In a groundbreaking development, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have created soft-bodied robots that can be manipulated using a simple magnetic field. These robots, crafted from flexible magnetic spirals, can perform a multitude of tasks such as walking, crawling, and swimming under the influence of an easily applicable magnetic field.
“This is a pioneering endeavor to control three-dimensional locomotion of robots with a one-dimensional magnetic field,” stated Professor Polina Anikeeva, the mastermind behind this innovative project. She further added, “The robots are primarily made of polymer, which is a soft material. Therefore, you don’t need a large magnetic field to activate them. A minuscule magnetic field is enough to drive these robots.”
Anikeeva holds multiple prestigious positions at MIT. She is a professor of materials science and engineering and brain and cognitive sciences. She also serves as an associate investigator at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research, the associate director of MIT’s Research Laboratory of Electronics, and the director of MIT’s K. Lisa Yang Brain-Body Center.
The new breed of robots has been designed to transport cargo through confined spaces. Their soft rubber bodies are ideal for fragile environments, opening up opportunities for their use in biomedical applications. The robots are currently millimeters long, but the same technology can be used to create much smaller versions.
Until now, magnetic robots have been designed to move in response to moving magnetic fields. However, this limits their deployment in certain settings. Anikeeva explains, “If you want your robot to walk, your magnet walks with it. If you want it to rotate, you rotate your magnet. But in highly constrained environments, a moving magnet may not be the safest solution. You want to have a stationary instrument that applies a magnetic field to the entire sample.”
To overcome this challenge, Youngbin Lee PhD ’22, a former graduate student in Anikeeva’s lab, devised a solution. The robots he developed are not uniformly magnetized but are strategically magnetized in different zones and directions. This allows a single magnetic field to generate a movement-driving profile of magnetic forces.
The fabrication process of these robots involves two types of rubber with varying stiffness. These are combined and then heated and stretched into a long, thin fiber. One rubber retains its elasticity during this process while the other deforms. When the strain is released, one layer contracts, pulling the entire structure into a tight coil.
A third material with magnetic potential is incorporated into a channel running through the rubbery fiber. Once the spiral has been made, a magnetization pattern that enables specific movements can be introduced.
The team discovered that reversing the magnetic field could cause a cargo-carrying robot to gently shake and release its payload. Anikeeva envisions these soft-bodied robots delivering materials through narrow pipes or even inside the human body. For instance, they could transport a drug through narrow blood vessels and release it precisely where needed.
The magnetically actuated devices also have potential in other biomedical applications beyond robotics. They might one day be incorporated into artificial muscles or materials that support tissue regeneration.
This development marks an exciting leap forward in the realm of electronics and computers, particularly in programming languages and coding that enable such intricate movements and functions. It also opens up new possibilities for industries that require precision and flexibility in confined spaces.
In conclusion, this breakthrough by MIT researchers has set a new precedent in the field of robotics and has potential implications for various sectors, including healthcare and manufacturing.
