Biomimetic Design and Performance Analysis of a Magnetic H ‐Shaped Microrobot

Abstract Magnetically actuated soft microrobots have demonstrated significant advantages in the biomedical field due to their adaptability, simplicity, and high degrees of freedom. Inspired by nature, researchers are also currently working on combining bionic technology with soft microrobotics. This paper presents a bionic H‐shaped micro soft robot (H‐MSR) driven by a magnetic field. The robot is designed based on the movement patterns of cats in nature and is made of composite magnetic materials. First, a quasi‐static analysis of the H‐MSR was performed to deduce its linear motion gait mechanism, which was then verified by Material Point Method (MPM) simulation. Subsequently, to investigate the factors influencing the motion velocity of the H‐MSR, the effects of different magnetic field strengths and frequencies, various H‐MSR sizes, alternative robot shapes, and slopes on its motion performance are experimentally examined for optimal design and control. In addition, this paper explores the steering motion principle of the H‐MSR and develops two different path planning strategies ( S ‐shaped and U ‐shaped) for path tracking experiments. Experimental results demonstrate that the velocity of the robot increases proportionally with both the magnetic field strength and the actuation frequency. Moreover, the velocity is positively correlated with leg width and inversely correlated with body thickness. The microrobot exhibits rapid linear locomotion, achieving a maximum speed of approximately 5.67 mm/s, exceeding half of its body width, which surpasses that of conventional inchworm‐like robots. In addition to effective movement on flat surfaces, the H‐MSR is also capable of climbing inclined planes with slopes ranging from 0° to 20°, indicating strong propulsion and adaptability. Furthermore, the robot exhibits flexible steering performance, enabling it to execute arbitrary curved trajectories within a two‐dimensional plane.