Simulation-based analysis of micro-robots swimming at the center and near the wall of circular mini-channels

Swimming micro robots have great potential in biomedical applications such as targeted drug delivery, medical diagnosis, and destroying blood clots in arteries. Inspired by swimming micro organisms, micro robots can move in biofluids with helical tails attached to their bodies. In order to design and navigate micro robots, hydrodynamic characteristics of the flow field must be understood well. This work presents computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling and analysis of the flow due to the motion of micro robots that consist of magnetic heads and helical tails inside fluid-filled channels akin to bodily conduits; special emphasis is on the effects of the radial position of the robot. Time-averaged velocities, forces, torques, and efficiency of the micro robots placed in the channels are analyzed as functions of rotation frequency, helical pitch (wavelength) and helical radius (amplitude) of the tail. Results indicate that robots move faster and more efficiently near the wall than at the center of the channel. Forces acting on micro robots are asymmetrical due to the chirality of the robot’s tail and its motion. Moreover, robots placed near the wall have a different flow pattern around the head when compared to in-center and unbounded swimmers. According to simulation results, time-averaged for-ward velocity of the robot agrees well with the experimental values measured previously for a robot with almost the same dimensions

Experiment-based kinematic validation of numeric modeling and simulated control of an untethered biomimetic microrobot in channel

Modeling and control of swimming untethered microrobots are important for future therapeutic medical applications. Bio-inspired propulsion methods emerge as realistic substitutes for hydrodynamic thrust generation in micro realm. Accurate modeling, power supply, and propulsion-means directly affect microrobot motility and maneuverability. In this work, motility of bacteria-like untethered helical microrobots in channels is modeled with the resistive force theory coupled with motor dynamics. Results are validated with private experiments conducted on cm-scale prototypes fully submerged in Si-oil filled glass channel. Li-Po battery is utilized as the onboard power supply. Helical tail rotation is triggered by an IR remote control. It is observed that time-averaged velocities calculated by the model agree well with experimental results. Finally, time-dependent performance of a hypothetical model-based position control scheme is simulated with upstream flow as disturbance

Navigation of mini swimmers in channel networks with magnetic fields

Controlled navigation of swimming micro robots inside fluid filled channels is necessary for applications in living tissues and vessels. Hydrodynamic behavior inside channels and interaction with channel walls need to be understood well for successful design and control of these surgical-tools-to-be. In this study, two different mechanisms are used for forward and lateral motion: rotation of helices in the direction of the helical axis leads to forward motion in the viscous fluid, and rolling due to wall traction results with the lateral motion near the wall. Experiments are conducted using a magnetic helical swimmer having 1.5 mm in length and 0.5 mm in diameter placed inside two different glycerol-filled channels with rectangular cross sections. The strength, direction and rotational frequency of the externally applied rotating magnetic field are used as inputs to control the position and direction of the micro swimmer in Y- and T-shaped channels

Validated reduced order models for simulating trajectories of bio-inspired artificial micro-swimmers

Autonomous micro-swimming robots can be utilized to perform specialized procedures such as in vitro or in vivo medical tasks as well as chemical surveillance or micro manipulation. Maneuverability of the robot is one of the requirements that ensure successful completion of its task. In micro fluidic environments, dynamic trajectories of active micro-swimming robots must be predicted reliably and the response of control inputs must be well-understood. In this work, a reduced-order model, which is based on the resistive force theory, is used to predict the transient, coupled rigid body dynamics and hydrodynamic behavior of bio-inspired artificial micro-swimmers. Conceptual design of the micro-swimmer is biologically inspired: it is composed of a body that carries a payload, control and actuation mechanisms, and a long flagellum either such as an inextensible whip like tail-actuator that deforms and propagates sinusoidal planar waves similar to spermatozoa, or of a rotating rigid helix similar to many bacteria, such as E. Coli. In the reduced-order model of the microswimmer, fluid’s resistance to the motion of the body and the tail are computed from resistive force theory, which breaks up the resistance coefficients to local normal and tangential components. Using rotational transformations between a fixed world frame, body frame and the local Frenet-Serret coordinates on the helical tail we obtain the full 6 degrees-of-freedom relationship between the resistive forces and torques and the linear and rotational motions of the swimmer. In the model, only the tail’s frequency (angular velocity for helical tail) is used as a control input in the dynamic equations of the micro-swimming robot. The reduced-order model is validated by means of direct observations of natural micro swimmers presented earlier in the literature and against; results show very good agreement. Three-dimensional, transient CFD simulations of a single degree of freedom swimmer is used to predict resistive force coefficients of a micro-swimmer with a spherical body and flexible tail actuator that uses traveling plane wave deformations for propulsion. Modified coefficients show a very good agreement between the predicted and actual time-dependent swimming speeds, as well as forces and torques along all axes

