Magnetically-driven Soft Continuum Robots

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Magnetically-driven Soft Robots are of increasing interest due to the range of new transformative applications they may enable. Within these are continuum robots which are of particular focus due to their potential to be used within the body to perform diagnostics and treatments. Leading researchers at the University of Leeds are working to research new opportunities to advance these devices through new fabrication processes and novel robotic control methods. This PhD research will focus on modelling and real-time control of magnetically actuated soft robots. These robots may range from self-contained capsule-shape devices for early diagnosis/early treatment of life-threatening diseases to continuum magnetic tentacles specifically magnetised to navigate through specific anatomical routes to deliver therapy. This work will include the investigation of modelling approaches to magnetic manipulation, and the exploration of different solutions for generating the external actuation field and field gradient, ranging from permanent magnets mounted at the end effector of robotic manipulators to coil-based system such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanners. It is expected the PhD research will make contributions to the modelling and control of magnetic robots with specialised areas of study that may include (but not exclusive to): - Analytical and numerical modelling approaches to magnetic manipulation- Intelligent generation of controlling magnetic fields and field gradients- Real-time localization of soft robots- Closed-loop control of intra-corporeal magnetic medical robots- Associated validation in realistic models