19 accepted papers
This paper extends recent work in demonstrating magnetic manipulation of conductive, nonmagnetic objects using rotating magnetic dipole fields. The current state of the art demonstrates dexterous manipulation of solid copper spheres with all object parameters known a priori. Our approach expands the…
Recent research has shown that eddy currents induced by rotating magnetic dipole fields can produce forces and torques useful for dexterous manipulation of conductive nonmagnetic objects. This control paradigm shows promise for application in the remediation of space debris. However, the resulting f
This letter presents a new localization method for magnetic capsule endoscopes that uses sensors internal to the capsule, but aims to relieve some of the previous limitations associated with this paradigm. The method estimates the six-degree-of-freedom capsule pose with no prior pose information oth
A perennial challenge when rendering a virtual surface with an impedance-type haptic interface is making the surface feel hard without destroying its realism, since simply increasing its stiffness can lead to instability. One way to increase the perceived hardness without increasing stiffness is to
This letter describes how a rotating magnetic dipole field will manipulate the location and shape of a swarm of magnetic microrobots, specifically microrobots that convert rotation into forward propulsion, such as helical swimmers and screws. The analysis assumes a swarm that can be described by a c
In systems comprising stationary electromagnets designed for magnetic manipulation and remote magnetic actuation, the standard method for achieving some desired system output (e.g., magnetic force and torque) is to form a matrix that maps the electromagnets' electrical currents to the resulting outp
Cochlear-implant electrode arrays (EAs) must be inserted accurately and precisely to avoid damaging the delicate anatomical structures of the inner ear. It has previously been shown on the benchtop that using magnetic fields to steer magnet-tipped EAs during insertion reduces insertion forces, which
Presents corrections to the paper, “A critical analysis of eight-electromagnet manipulation systems: The role of electromagnet configuration on strength, isotropy, and access,” (Pourkand, A., et al), IEEE Robot. Autom. Lett., vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 2957– 2962, Oct. 2018.
Magnetic actuation, also known as magnetic manipulation, refers to the use of controlled magnetic fields, generated by electromagnets or permanent magnets, to impart forces and torques on a remote magnetic object. The magnetic object is typically modeled as a magnetic dipole, affording five-degree-o
It is known that in the creation of isotropic magnetic manipulation systems using a set of stationary electromagnets, eight electromagnets are necessary to ensure that there are no singularities in the workspace. A variety of eight-electromagnet configurations have been proposed to date. In the firs
In this paper, we describe a soft-robotic actuation concept to enable a mesoscale medical robot to navigate the natural lumens of the body, such as blood vessels and intestines. The concept comprises a simple soft robot with two embedded permanent magnets with alternating magnetic polarity, and a ro…
Electromagnetic formation flight (EMFF) denotes a method of formation flight control in which a cluster of spacecraft are equipped with controllable magnetic dipoles for coordination of their relative positions using interdipole forces. We present a method for finding a minimum-power dipole solution
Telemanipulated robot-assisted surgical procedures of the retina require precise manipulation of instruments inserted through trocars in the sclera. However, there is not a unique mapping of the motions of the surgeon's hand to the lower-dimensional motions of the instrument through the trocar, and
This paper presents a method for closed-loop propulsion of a screw-type magnetic capsule with embedded Hall-effect sensors using a single rotating actuator magnet. The method estimates the six-degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) pose of the capsule while it is synchronously rotating with the applied field. It…
This paper presents a method to estimate the six-degree-of-freedom pose of a magnetic capsule, with an embedded permanent magnet and Hall-effect sensors, using a rotating dipole field. The method's convergence properties as a function of the number of distinct rotation axes of the applied field and
A variety of magnetic devices can be manipulated remotely using a single permanent “actuator” magnet positioned in space by a robotic manipulator. This paper presents the spherical-actuator-magnet manipulator (SAMM), which is designed to replace or augment the singularity-prone spherical wrist used…
This paper presents the design concept and fabricated prototype of a device that swings the arms for use in gait rehabilitation. The device is designed to be used in conjunction with a body-weight-support treadmill. The device is backdrivable, wearable, capable of assisting the user's arm swing in t…
This is the first demonstration of a modular and reconfigurable magnetic-manipulation system with integral ferromagnetic material. This system-which includes multiple Omnimagnets, each comprising three orthogonal solenoids and a spherical ferromagnetic core-is capable of dexterous manipulation of a…
Untethered magnetic devices (UMDs) driven by rotating magnetic fields have been proposed for applications in minimally invasive medicine. Previous work has explored the propulsion and guidance of a single UMD using a rotating magnet dipole source, and actuation of multiple UMDs has focused on the us…