Close-Loop Control of Microrobot Within a Constrained Environment Using Electromagnet Pairs

This paper describes a macro/micro robot manipulation system consisting of an electromagnet couple and an industrial manipulator. The system has capability of motion 6 Degrees of Freedom (6 DOF) providing the same amount of DOFs to the manipulation of the microrobot. A custom-design mechanism which is attached onto the tip of the industrial manipulator provides the required magnetic field profiles for force and torque generation using coil couple and their ability sliding motion in linear directions. This combination provides reprogrammable working space for the microrobot manipulation. Robot Operating System (ROS) based programming integrates all the subsystem software. Visual feedback assures the real-time microrobot position and orientation data. Close-loop motion control of the microrobot was tested using custom designed constrained paths take part in a plane. Experiment were presented for specific motions of the microrobot to show the microrobot motion abilities. The results are promising which may orient to the applications like micro assembly and micromanipulation.