Experimental characterization of a robotic drug delivery system based on magnetic propulsion

This paper reports on the experimental characterization of a robotic drug delivery system based on an endoscopic capsule propelled in water and silicone oil using electromagnetic actuation. Silicon oil is specifically chosen to mimic the viscous environment in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract within the human body. A permanent magnet is embedded inside the capsule to make it responsive to the external magnetic field. The external electromagnetic system is comprised of the power supply and a Maxwell coil. From the results, it is observed that such a system is able to propel the pill-sized magnetic robot. The motion and velocity of the robot can be controlled by the input currents. The change in either the capsule's transient velocity or acceleration indicates the viscoelastic features of the simulated environment.