Assessing the Dynamic Performance of Microbots in Complex Fluid Flows

Abstract

The use of microbots in biomedicine is a powerful tool that has been an object of study in the last few years. In the special case of using these microdevices in the human circulatory system to remove clots or to deliver drugs, the complex nature of blood flow must be taken into account for their proper design. The dynamic performance, defined in this context as the quantification of the disturbance of the flow around an object (which is essentially dependent on the microbot morphology and the rheological characteristics of the fluid) should be improved in order to diminish the damage inside the patient body and to increase the efficiency when they swim through the main veins or arteries. In this article, different experimental techniques (micro-Particle Image Velocimetry, flow visualization, pressure drop measurements, etc.) are analyzed to assess their dynamic performance when they swim through the human body immersed in complex fluid flows. This article provides a useful guide for the characterization of the dynamic performance of microbots and also highlights the necessity to consider the viscoelastic character of blood in their design.