Simultaneous and Independent Micromanipulation of Two Identical Particles with Robotic Electromagnetic Needles

Magnetic manipulation of particles at close vicinity is a challenging task. In this paper, we propose simultaneous and independent manipulation of two identical particles at close vicinity using two mobile robotic electromagnetic needles. We developed a neural network that can predict the magnetic flux density gradient for any given needle positions. Using the neural network, we developed a control algorithm to solve the optimal needle positions that generate the forces in the required directions while keeping a safe distance between the two needles and particles. We applied our method in five typical cases of simultaneous and independent microparticle manipulation, with the closest particle separation of 30 mu m.

Automated summary

In this paper, a method for simultaneous and independent manipulation of two identical particles using robotic electromagnetic needles is proposed. A neural network is developed to predict the magnetic flux density gradient, and a control algorithm is used to solve the optimal needle positions. Experimental results show that the method is effective in microparticle manipulation.