A fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro soft swimming robot and its preparation and application method

Abstract

The present invention provides a fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro-soft swimming robot and its preparation and application methods. The fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro-soft swimming robot includes a head, a floating platform, a vertical rod, a trunk and a tail. The head and the trunk are connected by a vertical rod. The top of the vertical rod is connected to the floating platform, and the tail is connected to the end of the trunk away from the head. The trunk is magnetized, and the magnetization direction is from the tail to the head of the robot. Under the action of an external alternating magnetic field, a magnetic torque is generated to drive the tail of the robot to swing to achieve forward swimming or turning movement. The beneficial effects of the present invention are: the fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro-soft swimming robot provided by the present invention has a simple structure and manufacturing process, and is easy to control. At the same time, the cable-free control makes it suitable for many scenarios.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of micro soft robots, and in particular to a fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro soft swimming robot and a preparation and application method thereof. Background Art

[0002] As an important branch of robotics and a crucial component of the bionics field, soft robotics has seen rapid development in recent years, driven by rapid advancements in materials chemistry, electromechanical technology, and automatic control.

[0003] Currently, there are two main types of actuation methods for micro-soft robots: cable-driven and cable-free. Cable-driven micro-soft robots are susceptible to environmental constraints and are therefore difficult to implement. Furthermore, due to their small size, internal energy supply is difficult to implement. Therefore, cable-free micro-soft robots are an inevitable trend in their development. Currently, cable-free micro-soft robots are driven and controlled by light, electric fields, heat, and magnetic fields. Among these, magnetic fields, as a simple, safe, and convenient actuation method capable of non-destructively penetrating biological tissue, have attracted widespread attention from researchers both domestically and internationally.

[0004] Existing technologies mostly achieve robot motion on solid surfaces, but are limited in liquids. While a few magnetically controlled soft microrobots have achieved motion in liquid environments, the robots' overall biomimetic nature is insufficient. Most use a material manufacturing method that mixes and solidifies silicone and magnetic powder, which takes a long time to manufacture. Furthermore, existing magnetically controlled soft swimming robots lack the ability to carry other objects due to their inherently low buoyancy.

[0005] Therefore, based on these problems, it is of great practical significance to provide a fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro-soft swimming robot that has large buoyancy in liquid and can swim forward or turn under the drive of a magnetic field, as well as a preparation and application method thereof. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro-soft swimming robot and a preparation and application method thereof, wherein the fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro-soft swimming robot comprises: a head, a floating platform, a vertical rod, a trunk and a tail;

[0007] The head and torso are connected by a vertical rod, the top of which is connected to the floating platform, and the tail is connected to the end of the torso away from the head;

[0008] Among them, the torso is magnetized, and the magnetization direction is the direction from tail to head in the plane where the torso is located. Under the action of an external magnetic field, the torso generates a magnetic torque, which causes the fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro-soft swimming robot to swing and move.

[0009] Furthermore, the trunk is made of VHB film and magnetic powder. The strong viscosity of VHB itself is used to cover its surface with a layer of magnetic powder. The magnetic powder can firmly adhere to the VHB surface, and then a magnetizer is used to magnetize the trunk.

[0010] Furthermore, the head is made of ABS material; the floating platform is made of polystyrene material; the vertical rod is made of thin wooden strips; and the tail is made of waterproof thin cardboard.

[0011] Furthermore, the head is a semi-elliptical thin sheet, the vertical rod is a rectangular thin rod, the trunk is a semi-elliptical shape, the tail is a triangular shape with one corner cut off, and the floating platform is a triangle.

[0012] Furthermore, the overall shape of the head, the lower end of the vertical rod, the trunk and the tail is a laterally flattened fish shape.

[0013] Furthermore, the head and the trunk are connected via a vertical rod, and the bottom ends and top ends of the head and the trunk are respectively located on the same horizontal line.

[0014] A method for preparing a fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro soft swimming robot comprises the following steps:

[0015] S1: Take a piece of VHB material, cut it into the shape of a torso, and use its own viscosity to cover a layer of magnetic powder on its surface;

[0016] S2: placing the trunk obtained in step S1 into a magnetizer and magnetizing the trunk according to a preset magnetic field direction;

[0017] S3: Using 3D printing technology, the head is printed from ABS material. The floating platform is cut into a triangular prism from high-density polystyrene foam board, and the vertical rod is fixed vertically to the bottom side of the floating platform. The tail is cut from waterproof thin cardboard.

[0018] S4: Glue together the straight edge of the head and the vertical rod obtained in step S3, and align the lower ends of the head and the vertical rod. Then glue together the straight edge of the trunk and the vertical rod obtained in step S2, while ensuring that the plane of the trunk coincides with the plane of the head, and the lower ends of the trunk and the vertical rod are aligned. Glue together the cut corner of the tail and the end of the trunk, so that the head, vertical rod, trunk and tail form a fish shape.