Comparison on experimental and numerical results for helical swimmers inside channels

Swimming micro robots are becoming feasible in biomedical applications such as targeted drug delivery, opening clogged arteries and diagnosis owing to recent developments in micro and nano manufacturing technologies. It has been demonstrated at various scales that micro helices with magnetic coating or attached to a magnet can move in fluids with the application of external rotating magnetic fields. The motion of micro swimmers interacting with flow inside channels needs to be well understood especially for medical applications where the motion of micro robots inside arteries and conduits in the body become pertinent. In this work, swimming of helical micro robots with magnetic heads inside tubes is modeled with the resistive force theory (RFT) and validated with experiments conducted in glycerin filled mini glass channels placed in rotational magnetic fields. The time-averaged forward velocities of magnetically driven micro swimmers that are calculated by the RFT model agree very well with experimental results

Bio-inspired micro robots swimming in channels

Swimming micro robots that mimic micro organisms have a huge potential in biomedical applications such as opening clogged hard-to-reach arteries, targeted drug delivery and diagnostic operations. Typically, a micro swimmer that consists of a magnetic bead as its body, which is attached to a rigid helical tail, is actuated by a rotating external magnetic field and moved forward in the direction of the rotation in fluids. Understanding of hydrodynamic effects has utmost importance for modeling and prediction of the trajectory of the robot. In this work, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is presented for the mm-long swimmer with the helical tail; the swimmer is used in our previous experiments on the effect of the confinement of the robot in a liquid filled channel. Forward velocity, fluid forces and torques on the micro swimmer are studied with respect to robot’s radial position in the channel and the number of waves on the helical tail. Forward velocities from the CFD model for the robots swimming near the wall agree reasonably well with experimental measurements

Swimming of onboard-powered autonomous robots in viscous fluid filled channels

Microrobots can make a great impact in medical applications such as minimally-invasive surgery, screening and diagnosis of diseases, targeted therapy and drug delivery. Smallsized bio-inspired robots can mimic flagellar propulsion mechanisms of microorganisms for actuation in microfluidic environments, which are dominated by viscous forces. Microorganisms propel themselves by means of the motion of their flagella such as rotation of rigid helices or travelling planar waves on flexible tails similar to whipping motion. Here, we present characterization of swimming of onboard-powered autonomous robots inside cylindrical tubes. Robots consist of two links, head and tail, connected with a revolute joint. Rigid helical tails of the swimmer robots are made of steel wires with 12 different configurations of helical radius and pitch. From experiments forward linear velocity of robots and angular velocities of the links are measured, and compared with the mathematical model, which is based on the resistive force theory. Results indicate that the motion of the swimmer inside channels can be predicted by means of the resistive force theory reasonably well

Experiments on in-channel swimming of an untethered biomimetic robot with different helical tails

Experiments are carried out with a cm-scale bio-mimetic swimming robot, which consists of a body and a rigid helical tail and mimics typical eukaryotic micro organisms, inside circular channels filled with viscous fluids. The body of the robot is made of a cylindrical capsule, which includes an onboard power supply, a dedicated DC-motor, and a driving circuitry with IR-receiver for remote control purposes. In experiments geometric parameters of the helical tail, wavelength and amplitude, and the diameter of the circular channels are varied to understand the effect of those parameters on the swimming speed of the robots. Models, based on slender body theory (SBT) and resistive force theory (RFT), are implemented to predict the swimming speeds, which are then compared with experimentally measured values. A simple model for the DC-motor dynamics is included to account for the contact friction effects on the body rotation rates. Model results agree reasonably well with experimental measurements

Using Surface-Motions for Locomotion of Microscopic Robots in Viscous Fluids

Microscopic robots could perform tasks with high spatial precision, such as acting in biological tissues on the scale of individual cells, provided they can reach precise locations. This paper evaluates the feasibility of in vivo locomotion for micron-size robots. Two appealing methods rely only on surface motions: steady tangential motion and small amplitude oscillations. These methods contrast with common microorganism propulsion based on flagella or cilia, which are more likely to damage nearby cells if used by robots made of stiff materials. The power potentially available to robots in tissue supports speeds ranging from one to hundreds of microns per second, over the range of viscosities found in biological tissue. We discuss design trade-offs among propulsion method, speed, power, shear forces and robot shape, and relate those choices to robot task requirements. This study shows that realizing such locomotion requires substantial improvements in fabrication capabilities and material properties over current technology.Comment: 14 figures and two Quicktime animations of the locomotion methods described in the paper, each showing one period of the motion over a time of 0.5 milliseconds; version 2 has minor clarifications and corrected typo