Precise Steering and Unclogging Motions of a Catheter With a Rotary Magnetic Drill Tip Actuated by a Magnetic Navigation System

We developed a novel structure of a catheter actuated by an external magnetic field. The catheter is capable of steering and unclogging motions that improve its therapeutic maneuverability and functionality in human blood vessels. The tilting angle and vertical deflection of the catheter is described using the Euler-Bernoulli beam equation and defining two dimensionless variables. We also propose a methodology to precisely generate and control the steering and unclogging motions via a magnetic navigation system. We then conduct several experiments to show that the proposed system can control the vertical deflection, tilting angle, and drilling motion independently and effectively.