Characteristic Analysis of a Magnetically Actuated Capsule Microrobot in Medical Applications

A magnetic actuated capsule microrobotic system (MACMS) is proposed to control the microrobot to complete specific medical tasks, such as medical diagnosis or drug delivery. The structure design and control of the microrobot are optimized. By establishing the dynamic model of the microrobot with spiral structure, the optimal structure parameters are analyzed, and the fluid simulation of the propulsive force and the resistance of the microrobot are carried out by the finite element analysis software to obtain the optimal performance. During the experiment, the peristaltic pump was used for imitating the environment of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, because the human intestinal tract is constantly peristaltic at random speeds. The experimental results indicated that by adjusting the rotational velocity and frequency of the rotating magnetic field, the magnetic actuated spiral jet microrobot could move flexibly in the pipeline where the fluid's peristaltic velocity is constantly changing medical functions at the desired area for diagnosis. The proposed microrobot and its optimization method make it possible for microrobot to be applied in medical practice.