A magnetically controlled bistable soft capsule robot and its driving method

Abstract

The application belongs to the field of magnetic capsule robots, and specifically discloses a magnetic bistable soft capsule robot and a driving method thereof. The capsule robot comprises a first component and a capsule shell. The capsule shell is provided with a material exchange channel. The first component is arranged in the capsule shell. The first component comprises a bistable hemispherical shell and a first magnetic clothing, both of which are magnetic soft structures. The bistable hemispherical shell comprises a first stable state configuration and a second stable state configuration, and stores elastic potential energy in the first stable state configuration. The conversion direction of the stable state configuration of the hemispherical shell is perpendicular to the length direction of the capsule shell. When the hemispherical shell is in the first stable state configuration, the first magnetic clothing is arranged at the top end side of the hemispherical shell, and the open side of the hemispherical shell serves as a material loading cavity. In the first stable state configuration, the magnetization direction of the bistable hemispherical shell is divergent to the periphery with the center of the bottom circle of the open side as the center, and the magnetization direction of the first magnetic clothing is the same as the protruding direction of the hemispherical shell. Through the application, the stable realization of the medical function of the capsule robot in the complex gastrointestinal environment is ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of magnetically controlled capsule robots, and more specifically, relates to a magnetically controlled bistable soft capsule robot and its driving method. Background Technology

[0002] The cure rate and survival rate of gastrointestinal diseases decrease significantly with the extension of the disease duration. Regular screening and early diagnosis and treatment are widely recognized as the most effective means to reduce the incidence of cancer. However, existing methods have obvious limitations and urgently need innovative breakthroughs: Cable endoscopy, as the current mainstream diagnostic and treatment method, has the functions of image diagnosis, sampling and drug delivery, but the intubation treatment mode brings strong discomfort and has contraindications and problems such as small bowel blind spots; Capsule endoscopy (capsule robot) has unique advantages such as non-contact, non-invasive and painless, but existing technology is limited to image diagnosis and cannot realize targeted drug delivery, sampling and other diagnostic and treatment functions.

[0003] Magnetically controlled capsule robot technology utilizes the interaction between an external driving magnetic field and the magnetic components inside the capsule to regulate the capsule's movement and shape within the body, providing an important pathway for painless and non-invasive diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. This technology exhibits unique advantages due to two key characteristics: 1) No internal driving force: This characteristic eliminates the need for internal power supplies and control circuits, significantly simplifying capsule robot design, reducing overall size, and minimizing potential risks associated with in vivo use. 2) Non-contact active control: The strong penetrability of magnetic fields within the human body enables remote, non-contact actuation of the magnetically controlled capsule robot. Furthermore, the diversity and controllability of the magnetic field's spatiotemporal distribution greatly enhance its active control and morphological regulation capabilities, thereby expanding the possibilities for more medical functions.

[0004] Against this backdrop, magnetically controlled capsule robot technology has attracted widespread attention from academia and industry. The most typical application is the development and commercialization of magnetically controlled capsule endoscopy, which has been incorporated into gastric cancer screening and early diagnosis and treatment programs, providing strong confidence for the development and biomedical applications of magnetically controlled capsule robots. However, as mentioned earlier, existing magnetically controlled capsule endoscopes still face the dilemma of being "only for diagnosis, not for treatment." Therefore, over the past decade, promoting the development and application of magnetically controlled capsule robot technology has become a focus for many domestic and international research teams, who have conducted a series of studies on the structural design, actuation strategies, and applications of magnetically controlled capsule robots in the biomedical field.

[0005] Soft robots, which have emerged in recent years, are robots whose bodies or main functional structures are made of soft materials. They possess characteristics such as high degrees of freedom, strong deformability, and strong adaptability, giving them significant technological advantages over traditional rigid robots in human-robot interaction and unstructured environments. Among them, magnetically controlled soft robots based on hard magnetic soft composite materials and magnetic torque manipulation have unique advantages such as non-contact operation, strong controllability, and good penetration performance. They have become a research focus and mainstream development direction in the field of soft robotics, showing great application potential in the biomedical field. Unlike the magnetization mode of traditional magnetically controlled robots with built-in rigid permanent magnets, the application of hard magnetic soft materials endows robots with high magnetic response characteristics and multi-degree-of-freedom deformation capabilities, greatly enhancing the robot's morphological control potential and enabling both motion and large deformation modes, thus providing possibilities for revolutionizing the diagnosis and treatment of many major diseases.

