Fabrication of New Magnetic Micro-Machines for Minimally Invasive Surgery

Magnetic micro-machines (MMM) have been proposed as effective tools for minimally invasive surgery. An innovative and low cost MMM manufacturing process, based on casting of a mixture of SmCo powders and acrylic resin into silicone moulds, is presented. A MMM prototype has been manufactured with this new process and its swimming ability tested by using different siliconic oils of known kinematic viscosity. The propulsion efficiency, given by the velocity and frequency ratio, has been found comparable with other MMM reported in the literature.