Remote Manipulation With a Stationary Computer-Controlled Magnetic Dipole Source

In this paper, we examine several magnetic control methods that utilize the fully controllable dipole field generated by the single stationary dipole source. Since the magnetic field generated by a dipole source is nonuniform, it applies both forces and torques to magnetic objects and can be used to manipulate magnetic tools. Recently, the Omnimagnet, a computer-controlled magnetic dipole source capable of varying both its dipole-moment direction and magnitude, was developed to perform magnetic manipulation. The equations and methods are developed generally; therefore, they can be applied to any omnidirectional dipole source, but their effectiveness is demonstrated using the Omnimagnet.