[0006] However, current magnetically controlled soft robot technology mainly relies on the deformation principle of competition between external magnetic torque and internal elastic force. This makes it difficult to achieve large deformations under low magnetic fields, and maintaining the shape requires continuous magnetic field loading. These limitations restrict the application of this technology in the field of capsule robots, especially for large animal experiments and human clinical trials. It faces problems such as insufficient output force and high energy consumption, which poses a great challenge to the development of electromagnetic drive systems. It also limits the functional performance and control capabilities of capsule robots in complex gastrointestinal environments, and is prone to phenomena such as failure to release drugs and collect samples due to gastrointestinal folds, peristalsis, and food residue. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, the purpose of this application is to provide a magnetically controlled bistable soft capsule robot and its driving method, aiming to solve the problems of insufficient output force and high energy consumption faced by existing capsule robots in application, which cannot guarantee the reliable realization of medical functions of capsule robots in complex gastrointestinal environments.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, in a first aspect, this application provides a magnetically controlled bistable soft capsule robot, comprising: at least one first component and a capsule shell;

[0009] The capsule shell is provided with a substance exchange channel;

[0010] Each of the at least one first component is disposed inside the capsule shell;

[0011] The first component includes: a bistable hemispherical shell and a first magnetic sheath, both of which are magnetic soft structures; the bistable hemispherical shell includes a first stable configuration and a second stable configuration, the driving force for the stable configuration conversion of the bistable hemispherical shell has asymmetric characteristics, and it stores elastic potential energy in the first stable configuration; the stable configuration conversion direction of the bistable hemispherical shell is perpendicular to the length direction of the capsule shell; when the bistable hemispherical shell is in the first stable configuration, the first magnetic sheath is disposed on the top side of the hemispherical shell, and the open side of the hemispherical shell serves as the loading cavity; the magnetization direction of the bistable hemispherical shell in the first stable configuration is radiating outward from the center of the bottom circle of its open side, and the magnetization direction of the first magnetic sheath is the same as the convex direction of the bistable hemispherical shell in the first stable configuration.

[0012] It should be noted that this application introduces a bistable configuration of a hemispherical shell and utilizes the asymmetric steady-state configuration conversion function of the bistable hemispherical shell. The second steady-state configuration is relatively more stable, while the first steady-state configuration is metastable and stores elastic potential energy. Only a smaller deformation force is needed to release this elastic potential energy and convert it to the second steady-state configuration. This application utilizes the elastic potential energy stored in the hemispherical shell under the first steady-state configuration. When the hemispherical shell transforms from the first steady-state configuration to the second steady-state configuration, the released elastic potential energy can act on the object within the carrying cavity, enhancing the output capability of the capsule robot and thus ensuring the stable realization of medical functions of the capsule robot in complex gastrointestinal environments (gastrointestinal folds, peristalsis, and food residue).

[0013] In one possible implementation, the first component further includes: a second magnetic garment;

[0014] When the bistable hemispherical shell is in the first stable configuration, the second magnetic clasp is disposed on the opening side of the hemispherical shell.

[0015] The second magnetic garment is provided with a material exchange channel.

[0016] Preferably, the first magnetic coat and the second magnetic coat are symmetrically arranged and fixedly connected to the inner wall of the capsule shell, respectively.

[0017] Understandably, this application can utilize the magnetic torque on the first and second magnetic garments to achieve better control over the movement of the capsule robot. The magnetic torque exerted by the two symmetrical magnetic garments will be more uniform, resulting in better control over the movement of the capsule robot.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the steady-state configuration conversion driving force of the bistable hemispherical shell has asymmetric characteristics, specifically: the deformation force required for the bistable hemispherical shell to convert from the first steady-state configuration to the second steady-state configuration is less than the deformation force required to convert from the second steady-state configuration to the first steady-state configuration.

