Managing magnetic force applied to a magnetic device by a rotating dipole field

We demonstrate that the attractive magnetic force acting on a rotating magnetic device (e.g., a magnetic microrobot), actuated using a rotating magnet dipole, can be converted into a lateral force by rotating the actuator dipole according to a specific open-loop trajectory. Results show rotating magnetic devices can be rolled and simultaneously pushed along a surface by the lateral force, resulting in significant increase in velocity. We also demonstrate that the lateral force magnitude can be sufficient to levitate the magnetic device. The results apply to rotating magnetic devices of any size provided inertia has a negligible contribution to its dynamics. VC 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3644021]