Propulsion Performance Comparison of Hard- and Soft-Magnetic Microrobots Under Rotating Magnetic Fields
J.F. Wijnmaalen (TU Delft - Mechanical Engineering)
Iulian Apachitei – Mentor (TU Delft - Biomaterials & Tissue Biomechanics)
Leon Abelmann – Mentor (TU Delft - Bio-Electronics)
J.J. van den Dobbelsteen – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Medical Instruments & Bio-Inspired Technology)
More Info
expand_more
Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.
Abstract
This study compares the propulsion performance between hard- and soft-magnetic microrobots under rotating magnetic fields. Results show that hard-magnetic microrobots achieved step-out frequencies and maximum propulsion speeds 4.5 times higher than soft-magnetic microrobots. Below saturation magnetization, soft-magnetic microrobots demonstrated similar performance irrespective of magnetic susceptibility, highlighting that torque generation in these materials is purely geometry-dependent. Employing a tapered ribbon design increased propulsion speed by a factor of 3.5 compared to regular helical designs. These results provide a quantitative basis for selecting materials and designs, enabling designers to weigh the propulsion benefits of hard magnets against the biocompatibility of soft-magnetic microrobots.