仿生工程学报 ›› 2017, Vol. 14 ›› Issue (2): 245-259.doi: 10.1016/S1672-6529(16)60395-5

• 论文 • 上一篇    下一篇

Feedback Control of an Achiral Robotic Microswimmer

U Kei Cheang1, Hoyeon Kim2, Dejan Milutinovi?3, Jongeun Choi4, Min Jun Kim2   

  1. 1. Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
    2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275, USA
    3. Department of Computer Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA
    4. School of Mechanical Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Kore
  • 收稿日期:2016-09-05 修回日期:2017-03-05 出版日期:2017-04-10 发布日期:2017-04-10
  • 通讯作者: Min Jun Kim E-mail:mkim@coe.drexel.edu
  • 作者简介:U Kei Cheang1, Hoyeon Kim2, Dejan Milutinovi?3, Jongeun Choi4, Min Jun Kim2

Feedback Control of an Achiral Robotic Microswimmer

U Kei Cheang1, Hoyeon Kim2, Dejan Milutinovi?3, Jongeun Choi4, Min Jun Kim2   

  1. 1. Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
    2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275, USA
    3. Department of Computer Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA
    4. School of Mechanical Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Kore
  • Received:2016-09-05 Revised:2017-03-05 Online:2017-04-10 Published:2017-04-10
  • Contact: Min Jun Kim E-mail:mkim@coe.drexel.edu
  • About author:U Kei Cheang1, Hoyeon Kim2, Dejan Milutinovi?3, Jongeun Choi4, Min Jun Kim2

摘要: Magnetic microswimmers are useful for navigating and performing tasks at small scales. To demonstrate effective control over such microswimmers, we implemented feedback control of the three-bead achiral microswimmers in both simulation and experiment. The achiral microswimmers with the ability to swim in bulk fluid are controlled wirelessly using magnetic fields generated from electromagnetic coils. The achirality of the microswimmers introduces unknown handedness resulting in uncertainty in swimming direction. We use a combination of rotating and static magnetic fields generated from an approximate Helmholtz coil system to overcome such uncertainty. There are also movement uncertainties due to environmental factors such as unsteady flow conditions. A kinematic model based feedback controller was created based on data fitting of experimental data. However, the controller was unable to yield satisfactory performance due to uncertainties from environmental factors; i.e., the time to reach target pose under adverse flow condition is too long. Following the implementation of an integral controller to control the microswimmers’ swimming velocity, the microswimmers were able to reach the target in roughly half the time. Through simulation and experiments, we show that the feedback control law can move an achiral microswimmer from any initial conditions to a target pose.

关键词: microrobotics, low Reynold number, feedback control, chirality, magnetic control

Abstract: Magnetic microswimmers are useful for navigating and performing tasks at small scales. To demonstrate effective control over such microswimmers, we implemented feedback control of the three-bead achiral microswimmers in both simulation and experiment. The achiral microswimmers with the ability to swim in bulk fluid are controlled wirelessly using magnetic fields generated from electromagnetic coils. The achirality of the microswimmers introduces unknown handedness resulting in uncertainty in swimming direction. We use a combination of rotating and static magnetic fields generated from an approximate Helmholtz coil system to overcome such uncertainty. There are also movement uncertainties due to environmental factors such as unsteady flow conditions. A kinematic model based feedback controller was created based on data fitting of experimental data. However, the controller was unable to yield satisfactory performance due to uncertainties from environmental factors; i.e., the time to reach target pose under adverse flow condition is too long. Following the implementation of an integral controller to control the microswimmers’ swimming velocity, the microswimmers were able to reach the target in roughly half the time. Through simulation and experiments, we show that the feedback control law can move an achiral microswimmer from any initial conditions to a target pose.

Key words: microrobotics, magnetic control, chirality, feedback control, low Reynold number