[0019] Those skilled in the art will understand that when the deformation forces required for the two directional configuration transformations of a bistable hemispherical shell are different, the bistable hemispherical shell is an asymmetric steady-state configuration transformation hemispherical shell.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the capsule robot also includes: a second component;

[0021] The second component is disposed inside the capsule shell;

[0022] The second component includes: an image sensing module, a main control module, and a power supply module;

[0023] The image sensing module is used to capture images of the view around the capsule robot, identify a preset area, and locate the preset area.

[0024] The main control module is used to transmit the information acquired by the image sensing module to the outside of the capsule robot;

[0025] The power module is used to supply power to the image sensing module and the main control module.

[0026] Secondly, this application provides a driving method for the magnetically controlled bistable soft capsule robot provided in the first aspect above, including the following driving methods:

[0027] Under the influence of the first amplitude magnetic field, the magnetic torque exerted by the first amplitude magnetic field on the first magnetic garment is used to drive the capsule robot to move by adjusting the direction of the first amplitude magnetic field;

[0028] Under the influence of the second amplitude magnetic field, the magnetic torque acting on the bistable hemispherical shell is controlled to be greater than the sum of the structural force of the bistable hemispherical shell in the first stable configuration and the magnetic gradient force between the hemispherical shell and the first magnetic sheath in the first stable configuration, so that the bistable hemispherical shell changes from the first stable configuration to the second stable configuration. The elastic potential energy is rapidly released and provides a large driving force to release the object in the cargo cavity to the outside of the capsule shell through the material exchange channel; the second amplitude is greater than the first amplitude.

[0029] Understandably, this application can control the movement of a capsule robot under a low-frequency, low-amplitude magnetic field, including unidirectional or directional movements. Furthermore, this application can control the capsule robot to release objects from its cargo cavity under the action of a pulsed, high-amplitude magnetic field. The magnetic field energy required for the release process is greatly reduced, the time consumption is short, and the controllability is greatly improved.

[0030] In one possible implementation, the first amplitude magnetic field is a low-frequency magnetic field; the following driving methods are also included:

[0031] Under the influence of the first amplitude magnetic field, the magnetic torque exerted by the first amplitude magnetic field on the first and second magnetic garments is used to drive the capsule robot to move by adjusting the direction of the first amplitude magnetic field.

[0032] In one possible implementation, the second amplitude magnetic field is a pulsed magnetic field. Under the action of the magnetic gradient force between the first magnetic garment and the bistable hemispherical shell, the second amplitude magnetic field can be precisely loaded onto the bistable hemispherical shell, causing it to undergo a steady-state configuration transformation. During this process, the capsule robot keeps its direction consistent with the magnetic field due to the magnetic torque on the magnetic garment.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the amplitude of the first amplitude magnetic field and / or the second amplitude magnetic field is determined by the sum of the structural force of the body and the magnetic gradient force between the lower hemisphere of the first steady-state configuration and the first magnetic garment, such that the force exerted by the first amplitude magnetic field on the lower hemisphere of the first steady-state configuration is insufficient to cause it to convert to a quasi-steady-state configuration, and / or the force exerted by the second amplitude magnetic field on the lower hemisphere of the first steady-state configuration is sufficient to cause it to convert to a quasi-steady-state configuration.

[0034] In one possible implementation, the method also includes the following driving methods:

[0035] By adjusting the material parameters of each first component and / or controlling the parameters of the first amplitude magnetic field and / or the second amplitude magnetic field, independent control of each first component can be achieved, so as to control the release of objects in the loading cavity of each first component to the outside of the capsule shell at different times and / or different positions.

[0036] In one possible implementation, the cargo cavity may carry a sampling needle, a drug-release microneedle, or a liquid drug;

[0037] Under the influence of the second amplitude magnetic field, the object inside the cargo cavity is released to the outside of the capsule shell through the material exchange channel, thereby enabling the capsule robot to perform tissue biopsy, delivery of macromolecular substances and drug release in a preset area.

[0038] Preferably, the pressing end of the sampling needle or drug-releasing microneedle can be connected to the top end of the bistable hemispherical shell.

