Bio-Inspired Terrestrial Motion of Magnetic Soft Millirobots

Venkiteswaran, Venkatasubramanian Kalpathy; Samaniego, Luis Fernando Pena; Sikorski, J.; Misra, Sarthak

doi:10.1109/lra.2019.2898040

Cited by 92 publications

(71 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…[ 3 ] The shape of the magnetoactive elastomer could be morphed by mechanical torque from the applied magnetic field. [ 25 ] It is thus crucial to accurately manipulate shape‐morphing through programming magnetic configuration of the permanent‐magnet microparticles in the soft matrix. [ 2 ] Here, a novel magnetic paper‐based soft robotics was developed.…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Ferromagnetic Liquid Metal Putty‐Like Material with Transformed Shape and Reconfigurable Polarity

Cao

Xia

et al. 2020

Advanced Materials

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by both the magnetic filler and the matrix. The liquid-like ferrofluids with transformed shape easily lose magnetization once the applied magnetic field is removed, and the solid ferromagnetic materials are hard to be reconfigured as needed.Recently, a reversible paramagnetic-toferromagnetic transformation of ferrofluid droplets by the jamming of a monolayer of magnetic nanoparticles assembled at the water-oil interface was developed. [8] However, this well-designed framework is applicable only within the liquid system. The elastic matrix-based AMC could achieve a limited reconfigurable shape, while the dynamically programmed and reversible magnetic reconfiguration meets a huge challenge. [9] In addition, there is an inevitable mismatch between the electrical and ferromagnetic performances for most AMC materials due to the insulative matrix. It is naturally desirable to design a reconfigurable ferromagnetic material with high electrical conductivity and transformed shape, attracting massive attention due to the promising applications in many fields such as flexible electronics and soft robotics.Here, we present a novel reconfigurable ferromagnetic liquid metal putty-like material (FM-LMP) with high electrical conductivity, prepared by homogenously mixing the room temperature LM of EGaIn (the melting point of 15.7 °C) and ferromagnetic neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) microparticles, as illustrated schematically in Figure 1a. The NdFeB microparticles dispersed in the LM matrix were then magnetically saturated through a strong impulse of the magnetic field. It is surprising to find that the magnetization could turn the liquid-like suspension into the solid-like putty-like material. The FM-LMP is thus easily remodeled like modelling clay to various magnet shapes. The macroscopic magnetic performance of the FM-LMP stems from the magnetic orientation alignment of the magnetized NdFeB microparticles immersed in the LM matrix, as illustrated in Figure 1b. The magnetic polarity alignment of magnetized microparticles with high mobility when suspended in the LM matrix could be reversibly disordered and rearranged to enable FM-LMP exhibit macro scopical demagnetization and magnetization. The magnetic LM [10] has been recently proposed through mixing soft magnetic materials (such as pure iron or It is remarkably desirable and challenging to design reconfigurable ferromagnetic materials with high electrical conductivity. This has attracted great attention due to promising applications in many fields such as emerging flexible electronics and soft robotics. However, the shape and magnetic polarity of existing ferromagnetic materials with low conductivity are both hard to be reconfigured, and the magnetization of insulative ferrofluids is easily lost once the external magnetic field is removed. A novel reconfigurable ferromagnetic liquid metal (LM) puttylike material (FM-LMP) with high electrical conductivity and transformed shape, which is prepared through homogenously mixing neodymiumiron-boron microparticles into the gallium-base...

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Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Ferromagnetic Liquid Metal Putty‐Like Material with Transformed Shape and Reconfigurable Polarity

Cao

Xia

et al. 2020

Advanced Materials

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“…Other works in literature have developed myriapod-inspired robots, although the focus was on achieving motion of individual legs [37,38]. In previous work, we demonstrated the use of metachronal rhythm to generate effective soft robot locomotion capable of traversing uneven terrain while maintaining a low, stable profile [39]. In this work, the robot is designed with two sets of legs and a longitudinally symmetric tilt in magnetic dipoles to make the Millipede robot steerable (Fig.…”

Section: Soft Robots and Grippersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Millipede soft robot presented here has two sets of legs, magnetized and attached (to a non-magnetic body) such that each set of legs has dipoles aligned in a plane tilted at an angle (φ = 30 • ) from the vertical plane. The magnetic dipoles in each set of legs follow a sinusoidal profile, enabling the robot to move under rotating magnetic fields [39]. Figure 3 ac illustrates the concept.…”