[0019] An application method of a fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro soft swimming robot, comprising:

[0020] A. By placing the fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro-soft swimming robot in a three-dimensional Helmholtz coil, an external tail-swing driving magnetic field is applied to the fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro-soft swimming robot. The direction from the head to the tail in the plane where the torso is located is set as the magnetic field 0°. The strength of the external tail-swing driving magnetic field is set to a predetermined value of one, and the external tail-swing driving magnetic field is gradually increased from the initial 0° to 90° and then gradually returned to 0°. During this process, the robot torso rotates to the left around the upper floating platform and the vertical rod under the action of the magnetic torque, and the non-magnetic tail swings;

[0021] B. By placing the fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro-soft swimming robot in a three-dimensional Helmholtz coil, an external tail-swing driving magnetic field is applied to the fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro-soft swimming robot. The direction from the head to the tail in the plane of the torso is set as the magnetic field 0°. The strength of the external tail-swing driving magnetic field is set to a proposed value of two, and the external tail-swing driving magnetic field is gradually reduced from the initial 0° to -90°, and then gradually returned to 0°. During this process, the robot torso rotates to the right around the floating platform and the vertical rod under the action of the magnetic torque, and the non-magnetic tail swings;

[0022] C. Repeat the above steps A and B of turning left and right, and the robot will achieve continuous tail swinging, causing the robot to swim forward. At the same time, the time it takes for the tail swinging drive magnetic field to complete A and B once is one cycle. By changing the length of the cycle, the tail swinging drive magnetic field and the robot's tail swinging frequency can be changed, thereby changing the robot's movement speed.

[0023] Furthermore, the fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro-soft swimming robot can also achieve turning movement during swimming. The specific process is: changing the initial 0° direction of the tail swing magnetic field during swimming. When the initial 0° direction of the applied external tail swing driving magnetic field is at a certain angle to the robot's axis, a magnetic torque is formed that can rotate the robot, and the robot also produces corresponding rotation, thereby enabling the robot to complete the turning movement.

[0024] Furthermore, the fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro-soft swimming robot can also transport objects while swimming. The specific process is: fix the object to be transported on the robot's floating platform, and then apply a suitable tail-swinging driving magnetic field. The robot can then carry the object and move, thereby realizing object transportation.

[0025] The technical solution provided by the present invention has the following beneficial effects: by controlling the direction, frequency, and intensity of the external magnetic field, the robot can swim forward and also achieve steering motion. Compared with existing technologies, this fish-shaped magnetically controlled soft swimming robot has a simple structure, is easy to manufacture, and has a short production cycle. It can swim in any direction within a plane under the alternating magnetic field provided by a three-dimensional Helmholtz coil, making it easy to control. At the same time, the flexible material and floating platform provide greater buoyancy, allowing the robot to have more application scenarios. For example, it has great significance in application scenarios such as the transportation and delivery of micro-objects in industry and scientific research, and targeted drug delivery in medicine. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, in which:

[0027] Figure 1 It is a structural diagram of a fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro-soft swimming robot provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the magnetization direction of the fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro soft swimming robot provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of a fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro-soft swimming robot swimming and swinging forward provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of a fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro-soft swimming robot realizing steering action provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] 1 - head; 2 - floating platform; 3 - vertical rod; 4 - trunk; 5 - tail. B in the figure represents the tail drive magnetic field. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] In order to have a clearer understanding of the technical features, purposes and effects of the present invention, specific embodiments of the present invention are now described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0033] Embodiments of the present invention provide a fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro soft swimming robot and methods for preparing and applying the robot.

[0034] like Figure 1-2As shown, the present invention provides a fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro soft swimming robot, comprising a head 1, a floating platform 2, a vertical rod 3, a trunk 4, and a tail 5. The head 1 is a semi-elliptical sheet made of ABS; the floating platform 2 is a triangular prism made of polystyrene; the vertical rod 3 is a thin rectangular rod made of thin wooden strips; the tail 5 is triangular and made of waterproof cardboard, with the corner where it connects to the trunk 4 cut off; and the trunk 4 is semi-elliptical and made of VHB and magnetic powder. The robot's head 1, the lower end of the vertical rod 3, the trunk 4, and the tail 5 form an overall shape that resembles a laterally flattened fish. The trunk 4, utilizing the strong adhesive properties of VHB, is coated with a layer of magnetic powder, which firmly adheres to the VHB surface and does not fall off in water. The trunk 4 is magnetized by the magnetic powder, and the magnetization direction is from the tail to the head in the plane of the robot's trunk. Under the influence of an external alternating magnetic field, the trunk 4 generates a magnetic torque, causing the robot to swing and thus move.

