Effects of Magnetic and Viscous Torques on Underwater Swimming of Magnetic Soft Robots

초록

Swimming miniaturized soft microrobots have been highly affected by drag in viscous human blood. Herein, we scrutinize effects of magnetic toque and viscous torque on orbital maneuver of magnetic soft microrobots in viscous solutions. Underwater rotation and revolution of the soft robot are induced by rotating magnetic field of two permanent magnets. Uniform orbital maneuver of the soft robots is attributed to both magnetic frequency of rotating magnetic field and liquid viscosity, confirmed by experiments and theoretical calculation. Provided that magnetic torque is equivalent to viscous torque, hierarchical locomotion evolving from rotation into revolution is caused by pivoting and tumbling motion. Furthermore, we will discuss on swimmability in liquid with similar viscosity to human blood and capacity to cope with arteriosclerosis.