[0039] Overall, the technical solutions conceived in this application have at least the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art:

[0040] This application provides a magnetically controlled bistable soft capsule robot and its driving method. By introducing a bistable configuration of a three-dimensional hemispherical shell, the elastic potential energy stored in the metastable configuration is utilized as the driving force for the release process of the capsule robot's cargo cavity. This significantly improves the spatial variation and degree of freedom of the material during the bistable switching process, overcomes the bottleneck of insufficient force field output capability of existing magnetically controlled soft capsule robots under low magnetic field, and ensures the stable realization of medical functions of the capsule robot in complex gastrointestinal environments (gastrointestinal folds, peristalsis, and food residue).

[0041] This application provides a magnetically controlled bistable soft capsule robot and its driving method. It adopts a multi-layer magnetic material structure of a magnetically controlled bistable soft spherical shell and a symmetrical magnetic garment. The robot has an overall unidirectional net remanent magnetization design. When the capsule robot moves, it is driven by a low-frequency, low-amplitude magnetic field. When the capsule robot releases drugs, it is driven by a pulsed, high-amplitude magnetic field. Based on the driving method of amplitude and frequency difference, the multi-modal decoupling control of the capsule robot is realized, which provides an effective technical approach for the integration of functions such as targeted transport, drug release and sampling of capsule robots. Attached Figure Description

[0042] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a magnetically controlled bistable soft capsule robot provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 2 This is another structural schematic diagram of the magnetically controlled bistable soft capsule robot provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0044] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the stable configuration transformation of the bistable hemispherical shell provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0045] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the magnetization direction of the capsule robot provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the overall motion of the capsule robot provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0047] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the local magnetic response of the capsule robot provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0048] In all the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same elements or structures, wherein: 1 is the image sensing module, 2 is the main control module, 3 is the power supply module, 4 is the bistable hemispherical shell, 5 is the capsule shell, 6 is the magnetic coat, and 7 is the mass exchange channel. Detailed Implementation

[0049] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0050] It should be noted that research has shown that magnetically controlled capsule robot technology can achieve various medical functions, such as precise drug release to lesion areas, tissue biopsy, and gut microbiota sampling and analysis. For example, in terms of drug release, Professor Metin Sitti's team, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, developed a compressible magnetically controlled capsule robot. An external gradient magnetic field acts on a permanent magnet inside the capsule, generating a gradient force to compress the central cavity, thereby releasing the drug. Professor Han Jianda's team at Nankai University designed a magnetically controlled capsule robot with an anchoring arm, using an orthogonal decoupled magnetic field drive strategy to achieve robot anchoring and targeted drug release. In terms of tissue biopsy, Professor Song Shuang of Harbin Institute of Technology designed a magnetically controlled capsule robot with an integrated spring. A gradient magnetic field drives the capsule robot to extend the biopsy needle; after the magnetic field is removed, the spring retracts the biopsy needle to complete the sampling function. Professor Sukho Park's team at the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology proposed a magnetically controlled capsule robot with a built-in biopsy forceps and a small gear set. A rotating magnetic field acts on the internal permanent magnet component, driving the gear set to rotate and induce the biopsy forceps to close, thereby achieving the grasping of lesion tissue. In the field of intestinal sampling, Professor Eric Diller's team at the University of Toronto proposed a magnetically controlled capsule robot based on the principle of resonance. The robot introduces a dual permanent magnet magnetic torsion spring structure with self-attracting characteristics inside the capsule. By applying an external uniform magnetic field, the dual permanent magnets are induced to rotate, thereby opening the sealing rubber and realizing the function of collecting gastrointestinal fluid.

[0051] The above research demonstrates that magnetically controlled capsule robot technology, with its advantages of no intrinsic drive design and contactless active control, shows significant application potential in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases in complex gastrointestinal environments. However, while non-contact manipulation is one of the most significant advantages of magnetic actuation methods, it also presents challenges to the realization of multifunctionality of capsule robots in complex gastrointestinal environments. In a completely unconstrained environment, the targeted motion and morphological control of the capsule robot place stringent requirements on the design and control of the applied magnetic field. Simultaneously, the size limitations imposed by clinical applications significantly compress the design space of the internal magnetic source in wireless actuation mode. Therefore, apart from commercially available magnetically controlled capsule endoscopes, existing magnetically controlled capsule robot technology remains primarily in the model and in vitro experimental stages, exhibiting problems such as large size (larger than #00 capsule, 8.53mm × 23.3mm), low drug loading ratio, high dependence on posture information for magnetic control accuracy, and high required magnetic field amplitude. Furthermore, its relatively limited functionality hinders its clinical application.

