Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Navigation and Control of Motion Modes with Soft Microrobots for Drug Delivery at Low Reynolds Numbers

Version 1 : Received: 16 May 2023 / Approved: 17 May 2023 / Online: 17 May 2023 (08:38:31 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Kararsiz, G.; Duygu, Y.C.; Wang, Z.; Rogowski, L.W.; Park, S.J.; Kim, M.J. Navigation and Control of Motion Modes with Soft Microrobots at Low Reynolds Numbers. Micromachines 2023, 14, 1209. Kararsiz, G.; Duygu, Y.C.; Wang, Z.; Rogowski, L.W.; Park, S.J.; Kim, M.J. Navigation and Control of Motion Modes with Soft Microrobots at Low Reynolds Numbers. Micromachines 2023, 14, 1209.

Abstract

In this study, the motion characteristics of soft alginate microrobots were investigated with wireless magnetic fields in complex fluidic environments. Our aim is to explore the various motion modes that arise as a result of shear forces in viscoelastic fluids. Polyacrylamide (PAA), a water-soluble polymer, was characterized to produce a dynamic environment with a non-Newtonian fluid. The robots were fabricated by an extrusion-based microcentrifugal droplet method. We successfully demonstrated the feasibility of both wiggling and tumbling motions using snowman-shaped microbots. It is found that wiggling motion is primarily influenced by the interaction between the viscoelastic fluid environment and the non-uniform magnetization of the microbots. Additionally, it is discovered that modifying the viscoelasticity properties of the fluid can affect the motion behavior of the microbots. Furthermore, we observed that swarms of microbots exhibit non-uniform behavior within complex environments. Our velocity analysis has provided valuable insights into the relationship between applied magnetic fields and motion characteristics, enabling a more realistic understanding of surface locomotion in the context of targeted drug delivery.

Keywords

Magnetic Manipulation; Microrobotics; Non-Newtonian Fluid; Swarm Control

Subject

Engineering, Mechanical Engineering

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