Project Overview

            The ultimate goal of this project is to create a system that uses variable magnetic fields to control the movement of an object in two dimensions. This system will use metal coils that produce strong opposing magnetic fields. These fields will run parallel to each axis in an XY plane (shown in Fig. 1), with a pair that face one another in the X-axis as well as a pair that faces one another in the the Y-axis. Each coil is controlled through a potentiometer, or variable resistor whose value can be either increased or decreased. This will control the flow of current through each coil, effectively allowing the device to control the strength of the magnetic field that each coil produces. Using individual potentiometers to dictate how much current flows through each coil gives the user a greater degree of control over the movement of the object.

Fig 1.

            This system's prototype will demonstrate movement of an object in a 2-D plane, while the final, ideal design will be able to control an object in three dimensions. This requires much stronger magnetic fields, as well as much more precise control over the change in the magnetic fields produced.

Fig. 2

            The possibilities for application of this design in the medical field are extensive, in that the uses of a micro motor, a very small object that can be remotely controlled through use of strong magnetic fields, is just as widespread. A major advantage of a specific type of motor being utilized in the body is found when looking at motors that use magnetic fields to induce motion in a part within the motor, a part designed to produce electrical energy from the induced mechanical motion. Because of this, the issue of delivering electricity to the motor within the body is no longer constrained. While this aspect of the design is an important one, this design project is limited to controlling the motion of the motor, which will be demonstrated with a placebo object. Therefore, the finalized project will demonstrate a design that does not take full advantage of the applications of micro motors and the medical field.