[0052] Furthermore, as described in the background section, existing magnetically controlled soft capsule robots face problems such as insufficient output force and high energy consumption, which pose a great challenge to the development of electromagnetic drive systems. They also limit the functional performance and control capabilities of capsule robots in complex gastrointestinal environments, and are prone to phenomena such as inability to release drugs and sample due to gastrointestinal folds, peristalsis, and food residue.

[0053] In summary, this application provides a magnetically controlled bistable soft capsule robot, which mainly improves the medical components of the magnetically controlled soft capsule robot, enhances the performance of the capsule robot, and improves its application prospects. The embodiments of this application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0054] See Figure 1 This application provides a magnetically controlled bistable soft capsule robot, which includes a first component, a second component, and a capsule shell 5, wherein:

[0055] Both the first and second components are located inside the capsule shell;

[0056] The first component is used to provide a cargo cavity and to provide the driving force for the capsule robot to move under the action of a magnetic field, and to release the object in the cargo cavity out of the capsule shell when the capsule robot moves to a preset position under the action of a magnetic field.

[0057] The second component is used to capture images of the area surrounding the capsule robot, identify and locate a preset area, and transmit the acquired information to the outside of the capsule robot.

[0058] Combining the functions of the first and second components described above, the first component can be referred to as the medical component, and the second component as the vision component.

[0059] Further optionally, the medical component includes a magnetically controlled bistable soft spherical shell 4 and a magnetic garment 6, wherein the magnetically controlled bistable soft spherical shell can carry sampling needles, drug-dispensing microneedles, liquid drugs, etc.; the magnetically controlled bistable soft spherical shell and the magnetic garment constitute a multilayer magnetic material structure.

[0060] The vision components include: a power module 3, an image sensing module 1, and a main control module 2; the capsule shell 5 has a surface including a material exchange channel 7.

[0061] Preferably, the bistable soft hemispherical shell is the core component of the magnetically controlled capsule robot, and it can undergo rapid configurational transformation under the influence of an external magnetic field, manifesting as the shell bulging upwards or concave downwards (in... Figure 1 and Figure 2 In the middle, the hemispherical shell is placed horizontally, which manifests as a bulge to the left or a depression to the right, and it can remain stable after the magnetic field is removed.

[0062] In another embodiment, see Figure 2 As shown, to ensure the uniformity and effectiveness of the driving force for the capsule robot, two magnetic sleeves can be set.

[0063] Optionally, the magnetic aprons are fixed to the capsule shell and symmetrically arranged at the top and open end of the hemispherical shell. The capsule robot can then be effectively moved by the magnetic torque exerted on the two magnetic aprons by an external magnetic field.

[0064] Among them, the steady-state configuration transformation driving force of the bistable hemispherical shell has asymmetric characteristics, such as... Figure 3 As shown, during deformation, the internal potential energy of the spherical shell rapidly rises to a peak and then decreases, forming an energy barrier. When the spherical shell is in steady-state configuration 1, it stores a large amount of elastic potential energy. At this time, only a small magnetic field is needed to cause the spherical shell to abruptly switch from steady-state configuration 1 to steady-state configuration 2, releasing the potential energy and converting it into kinetic energy. This provides the prerequisite for achieving low-magnetic-field triggering and strong-field output for releasing matter from the loading cavity.

[0065] Experimental data from those skilled in the art show that, in one experiment, the external magnetic field required to transition from steady-state configuration 1 to steady-state configuration 2 is approximately 40 mT, and conversely, 100 mT is required. This demonstrates that the driving force for the configuration transformation of the hemispherical shell used in this application is asymmetric.

[0066] like Figure 4 As shown, the magnetization direction of the hemispherical shell radiates outward from its bottom center and forms a certain angle (which can vary between 0-90°), while the magnetization direction of the magnetic coat is the same as the convex direction of the hemispherical shell in steady-state configuration 1. The entire capsule robot adopts a net remanent magnetization design with the same direction as the magnetic coat magnetization direction.

