Cableless Magnetic Actuator Capable of High-Speed Transport in a Curved Pipe

This paper proposes a new cableless transportation system that associates a magnetic actuator with the piping system in which it travels. To achieve high-speed transport within the pipe, the proposed actuator must show excellent movement characteristics. An aluminum pipe was cut in half longitudinally, and an alternating current was passed through the cut piping. The proposed cableless actuator powered by an electric current supplied by an electric brush was demonstrated to be capable of high-speed movement in a curved pipe. A scheme of attaching a cargo container to a nodal point of the actuator using a flexible rod was also proposed. The experimental results show that the actuator can be driven through the pipe even when the curved pipe is nearly U-shaped. Furthermore, the cableless actuator transporting a cargo mass of 30 g can be driven at a speed of 87.9 cm/s in a curved aluminum pipe with a curvature angle of 22.5°. The method established in this paper is considered to be applicable to the high-speed transport of lightweight reagents, bacteria, and microfluidic chips.