A review of magnetically driven swimming microrobots: Material selection, structure design, control method, and applications

Magnetically driven swimming microrobot is a typical one in the family of microrobots and they can achieve navigation and manipulation in low Reynolds number biomedical environments with an external magnetic drive strategy. This study reviews recent advances in material selection, structure design, fabrication techniques, drive control method, and applications for magnetically driven swimming microrobots. First, the materials used in magnetically driven swimming microrobots were introduced and the effect of material selection on performance was discussed. Second, structure design of swimming microrobots and manufacturing techniques are reviewed, followed by a discussion on the main advances in effective motion control, path planning, and path tracking. Then, the multi-applications of magnetically driven swimming microrobots including targeted drug delivery, cell manipulation, and minimally invasive surgery are summarized. Finally, the current challenges and future directions of the work on magnetically driven swimming microrobots are discussed.

Automated summary

This study reviews the recent advances in material selection, structure design, fabrication techniques, drive control method, and applications for magnetically driven swimming microrobots. It summarizes the multi-applications of these microrobots in targeted drug delivery, cell manipulation, and minimally invasive surgery. The current challenges and future directions in this field are also discussed.