Soft and flexible magnetic robots have gained significant attention in the past decade. These robots are fabricated using magnetically-active elastomers, are capable of large deformations, and are actuated remotely thus allowing for small robot size. This combination of properties is appealing to the minimally invasive surgical community, potentially allowing navigation to regions of the anatomy previously deemed inaccessible. Due to the low forces involved, one particular challenge is functionalizing such magnetic devices. To address this limitation we introduce a proof-of-concept variable stiffness robot controlled by remote magnetic actuation, capable of grasping objects of varying sizes. We demonstrate a controlled and reversible high deformation coiling action induced via a transient homogeneous magnetic field and a synchronized sliding nitinol backbone. Our soft magnetic coiling grasper is visually tracked and controlled during three experimental demonstrations. We exhibit a maximum coiling deformation angle of 400\textlessinline-formula\textgreater\textlesstex-math notation="LaTeX"\textgreater\$\^\\\$\textless/tex-math\textgreater\textless/inline-formula\textgreater.
%0 Journal Article
%1 lloyd2023magneticallyactuated
%A Lloyd, Peter
%A Thomas, Theodosia Lourdes
%A Venkiteswaran, Venkatasubramanian Kalpathy
%A Pittiglio, Giovanni
%A Chandler, James H.
%A Valdastri, Pietro
%A Misra, Sarthak
%D 2023
%J IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters
%K Actuation,Magnetic Continuum Manipulators,Deformation,Elastomers,Grasping,Magnetic Robotics Robots,Magnetization,Magnetoelasticity,Robots,Shape,Soft Robots,Soft magnetic materials,Surgical
%N 6
%P 3262--3269,
%R 10.1109/LRA.2023.3264770
%T A Magnetically-Actuated Coiling Soft Robot With Variable Stiffness
%V 8
%X Soft and flexible magnetic robots have gained significant attention in the past decade. These robots are fabricated using magnetically-active elastomers, are capable of large deformations, and are actuated remotely thus allowing for small robot size. This combination of properties is appealing to the minimally invasive surgical community, potentially allowing navigation to regions of the anatomy previously deemed inaccessible. Due to the low forces involved, one particular challenge is functionalizing such magnetic devices. To address this limitation we introduce a proof-of-concept variable stiffness robot controlled by remote magnetic actuation, capable of grasping objects of varying sizes. We demonstrate a controlled and reversible high deformation coiling action induced via a transient homogeneous magnetic field and a synchronized sliding nitinol backbone. Our soft magnetic coiling grasper is visually tracked and controlled during three experimental demonstrations. We exhibit a maximum coiling deformation angle of 400\textlessinline-formula\textgreater\textlesstex-math notation="LaTeX"\textgreater\$\^\\\$\textless/tex-math\textgreater\textless/inline-formula\textgreater.
@article{lloyd2023magneticallyactuated,
abstract = {Soft and flexible magnetic robots have gained significant attention in the past decade. These robots are fabricated using magnetically-active elastomers, are capable of large deformations, and are actuated remotely thus allowing for small robot size. This combination of properties is appealing to the minimally invasive surgical community, potentially allowing navigation to regions of the anatomy previously deemed inaccessible. Due to the low forces involved, one particular challenge is functionalizing such magnetic devices. To address this limitation we introduce a proof-of-concept variable stiffness robot controlled by remote magnetic actuation, capable of grasping objects of varying sizes. We demonstrate a controlled and reversible high deformation coiling action induced via a transient homogeneous magnetic field and a synchronized sliding nitinol backbone. Our soft magnetic coiling grasper is visually tracked and controlled during three experimental demonstrations. We exhibit a maximum coiling deformation angle of 400{\textless}inline-formula{\textgreater}{\textless}tex-math notation="LaTeX"{\textgreater}{\$}{\^{}}{\{}\backslashcirc {\}}{\$}{\textless}/tex-math{\textgreater}{\textless}/inline-formula{\textgreater}.},
added-at = {2023-05-10T16:23:27.000+0200},
author = {Lloyd, Peter and Thomas, Theodosia Lourdes and Venkiteswaran, Venkatasubramanian Kalpathy and Pittiglio, Giovanni and Chandler, James H. and Valdastri, Pietro and Misra, Sarthak},
biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/2bfe2b95bdfdbe030620daad117620dbf/sassw},
doi = {10.1109/LRA.2023.3264770},
interhash = {39546131478470f0c6e611caa8d818fd},
intrahash = {bfe2b95bdfdbe030620daad117620dbf},
issn = {23773766},
journal = {IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters},
keywords = {Actuation,Magnetic Continuum Manipulators,Deformation,Elastomers,Grasping,Magnetic Robotics Robots,Magnetization,Magnetoelasticity,Robots,Shape,Soft Robots,Soft magnetic materials,Surgical},
number = 6,
pages = {3262--3269,},
timestamp = {2023-05-10T16:23:27.000+0200},
title = {{A Magnetically-Actuated Coiling Soft Robot With Variable Stiffness}},
volume = 8,
year = 2023
}