Robotic Manipulator for Positioning a Magnetic Actuator Dedicated to Drug Delivery in the Cochlea

International audienceThe actuators dedicated to micrometric applications are known for their precision but also for their restricted workspace. The use of a robotic manipulator as a carrier makes it possible to considerably increase this workspace. In this paper, we present a novel robotic system specially designed for positioning a magnetic actuator based on permanent magnets, used as an end-effector of the robot for steering magnetic microrobot throughout the cochlea. Using the classical mathematical tools of serial robotics, we determined the direct and inverse kinematic models of the manipulator, thus defining a reference trajectory to move the microrobot on a space as small as possible and take account of the geometrical specifications based on medical needs. A prototype has been realized with a 3D printer to experimentally validate the numerical results. In addition, the mechanical considerations for the construction of the prototype are presented