[0035] A method for preparing a fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro soft swimming robot comprises the following steps:

[0036] S1. Take a piece of VHB and cut it into a semi-elliptical shape. Use its own viscosity to cover the surface with a layer of magnetic powder and gently press it to make the magnetic powder firmly adhere to the surface of VHB.

[0037] S2, placing the trunk portion obtained in step S1 into a magnetizer, and magnetizing the trunk portion according to a preset magnetic field direction;

[0038] S3. The head is 3D printed using ABS material to print a semi-elliptical thin sheet; the floating platform is cut into a triangular prism using high-density polystyrene foam board; and a wooden vertical rod is fixed on it, which is perpendicular to the triangular plane of the floating platform; the tail is cut into a triangle using waterproof thin cardboard, and one of the corners is cut off to facilitate its fixation to the torso.

[0039] S4. Glue the straight edge of the head obtained in step S3 to the vertical rods, aligning the lower ends of the head and the vertical rods. Then, glue the straight edge of the trunk obtained in step S2 to the vertical rods, ensuring that the trunk's plane coincides with the head's plane and the lower ends of the trunk and the vertical rods are aligned. Glue the cut corner of the tail to the end of the trunk, ensuring that they are in the same plane. Thus, the head, vertical rods, trunk, and tail form a fish shape.

[0040] It should be noted that the materials of the robot head, tail, etc. can be replaced by other materials with similar properties to those in the embodiment.

[0041] like Figure 3-4 As shown, an application method of a fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro soft swimming robot includes the following steps:

[0042] A. By placing the fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro-soft swimming robot in a three-dimensional Helmholtz coil, an external tail-swing driving magnetic field is applied to the robot. The direction from the head to the tail in the plane where the torso 4 is located is the driving magnetic field 0°. The strength of the external tail-swing driving magnetic field is set to a predetermined value of one, and the external tail-swing driving magnetic field is gradually increased from an initial 0° to 90° and then gradually returned to 0°. During this process, the robot torso rotates to the left around the upper floating platform and the vertical rod under the action of the magnetic torque, and the non-magnetic tail swings;

[0043] B. By placing the fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro-soft swimming robot in a three-dimensional Helmholtz coil, an external tail-swing driving magnetic field is applied to the robot. The direction from the head to the tail in the plane where the torso 4 is located is the magnetic field 0°. The strength of the external tail-swing driving magnetic field is set to a proposed value of two, and the external tail-swing driving magnetic field is gradually reduced from the initial 0° to -90° and then gradually returned to 0°. During this process, the robot torso rotates to the right around the floating platform and the vertical rod under the action of the magnetic torque, and the non-magnetic tail swings;

[0044] C. Repeating steps A and B, turning left and right, the robot achieves continuous tail-swinging motion, allowing it to swim forward. The time it takes for the tail-swinging drive magnetic field to complete each of A and B is called a cycle. Changing the length of this cycle changes the tail-swinging drive magnetic field and the robot's tail-swinging frequency, thereby varying the robot's speed.

[0045] Furthermore, the robot can achieve steering motion while swimming. Specifically, the initial 0° direction of the tail-swing magnetic field is changed during swimming. When the initial 0° direction of the applied external tail-swing driving magnetic field is at a certain angle to the robot's axis, a magnetic torque is generated that causes the robot to rotate, and the robot also rotates accordingly, completing the steering motion.

[0046] The forward swimming or turning movement of the above robot can be driven by placing the fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro-soft swimming robot in a three-dimensional Helmholtz coil, because the three-dimensional Helmholtz coil can generate any uniform magnetic field in the xyz directions. Through this magnetic field, the robot can swim in any direction within a plane.

[0047] The robot can also transport objects during swimming. Specifically, the object to be transported is fixed on the robot's floating platform, and then a tail-swinging driving magnetic field is applied, and the robot can transport the object to a designated location.

[0048] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: by controlling the direction, frequency, and intensity of the external magnetic field, the robot can swim forward and also achieve steering motion. Compared with the existing technology, the fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro soft swimming robot has a simple structure, is easy to manufacture, and takes a short time to manufacture. It can swim in any direction within a plane under the alternating magnetic field provided by the three-dimensional Helmholtz coil and is easy to control. At the same time, the flexible material and the floating platform provide greater buoyancy, allowing the robot to have more application scenarios. For example, it has great significance in application scenarios such as the transportation and delivery of micro-objects in industry and scientific research, and targeted drug delivery in medicine.