[0067] Specifically, those skilled in the art will understand that, since the angle between the magnetization direction of the hemispherical shell and the magnetization direction of its protruding ferrule is acute, the magnetic gradient force F between the ferrule and the bistable hemispherical shell is... m It can enhance the stability of the hemispherical shell under the first steady-state configuration.

[0068] In one embodiment, the fabrication steps of the bistable soft hemispherical shell structure are as follows: First, a magnetic mixture of an elastomer substrate and micron-sized NdFeB particles is prepared and injected into a hemispherical mold. Then, a hemispherical punch is pressed vertically along the mold axis until it completely conforms to the surface of the mold cavity, ensuring uniform distribution of the liquid within the mold. Next, the mixture is left at room temperature for several hours to ensure complete solidification. After solidification, the soft spherical shell with a predetermined shape and magnetic properties is obtained by demolding.

[0069] At this point, after demolding, the hemispherical shell's shape is stable configuration 2. In stable configuration 2, a relatively large deformation force is required to convert it back to stable configuration 1. Conversely, in stable configuration 1, the hemispherical shell stores elastic potential energy, which can be released with a relatively small deformation force to convert back to stable configuration 2. Therefore, the magnetization direction in stable configuration 1 and the magnetization direction of its convex side magnetic sheath are designed in this application to increase the stability of the hemispherical shell in stable configuration 1. Therefore, when the hemispherical shell is placed in stable configuration 1 in the capsule robot, without an external driving magnetic field, the magnetically controlled bistable soft spherical shell in the capsule robot will be in stable configuration 1. Under the constraint of its own structural force and the magnetic gradient force between the hemispherical shell and the magnetic sheath in the first stable configuration, it maintains the stability of its shape, thereby achieving high airtightness inside the capsule robot.

[0070] It is understood that those skilled in the art can induce a steady-state configuration transformation of the soft spherical shell by pre-applying an external magnetic field, and intend to use a microsecond-level high-speed digital camera to capture the dynamic deformation process of the magnetically controlled soft spherical shell under different conditions, and record the required magnetic field strength under different magnetization conditions. The above research methods are all conventional research methods for those skilled in the art. This application will not elaborate on the specific parameter research process of the hemispherical shell, but will focus on introducing the capsule robot.

[0071] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the overall motion of the capsule robot provided in the embodiments of this application; as shown... Figure 5 As shown above, Figure 1 or Figure 2 The capsule robot is driven in the following way:

[0072] Under the influence of the first amplitude magnetic field, the magnetic torque exerted by the first amplitude magnetic field on the magnetic garment is utilized to drive the capsule robot's movement by adjusting the direction of the first amplitude magnetic field; see appendix. Figure 5 It is evident that the capsule robot can move continuously by being driven by magnetic torque at various locations.

[0073] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the local magnetic response of the capsule robot provided in an embodiment of this application; see also Figure 6 As shown, under the action of the second amplitude magnetic field, the magnetic torque acting on the bistable hemispherical shell is greater than the sum of the body structural force of the bistable hemispherical shell in the first stable configuration and the magnetic gradient force between the hemispherical shell and the first magnetic sheath in the first stable configuration, so that the bistable hemispherical shell changes from the first stable configuration to the second stable configuration. The rapid release of the elastic potential energy provides the driving force to release the object in the cargo cavity to the outside of the capsule shell through the material exchange channel; wherein, the second amplitude is greater than the first amplitude.

[0074] Understandably, this application can control the movement of a capsule robot under a low-frequency, low-amplitude magnetic field, including unidirectional or directional movements. Furthermore, this application can control the capsule robot to release objects from its cargo cavity under the action of a pulsed, high-amplitude magnetic field. The magnetic field energy required for the release process is greatly reduced, the time consumption is short, and the controllability is greatly improved.

[0075] Preferably, see appendix. Figure 6 As shown, the magnetic field B for its steady-state configuration transformation a Its duration is short, so the second amplitude magnetic field is a pulsed magnetic field. Under the action of the magnetic gradient force between the first magnetic garment and the bistable hemispherical shell, the second amplitude magnetic field can be accurately loaded onto the bistable hemispherical shell, causing it to undergo a steady-state configuration change, and the capsule robot does not have time to move during this process.

