An Automated Liquid Manipulation by Using a Ferrofluid-Based Robotic Sheet

Abstract

This letter describes a method for automated liquid manipulation using a ferrofluid-based robotic sheet. The robotic sheet consists of a ferrofluid wrapped with thin polytetrafluoroethylene films. The robotic sheet automatically transports a target liquid using the deformation characteristics of ferrofluid subject to the influence of a magnetic field, and moves it to targeted locations via a visual feedback control with a camera. Based on previous findings regarding the flexibility of robotic sheets, the proposed system could manually move a target liquid, such as water. In this letter, the authors elucidate the feasibility of the automatic manipulation and behavior of the target liquid during manipulation. The authors also quantify liquid mixing and explain the effect of the oscillation characteristics on the result.