[0049] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro soft swimming robot, characterized by: The fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro soft swimming robot comprises: a head (1), a floating platform (2), a vertical rod (3), a trunk (4) and a tail (5); The head (1) and the trunk (4) are connected via a vertical rod (3), the top end of the vertical rod (3) is connected to the floating platform (2), and the tail (5) is connected to the end of the trunk (4) away from the head (1); The trunk (4) is magnetized, and the magnetization direction is from the tail of the trunk (4) to the head thereof; under the action of an external magnetic field, the trunk (4) generates a magnetic torque, and the magnetic torque causes the fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro-soft swimming robot to swing and thus move; The trunk (4) is made of VHB film and magnetic powder. The strong viscosity of VHB itself is used to cover its surface with a layer of magnetic powder, and the magnetic powder can firmly adhere to the VHB surface. Then, a magnetizer is used to magnetize the trunk (4); the head (1) is made of ABS material; the floating platform (2) is made of polystyrene material; the vertical rod (3) is made of thin wooden strips; the tail (5) is made of waterproof thin cardboard; the floating platform (2) is a triangular prism, the vertical rod (3) is a thin rectangular parallelepiped rod, the trunk (4) is semi-elliptical, and the tail (5) is triangular, and the corner connected to the trunk (4) is cut off; the head (1) and the trunk (4) are connected through the vertical rod (3), and the bottom and top ends of the two are respectively located on the same horizontal line.

2. The fish-shaped magnetically controlled soft micro swimming robot according to claim 1, wherein: The head (1) is a semi-elliptical thin sheet.

3. The fish-shaped magnetically controlled soft micro swimming robot according to claim 1, wherein: The overall shape of the head (1), the lower end of the vertical rod (3), the trunk (4) and the tail (5) is a laterally flattened fish shape.

4. A method for preparing a fish-shaped magnetically controlled soft micro swimming robot according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The steps include: S1: Take a piece of VHB material, cut it into the shape of the trunk (4), and use its own viscosity to cover a layer of magnetic powder on its surface; S2: placing the trunk (4) obtained in step S1 into a magnetizer, and magnetizing the trunk (4) according to a preset magnetic field direction; S3: Using 3D printing technology, the head (1) is printed out of ABS material, the floating platform (2) is cut into a triangular prism using a high-density polystyrene foam board, and the vertical rod (3) is vertically fixed to the bottom side of the floating platform (2), and the tail (5) is cut out of waterproof thin cardboard; S4: Glue together the straight edge of the head (1) obtained in step S3 and the vertical rod (3), and align the lower ends of the head (1) and the vertical rod (3), then glue together the straight edge of the trunk (4) obtained in step S2 and the vertical rod (3), while ensuring that the plane where the trunk (4) is located coincides with the plane where the head (1) is located, and the lower ends of the trunk (4) and the vertical rod (3) are aligned, and glue together the cutting corner of the tail (5) and the end of the trunk (4), so that the head (1), the vertical rod (3), the trunk (4) and the tail (5) form a fish shape.

5. The method for applying the fish-shaped magnetically controlled soft micro swimming robot according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: include: A. Applying an external tail-swing driving magnetic field to the fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro soft swimming robot, with the direction from the head to the tail in the plane where the trunk (4) is located being the magnetic field 0°, the external tail-swing driving magnetic field strength being set to a predetermined value of one, and the external tail-swing driving magnetic field gradually increasing from the initial 0° to 90°, and then gradually returning to 0°. During this process, the robot trunk (4) is subjected to the action of the magnetic torque to rotate to the left around the floating platform (2) and the vertical rod (3), and swings with the non-magnetic tail (5); B. Applying an external tail-swing driving magnetic field to the fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro soft swimming robot, with the direction from the head to the tail in the plane where the trunk (4) is located being the magnetic field 0°, the external tail-swing driving magnetic field strength being set to a proposed value of two, and the external tail-swing driving magnetic field gradually decreasing from the initial 0° to -90°, and then gradually returning to 0°. During this process, the robot trunk (4) is subjected to the action of the magnetic torque to rotate to the right around the floating platform (2) and the vertical rod (3), and swings with the non-magnetic tail (5); C. Repeat the left and right rotation steps of A and B, and the robot will achieve continuous tail swinging action, causing the robot to swim forward; at the same time, the time it takes for the tail swinging drive magnetic field to complete A and B once is one cycle. By changing the length of the cycle, the tail swinging drive magnetic field and the robot's tail swinging frequency can be changed, thereby changing the robot's movement speed.

6. The application method of the fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro soft swimming robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: This fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro-soft swimming robot can also achieve turning movement during swimming. The specific process is: changing the initial 0° direction of the tail swing magnetic field during swimming. When the initial 0° direction of the applied external tail swing drive magnetic field is at a certain angle to the robot's axis, a magnetic torque is generated that can rotate the robot, and the robot also produces corresponding rotation, thereby enabling the robot to complete the turning movement.

7. The application method of the fish-shaped magnetically controlled micro soft swimming robot according to claim 6, characterized in that: By fixing the object on the robot's floating platform and applying a suitable tail-swinging drive magnetic field, the robot can drive the object to move, thereby realizing object transportation.

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