A Review of Magnetically Actuated Milli/Micro-Scale Robots Locomotion and Features

Abstract

In the past decades, wireless milli and micro devices have been incorporated into medical procedures as a way to reduce invasiveness. However, the commercially available methods still consist of passive locomotion devices, which is a limiting factor to the development of minimally invasive devices. Magnetism simplifies the design of small-scale devices since it does not require on-board batteries or motors. This review presents locomotion techniques and features using magnetic actuation towards minimally invasive procedures. Requirements, advantages, and challenges are discussed.