Multi-agent systems using diamagnetic micro manipulation — From floating swarms to mobile sensors

Multi-agent robotic systems on small scales typically use, or envision using, small mobile robots. This paper takes a broad-brush look at a relatively recent development in milli and micro robots, Diamagnetic Micro Manipulation (DM3) systems, in a multi-agent context. We report various multi-agent operations, such as multi-agent part manipulation, robots-acting-on-other-robots for enhanced functionality, and robot-supplied local feed, to assess the state of the art of this new type of system. In addition, we explore and analyze the multi-agent implications of known DM3 properties and earlier single-agent results to motivate future research in this area. As reported here, some of these multi-agent implications include mobile high-precision sensor transducers, near-field communications channels using robots as both transmitters and receivers, and novel swarm architectures.