Magnetically levitated apparatus

A magnetically driven micro-robot comprising:

• a). fixed magnetic means comprising multiple electromagnet means which can produce magnetic fields when said multiple electromagnet means are driven with respective electrical currents;
• b). manipulator means, responsive to said magnetic fields for producing motion, comprising:
• i. permanent magnet means for producing magnetic forces and torques in response to said magnetic fields;
• ii. end effector means which can do useful work when positioned in space;
• c). contact member means which projects from and is rigidly attached to said manipulator means for making mechanical contact;
• d). unpressurized liquid means for providing stability and dampening the motion of said manipulator means when said contact member means mechanically contacts said unpressurized liquid means;
• and
• e). programmable control means which generates and controls said electrical currents through said multiple electromagnet means, thereby controlling the motion of said manipulator means and said end effector means with multiple, controllable degrees of freedom of motion.

A magnetically driven micro-robot comprising:

• a). fixed magnetic means comprising multiple air core electromagnet means which can produce magnetic fields when said multiple air core electromagnet means are driven with respective electrical currents;
• b). manipulator means, responsive to said magnetic fields for producing motion, comprising:
• i. permanent magnet means for producing magnetic forces and torques in response to said magnetic fields;
• ii. end effector means which can do useful work when positioned in space;
• c). said manipulator means being located on only one side of each of said air core electromagnet, thereby allowing said manipulator means freedom of motion away from said side;
• d). substantially planar, fixed solid surface means for providing stability ad dampening the motion of said manipulator means;
• e). programmable control means which generates and controls said electrical currents through said multiple electromagnet means, thereby controlling the motion of said manipulator means and said end effector means with multiple, controllable degrees of freedom of motion;
• f). said substantially planar, fixed solid surface means being located above said manipulator means so that the gravity force on said manipulator means is directed away from said substantially planar, fixed solid surface means, thereby simplifying and improving control and calibration for the vertical direction of motion;
• and
• g). said programmable control means controls said respective currents to said air core electromagnet means so that at least one of said respective currents is selected from a group including zero, positive and negative, thereby improving control by allowing said programmable control means to control said magnetic forces so that zero, positive, or negative force can applied in at least one direction.

A magnetically driven micro-robot comprising:

• a). fixed multiple electromagnet means which can produce magnetic fields when said multiple electromagnet means are driven with respective electrical currents;
• b). unattached manipulator means, responsive to said magnetic fields for producing motion, comprising:
• i. permanent magnet means for producing magnetic forces and torques in response to said magnetic fields;
• ii. end effector means which can do useful work when positioned in space;
• c). electrically conductive contact member means which projects from and is rigidly attached to said manipulator means for making mechanical contact;
• d). electrically conductive, stabilization and damping means selected from the group consisting of electrically conductive liquids and electrically conductive, substantially planar solid surfaces for providing stability and dampening the motion of said manipulator means whereby electrical contact with said manipulator means can be made when said electrically conductive means is supplied with electricity and said electrically conductive contact member means is in contact with said electrically conductive, stabilization an damping means;
• and
• e). programmable control means which generates and controls said electrical currents through said electromagnet means, thereby controlling the motion of said manipulator means and said end effector means with multiple, controllable degrees of freedom of motion.

A magnetically driven micro-robot transport path, comprising:

• a). fixed, multiple electromagnet means which can produce magnetic fields when said multiple electromagnet means are driven with respective electrical currents;
• b). manipulator means, responsive to said magnetic fields for producing motion, comprising:
• i. movable magnet means for producing magnetic forces and torques in response to said magnetic fields;
• ii. end effector means which can do useful work when positioned in space;
• c). each one of said multiple electromagnet means further comprising no more than two layers of electrical wires in the vicinity of said manipulator means, said electrical wires being driven by said electrical currents;
• d). each one of said layers of electrical wires being only a single wire thick;
• e). stabilizing and motion damping means for stabilizing and damping the motion of said manipulator means;
• and
• f). programmable control means for generating and controlling said electrical currents through said multiple electromagnet means, thereby controlling the motion of said manipulator means with at least one controllable degree of freedom of motion.

A magnetic levitation micro-robot, comprising:

• a). fixed magnetic means comprising multiple electromagnet means which can produce magnetic fields when driven by respective electric currents, and which are located on one side of a substantially planar surface;
• b). said multiple electromagnet means further comprises top electromagnet means and bottom electromagnet means, each one of said top electromagnet means being located above and contiguous with at least one of said bottom electromagnet means;
• c). manipulator means, located on the opposed side of said substantially planar surface from said fixed magnetic means, and responsive to said magnetic fields for producing motion, comprising:
• i. moveable magnetic means which can produce magnetic forces and torques in response to said magnetic fields;
• ii. end effector means which can do useful work when positioned in space;
• d). stabilizing and motion dampening means selected from the group which consists of liquid and solid surface means for stabilizing and dampening the motion of said manipulator means;
• and
• e). programmable control means which generates and controls said electrical currents through said electromagnets, thereby controlling the motion of said manipulator means and said end effector means with up to six, controllable degrees of freedom of motion.

A magnetically driven microrobot system comprising:

• a). fixed magnetic means comprising fixed, multiple electromagnet means which can produce magnetic fields in response to respective electrical currents;
• b). said fixed, multiple electromagnet means further comprising a regularly spaced array of transport electromagnet means and a set of local electromagnet means;
• c). said local electromagnet means being located in proximity to and prolapsed with respect to said regularly spaced array of transport electromagnet means;
• d). a plurality of manipulator means, responsive to said magnetic fields, for producing motion;
• each of said manipulator means comprising:
• i. moveable magnetic means which can produce magnetic forces and torques in response to said magnetic fields;
• ii. end effector means which can do useful work when positioned in space;
• e). said regularly spaced array of transport electromagnet means being at least three times as long in one dimension as one of said manipulator means;
• f). stabilization and motion damping means for providing stability and dampening the motion of said manipulator means;
• and
• g). programmable control means which generates and controls said electrical currents through said fixed, multiple electromagnet means, whereby a plurality of said manipulator means can be controlled with multiple, controllable degrees of freedom of motion using said local electromagnet means by moving said manipulator means into and out of the vicinity of said local electromagnet means using said transport electromagnet means.