A minimalistic magnetic manipulation system for manouvering nanorobots

Abstract

Magnetic nanorobots require elaborate magnetic field patterns to move. Sophisticated magnetic coils have been designed to cater to such experiments. However, under laboratory conditions space and temperature control presents constraints that often need to be overcome. Here we report a minimalistic coil system that is easily portable and accounts for space constraints near a compound microscope. In a volume of 10 mm×10 mm×10 mm working space a uniform rotating magnetic field with a maximum field strength of 15 mT can be achieved with our design. The three-coil system can be helpful for manipulating helical magnetic nanorobots inside mechanically complex media like, biological fluids where a greater magnetic field is desirable to induce maneuverability. It is possible to achieve our goal of controlling magnetic nanorobots inside living animals wirelessly soon while simultaneously imaging them through an optical microscope with this electromagnetic coil assembly.