[0076] It is understood that the amplitude of the first amplitude magnetic field and / or the second amplitude magnetic field is determined by the sum of the structural force of the main body and the magnetic gradient force between the lower hemisphere of the first steady-state configuration and the first magnetic garment. The force exerted by the first amplitude magnetic field on the lower hemisphere of the first steady-state configuration is insufficient to cause it to change from a steady-state configuration to a quasi-configuration, and / or the force exerted by the second amplitude magnetic field on the lower hemisphere of the first steady-state configuration is sufficient to cause it to change from a steady-state configuration to a quasi-configuration.

[0077] Furthermore, by adjusting the material parameters of each first component and / or controlling the parameters of the first amplitude magnetic field and / or the second amplitude magnetic field, independent control of each first component can be achieved, so as to control the release of objects in the loading cavity of each first component to the outside of the capsule shell at different times and / or different positions.

[0078] Specifically, under the influence of the second amplitude magnetic field, the object inside the cargo cavity is released to the outside of the capsule shell through the material exchange channel, thereby enabling the capsule robot to perform sampling, targeted transport, or drug release functions in a preset area.

[0079] In summary, a magnetically controlled, steady-state soft spherical shell undergoes rapid steady-state configuration transitions under the influence of an external magnetic field. The steady-state configuration manifests as either an upward bulge or a downward depression, both of which remain stable based on changes in internal potential energy. During shell deformation, the internal potential energy of the structure rises sharply, reaches a peak, and then decreases, forming an energy barrier. When the shell stabilizes at steady-state configuration 1, a large amount of elastic potential energy is stored due to local elastic strain. At this point, only a small amount of work is required from the magnetic field to reverse the shell from steady-state configuration 1 back to steady-state configuration 2. The stored potential energy can be rapidly released through abrupt instability and converted into kinetic energy during structural deformation.

[0080] Furthermore, under the drive of a low-amplitude magnetic field, the capsule robot can achieve unidirectional / steering motion modes by adjusting the direction and frequency of the rotating magnetic field (low-frequency, low-amplitude magnetic field). The specific control process can be found in the relevant description in patent document CN 117731219 A, and will not be elaborated here. During this process, the magnetic torque experienced by the soft spherical shell under the action of the external magnetic field is insufficient to resist the constraints of the body structure and the gradient magnetic field force between the magnetic sheath and the hemispherical shell inside the capsule. Therefore, the capsule robot can ensure no internal deformation occurs. At this time, the main source of motion for the capsule robot is the magnetic torque acting on the magnetic sheath.

[0081] Driven by a high-amplitude magnetic field, pulse loading is achieved by adjusting the magnetic field waveform, which enables the soft spherical shell inside the capsule robot to transform from a first steady-state configuration to a second steady-state configuration, thereby achieving complete drug expulsion from the capsule cavity. The pulsed magnetic field loading mode (the magnetic field is loaded from low to high and then immediately shut off) has two advantages: firstly, it allows the net remanent magnetization direction of the capsule robot to automatically coincide with the external magnetic field under low-amplitude magnetic fields, which is beneficial for the precise loading of high-amplitude magnetic fields; secondly, it can effectively control the power consumption of the overall electromagnetic device (especially as the target area moves away from the electromagnetic device).

[0082] The precise loading of the aforementioned high-amplitude pulsed magnetic field can be understood as follows: Under a low-amplitude magnetic field, due to the magnetic gradient force between the hemispherical shell and its convex side magnetic cladding, as well as the structural forces of the hemispherical shell itself, the hemispherical shell does not undergo configurational transformation. These magnetic gradient forces and structural forces constrain the hemispherical shell, maintaining its stability. Therefore, when a high-amplitude pulsed magnetic field acts on the hemispherical shell, its force continuously acts on the effective area of ​​the hemispherical shell, achieving precise loading and promoting rapid deformation. This reduces the loading time of the pulsed magnetic field and improves its efficiency.

