by rotating microellipsoids in capturing, transporting, and releasing cargo objects. Furthermore, an approach is presented for controlled navigation through mazes based on real-time particle and obstacle sensing, path planning, and magnetic field actuation without human intervention. The study introduces a mechanism of directing motion of microparticles using rotating magnetic fields, and a control scheme for precise navigation and delivery of micron-sized cargo using simple microellipsoids as microbots.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available in the supplementary material of this article.

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