Biomimetic swimming tadpole microrobot using 3-pairs Helmholtz coils

For the actuation of a swimming microrobot, various types of electromagnetic actuation (EMA) systems were proposed. Compared with a conventional actuation system using an electric motor or shape memory alloy (SMA), EMA system has many advantages for a wireless actuation of a microrobot. This paper introduces a biomimetic swimming tadpole microrobot. The developed microrobot could be driven by an external uniform magnet field using 3-pairs of Helmholtz coils. The swimming microrobot consists of a buoyant body, NdFeB magnets, and silicone fin. Especially, the tadpole swimming microrobot has a single silicone fin which is directly linked to the NdFeB magnet. The external alternating magnetic field from 3-pairs of Helmholtz coils could generate the propulsion and steering force of the tadpole microrobot in 3-dimensional (D) space. The proposed swimming tadpole microrobot can be used in medical areas such as a capsule endoscope and drug delivery system.