Closed-loop 3D path following of scaled-up helical microswimmers

This paper addresses the problem of 3D path following of magnetic helical microswimmers in closed-loop. An error kinematic model in a local frame with sideslip and attack angles is used to express the motion of the helical microswimmer. A new derivation of the chained form with three inputs and five states is used to linearize the kinematic model in order to design a decoupled stable control. In experimentation, the 3D path following is validated using a scaled-up magnetic helical microswimmer with visual servo control by following first a spatial straight line, then a helix trajectory and finally an inclined sinusoidal trajectory. The closed-loop control is also compared with the open-loop control to illustrate the robustness and the accuracy of both controllers to the disturbances.