Jia Lanlan, Su Guangfei, Zhang Mengyu, Wen Qi, Wang Lihong, Li Junyang
School of Electronic Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266000, China.
Micromachines (Basel). 2025 Jan 31;16(2):181. doi: 10.3390/mi16020181.
Microrobots with different structures can exhibit multiple propulsion mechanisms under external magnetic fields. Swarms dynamically assembled by microrobots inherit the advantages of single microrobots, such as degradability and small dimensions, while also offering benefits like scalability and high flexibility. With control of magnetic fields, these swarms demonstrate diverse propulsion mechanisms and can perform precise actions in complex environments. Therefore, the relationship between single microrobots and their swarms is a significant area of study. This paper reviews the relationship between single microrobots and swarms by examining the structural design, control methods, propulsion mechanisms, and practical applications. At first, we introduce the structural design of microrobots, including materials and manufacturing methods. Then, we describe magnetic field generation systems, including gradient, rotating, and oscillating magnetic fields, and their characteristics. Next, we analyze the propulsion mechanisms of individual microrobots and the way microrobots dynamically assemble into a swarm under an external magnetic field, which illustrates the relationship between single microrobots and swarms. Finally, we discuss the application of different swarm propulsion mechanisms in water purification and targeted delivery, summarize current challenges and future work, and explore future directions.
具有不同结构的微型机器人在外部磁场作用下可展现多种推进机制。由微型机器人动态组装而成的群体继承了单个微型机器人的优势，如可降解性和小尺寸，同时还具备可扩展性和高灵活性等优点。通过磁场控制，这些群体展现出多样的推进机制，并能在复杂环境中执行精确动作。因此，单个微型机器人与其群体之间的关系是一个重要的研究领域。本文通过研究微型机器人的结构设计、控制方法、推进机制和实际应用，综述了单个微型机器人与群体之间的关系。首先，我们介绍微型机器人的结构设计，包括材料和制造方法。然后，我们描述磁场产生系统，包括梯度磁场、旋转磁场和振荡磁场及其特性。接下来，我们分析单个微型机器人的推进机制以及微型机器人在外部磁场作用下动态组装成群体的方式，这阐明了单个微型机器人与群体之间的关系。最后，我们讨论不同群体推进机制在水净化和靶向递送中的应用，总结当前面临的挑战和未来的工作，并探索未来的发展方向。
