Modeling and Control of Magnetic Forces between Microrobots
Amelia Fernández Seguel, Alejandro I. Maass
TL;DR
The paper tackles the challenge of independently steering multiple magnetic microrobots with a shared global magnetic field by regulating their inter-agent radial distance using only the field angle $ψ$. It develops a cascade control framework, starting with a PID controller to drive the radius and then a PD-based cascade to smooth the control angle, all within a 2D, two-agent model driven by dipole-dipole interactions and viscous-fluid dynamics. MATLAB simulations show the PID reduces convergence time by about 40% relative to a proportional controller, while the cascade scheme achieves smooth angular trajectories within ±5°, with minimal radial deviation. Although limited to 2D and two agents, the approach provides a simple, robust foundation for extending to 3D and larger multi-agent systems for biomedical applications such as targeted drug delivery and microsurgery.
Abstract
The independent control of multiple magnetic microrobots under a shared global signal presents critical challenges in biomedical applications such as targeted drug delivery and microsurgeries. Most existing systems only allow all agents to move synchronously, limiting their use in applications that require differentiated actuation. This research aims to design a controller capable of regulating the radial distance between micro-agents using only the angle ψof a global magnetic field as the actuation parameter, demonstrating potential for practical applications. The proposed cascade control approach enables faster and more precise adjustment of the inter-agent distance than a proportional controller, while maintaining smooth transitions and avoiding abrupt changes in the orientation of the magnetic field, making it suitable for real-world implementation. A bibliographic review was conducted to develop the physical model, considering magnetic dipole-dipole interactions and velocities in viscous media. A PID controller was implemented to regulate the radial distance, followed by a PD controller in cascade to smooth changes in field orientation. These controllers were simulated in MATLAB, showing that the PID controller reduced convergence time to the desired radius by about 40%. When adding the second controller, the combined PID+PD scheme achieved smooth angular trajectories within similar timeframes, with fluctuations of only \pm 5^\circ. These results validate the feasibility of controlling the radial distance of two microrobots using a shared magnetic field in a fast and precise manner, without abrupt variations in the control angle. However, the model is limited to a 2D environment and two agents, suggesting future research to extend the controller to 3D systems and multiple agents.