ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses possible design and control of a swimming microrobot. Prokaryotic flagella are filamentous helical protein structures used for swimming in aqueous environments. Swimming speeds vary greatly between species. Most prokaryotic flagella can rotate both counterclockwise and clockwise, which contributes to their ability to change direction during swimming. External rotating magnetic fields drive the head of the swimming robot, which allows it to be remotely controlled wirelessly. The microrobot is designed for optimal drug delivery, and thus suitable for low Reynolds number swimming. Bacteria and other microorgan isms live in a low Reynolds number environment and are subject to different physical laws. Bacteria and other micro-swimmers have developed numerous strategies to maneuver and navigate through this sort of environment; for example, prokaryotic cells swim using flagella motility, gliding, and twitching motility, while eukaryotic bacteria swim using flagella, cilia, or pseudopodia.