OMASTAR Optimal Magnetic Actuation System Arrangement

Microrobots and other miniature robots are able to access millimeter-sized spaces and thus have the potential to solve many challenging problems in healthcare. However, clinical adoption of these robots is rare as these systems are often difficult to scale up. One such issue arises from the actuation systems used to remotely control magnetic microrobots, which tend to be bulky and obstruct the surgeons' workspaces. They also do not guarantee wide ranges of magnetic fields and forces in a large patient-sized workspace. In this paper, we present the design of a permanent magnet-based actuation system that fits within a 40 cm cube of space under an operating table. We also formulate a new set function maximization-based approach for efficiently designing E-optimal magnet arrangements with off-the-shelf convex solvers. Our optimization method is evaluated with synthetic data and a proof-of-concept of the system is simulated.