Swimming Characteristics of Soft robot with Magnetoelastic Material

Abstract

Cable-less micro-robots have exhibit great capabilities for remote applications in small and constrained environments, especially in biotechnology and healthcare. This paper presents a swimmer propelled by its undulatory deformation using magnetoelastic composite material. The robot can move freely on water surface driven through a function of magnetic field, such as forward, backward and steering with different velocity. The magnetic field is generated by 3D Helmholtz coils, and the locomotion of the micro swimming robot is controlled by different applied magnetic field. To understand the characteristics of the swimmer, the force balance equation is established, and the morphologies of swimmer with different magnetic field are analyzed and described through finite element analysis method. Furthermore, we discuss and analyze relationship between the parameters of magnetic field and the speed of the swimmer. The experimental results verified the speed model of the swimming robot, which is influenced by the frequency and strength of magnetic field.