This paper presents a luminescence oxygen sensor for retinalhypoxia monitoring. The sensor coats a wirelessly controlled magnetic microrobot that will operate in the human eye. The coating embodies Pt(II) octaethylporphine (PtOEP) dyes as the luminescence material and polystyrene as a supporting matrix. It is deposited on the microrobot as a thin film and this film is experimentally evaluated u...

This paper investigates fundamental design, modeling, and control issues related to untethered biomedical microrobots guided inside the human body through external magnetic fields. Proposed areas of application for these microrobots include sensing, diagnosis, and surgical procedures in intraocular, cardiovascular, and inner-ear environments. A prototype microrobot and steering system are intro...

Magnetically actuated ciliary microrobots were designed, fabricated, and manipulated to mimic cilia-based microorganisms such as paramecia. Full three-dimensional (3D) microrobot structures were fabricated using 3D laser lithography to form a polymer base structure. A nickel/titanium bilayer was sputtered onto the cilia part of the microrobot to ensure magnetic actuation and biocompatibility. T...

This paper presents an endovascular navigation of a ferromagnetic microdevice using MRI-based predictive control. The concept was studied for future development of microrobot designed to perform minimally invasive interventions in remote sites accessible through the human cardiovascular system. A system software architecture is presented illustrating the different software modules to allow 3D n...

Current top down manipulation systems used in micro and nanomanufacturing are many orders of magnitude larger than the parts being handled, leading to difficult tradeoffs between their precision, throughput and cost. This paper presents recent research progress in the manufacturing of millimeter sized robotic positioning technology that allows combining high precision with high throughput along...

We present a novel method for the three-dimensional (3D) control of microrobots within a microfluidic chip. The microrobot body contains a hollow space, producing buoyancy that allows it to float in a microfluidic environment. The robot moves in the z direction by balancing magnetic and buoyancy forces. In coordination with the motion of stages in the xy plane, we achieved 3D microrobot control...

In this study, a magnetic spiral microrobot is proposed for tasks such as diagnosis, drug delivery, and minimally invasive surgery. It has a compact structure with a wireless power supply, low voltage, and a long working time. The microrobot is comprised of a spiral outer shell based on the Archimedes screw structure and an O-ring magnet for an actuator. The Archimedes screw structure produces ...

 A variety of microrobots have commonly been used in the fields of biomedical engineering and underwater operations during the last few years. Thanks to their compact structure, low driving power, and simple control systems, microrobots can complete a variety of underwater tasks, even in limited spaces. To accomplish our objectives, we previously designed several bio-inspired underwater microro...

This paper presents an omni-directional mobile microrobot for micro-assembly in a microfactory. A novel structure is designed for omni-directional movement with three normal wheels. The millimeter-sized microrobot is actuated by four electromagnetic micromotors whose size is 3.1 mm × 3.1 mm × 1.4 mm. Three of the micromotors are for translation and the other one is for steering. The micromotor ...

This paper presents an omni‐directional wall‐ climbing microrobot with magnetic wheels. The integral design with an actuator and adhesive is realized by integrating stators and rotors of an MEMS‐based electromagnetic micromotor with a magnetic wheel. The omni‐directional wall‐climbing mechanism is designed by a set of steering gears and three standard magnet...