[0083] It should be understood that expressions such as “comprising” and “may include” used in this application indicate the existence of the disclosed functions, operations, or constituent elements, and do not limit one or more additional functions, operations, and constituent elements. In this application, terms such as “comprising” and / or “having” are to be interpreted as indicating a particular characteristic, number, operation, constituent element, component, or combination thereof, but not to exclude the existence or possibility of adding one or more other characteristics, numbers, operations, constituent elements, components, or combinations thereof.

[0084] Furthermore, in this application, the expression "and / or" includes any and all combinations of the associated listed words. For example, the expression "A and / or B" may include A, may include B, or may include both A and B.

[0085] In the description of the embodiments of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the term "connection" should be interpreted broadly. For example, "connection" can be a detachable connection or a non-detachable connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. "Fixed connection" refers to a connection where the relative positional relationship remains unchanged after connection. "Rotary connection" refers to a connection where the components can rotate relative to each other after connection. "Sliding connection" refers to a connection where the components can slide relative to each other after connection. The directional terms mentioned in the embodiments of this application, such as "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "left," and "right," are only for reference to the directions in the accompanying drawings. Therefore, the directional terms used are for better and clearer explanation and understanding of the embodiments of this application, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or component referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the embodiments of this application.

[0086] Furthermore, the mathematical concepts mentioned in the embodiments of this application, such as symmetry, equality, parallelism, and perpendicularity, are limitations specific to the current technological level, rather than absolute and strict mathematical definitions. Slight deviations are permissible; approximations of symmetry, equality, parallelism, and perpendicularity are all acceptable. For example, "A and B are parallel" means that A and B are parallel or approximately parallel, and the angle between A and B can be between 0 and 10 degrees. "A and B are perpendicular" means that A and B are perpendicular or approximately perpendicular, and the angle between A and B can be between 80 and 100 degrees.

[0087] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A magnetically actuated bi-stable soft capsule robot, characterized in that, The application relates to a capsule robot, which comprises the following parts: at least one first component and a capsule shell; a substance exchange channel is arranged on the capsule shell; the at least one first component is arranged in the capsule shell; the first component comprises a bistable hemispherical shell and a first magnetic clothing, both of which are magnetic soft structures; the bistable hemispherical shell comprises a first stable state configuration and a second stable state configuration, the bistable hemispherical shell has an asymmetric characteristic in stable state configuration conversion driving force, and the bistable hemispherical shell stores elastic potential energy in the first stable state configuration; the bistable hemispherical shell stable state configuration conversion direction is perpendicular to the length direction of the capsule shell; when the bistable hemispherical shell is in the first stable state configuration, the first magnetic clothing is arranged at the top end side of the hemispherical shell, and the opening side of the hemispherical shell is used as a load cavity; the magnetization direction of the bistable hemispherical shell in the first stable state configuration is divergent to the periphery with the bottom center of the opening side as the center, and the magnetization direction of the first magnetic clothing is the same as the convex direction of the bistable hemispherical shell in the first stable state configuration; when the bistable hemispherical shell is converted from the first stable state configuration to the second stable state configuration, the elastic potential energy is released and corresponding driving force is provided to release the object in the load cavity to the outside of the capsule shell through the substance exchange channel.

2. The capsule robot of claim 1, wherein, the first component further comprises a second magnetic clothing; when the bistable hemispherical shell is in the first stable state configuration, the second magnetic clothing is arranged at the opening side of the hemispherical shell; the second magnetic clothing is provided with a substance exchange channel.

3. The capsule robot of claim 1 or 2, wherein, The bistable hemispherical shell has an asymmetric characteristic in stable state configuration conversion driving force, specifically, the deformation force required for converting the bistable hemispherical shell from the first stable state configuration to the second stable state configuration is smaller than the deformation force required for converting the bistable hemispherical shell from the second stable state configuration to the first stable state configuration.

4. The capsule robot of claim 1, wherein, The application further relates to a capsule robot, which comprises the following parts: a second component; the second component is arranged in the capsule shell; the second component comprises an image sensing module, a main control module and a power supply module; the image sensing module is used for shooting the visual angle around the capsule robot, identifying a preset area and positioning the preset area; the main control module is used for transmitting the information acquired by the image sensing module to the outside of the capsule robot; the power supply module is used for supplying power to the image sensing module and the main control module.

Images