“We use magnetic fields to generate forces on the robots”, said Cappelleri. The Purdue University researchers believe that being able to control microbots using mini magnetic force fields could have applications in both manufacturing and also in the field of medicine. Since the severely miniaturized machines are way too small to feature batteries, onboard power wasn’t really an option. The new technology is based on “mini force fields” and is designed so that microbots can be used in diverse fields like production and pharmaceuticals. The magnetic fields system is generated by several in-printed planar coils. We use magnetic fields to generate forces on the robots.
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So, why the tiny bots in the first place?
“The reason we want independent movement of each robot is so they can do cooperative manipulation tasks”, David Cappelleri, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, in an official statement posted to the Purdue blog.
“Think of ants. They can independently move, yet all work together to perform tasks such as lifting and moving things”, said Cappelleri.
The unique method differs greatly from previous studies’ results which saw the microbots move altogether in unison instead of independently.
Early tests used robots with a diameter of two millimeters, twice the size of a pinhead, but researchers hope to shrink the microrobots down to 250 microns, as small as a dust mite. One of the major differences used in this research was magnetic force fields.
The complete details of the research have been published this month in the journal Micromachines. “You need to use an external way to power them”. The magnetic fields system triggers the mini-bots’ movements as the planar coils are producing current of varying strength.
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Independently controlled microbots working in groups might be useful in building microelectromechanical systems, or MEMS, minuscule machines that could have numerous applications from medicine to homeland security. We can instead assemble them with our robots. For example, microbots injected into the systems of humans who have cancer could possibly one day detect exactly where the cancer cells are located and destroy them, or they could be employed to initiate a chemical reaction in the manufacturing of certain products, in order to change a part of the product into a different material, or to assemble a device from components. To do so, they built miniature remote controls made of planar coils. A new process, however, was needed to create a microscale prototype, he said.
