We propose a novel position control method (PCM) for the Robotically Assisted MAgnetic Navigation (RAMAN) system to improve the pushability of the magnetic catheter (MC) by maximizing the magnetic force. We expressed the magnetic force acting on the magnetic catheter as the position and the current flowing through each of the electromagnets of the RAMAN system. Next, we formulated a PCM as an optimization problem to maximize the MF. From the proposed PCM, we can determine the position that generates the maximum MF in the desired direction within the region of interest of the RAMAN as well as the required applied current of each electromagnet. Finally, we performed a navigation experiment for the MC along the aorta to the right coronary artery in a cardiac vascular phantom model, and we showed that the proposed PCM can navigate through the vascular phantom effectively without buckling of the MC.

We developed a resonance control method to generate a high-speed rotating magnetic field in a three-phase magnetic navigation system composed of three electromagnets. The proposed resonance control method calculates the amplitudes and phases of voltages, while the capacitances suppressing the self and mutual inductances of the electromagnets to keep the currents and the magnitude of the rotating magnetic field constant, even if the frequency of the rotating magnetic field increases. Finally, we prototyped the three-phase magnetic navigation system and the variable capacitor module to validate the effectiveness of the proposed resonance control method experimentally.