Section: Millipedementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, the deformation of the soft material is achieved by utilizing the magnetic torque (T). The patterns of magnetic dipoles within the magnetic elements of the soft robots and grippers are designed to elicit a predictable actuation response when exposed to the external field [39]. The magnetic field for the actuation of the soft robots is generated using an array of six electromagnetic coils [35].…”

Section: S1 Magnetic Actuationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tandem actuation of legged locomotion and grasping manipulation in soft robots using magnetic fields

Venkiteswaran¹,

Tan

Misra³

2020

Extreme Mechanics Letters

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Untethered soft robots have the potential to impact a variety of applications, particularly if they are capable of controllable locomotion and dexterous manipulation. Magnetic fields can provide human-safe, contactless actuation, opening the gates to applications in confined spaces-for example, in minimally invasive surgery. To translate these concepts into reality, soft robots are being developed with different capabilities, such as functional components to achieve motion and object manipulation. This paper investigates the tandem actuation of two separate functions (locomotion and grasping) through multi-legged soft robots with grippers, actuated by magnetic fields. The locomotion and grasping functions are activated separately by exploiting the difference in the response of the soft robots to the magnitude, frequency and direction of the actuating magnetic field. Two robots capable of performing controllable straight and turning motions are demonstrated: a millipedeinspired robot with legs moving in a rhythmic pattern, and a hexapod robot with six magnetic legs following an alternating tripod gait. Two types of grippers are developed: one inspired by prehensile tails and another similar to flowers or jellyfish. The various components are fabricated using a composite of silicone rubber with magnetic powder, and analyzed using quasi-static models and experimental results. Fully untethered locomotion of the robots and independent gripper actuation are illustrated through experiments. The maneuverability of the robots is proven through teleoperated steering experiments where the robots navigate through the workspace while avoiding obstacles. The ability of the robots to to manipulate objects by operating in tandem with the grippers is demonstrated through multiple experiments, including pick-and-place tasks where the robots grasp and release cargo at specific locations when triggered using magnetic fields.

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“…It is made by fusing ferromagnetic particles (praseodymiumiron-boron: PrFeB, with a mean particle size of 5 µm, Magnequench GmbH, Germany) into the silicone rubber in 1:1 ratio. The cured polymer is subjected to an external magnetic field of 1 T (B-E 25 electromagnet, Bruker Corp., USA) to align the magnetic dipoles, forming a soft polymer magnet [37]. These two designs are shown in Fig.…”

Section: Test Setupmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Monolithic Compliant Continuum Manipulator: A Proof-of-Concept Study

Thomas

Venkiteswaran

Ananthasuresh

et al. 2020

Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics

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Continuum robots have the potential to form an effective interface between the patient and surgeon in minimally invasive procedures. Magnetic actuation has the potential for accurate catheter steering, reducing tissue trauma and decreasing radiation exposure. In this paper, a new design of a monolithic metallic compliant continuum manipulator is presented, with flexures for precise motion. Contactless actuation is achieved using time-varying magnetic fields generated by an array of electromagnetic coils. The motion of the manipulator under magnetic actuation for planar deflection is studied. The mean errors of the theoretical model compared to experiments over three designs are found to be 1.9 mm and 5.1 deg in estimating the in-plane position and orientation of the tip of the manipulator, respectively, and 1.2 mm for the whole shape of the manipulator. Maneuverability of the manipulator is demonstrated by steering it along a path of known curvature and also through a gelatin phantom, which is visualized in real time using ultrasound imaging, substantiating its application as a steerable surgical manipulator.

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Bio-Inspired Terrestrial Motion of Magnetic Soft Millirobots

Cited by 92 publications

References 31 publications

Ferromagnetic Liquid Metal Putty‐Like Material with Transformed Shape and Reconfigurable Polarity

Ferromagnetic Liquid Metal Putty‐Like Material with Transformed Shape and Reconfigurable Polarity

Tandem actuation of legged locomotion and grasping manipulation in soft robots using magnetic fields

A Monolithic Compliant Continuum Manipulator: A Proof-of-Concept Study

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