Core Viewpoint - Soft robots based on fluids, particularly Ferrofluid Droplet Robots (FDR), have gained significant attention in micro-scale intelligent manipulation due to their deformability, self-recovery, and environmental adaptability, promising new paradigms in various fields such as biomedical engineering and microfluidics [1][4]. Group 1: Programmable Control Platform - A programmable control platform for large-scale FDR has been developed by a research team at Tsinghua University, enabling simultaneous control of multiple droplet robots for complex tasks [4][6]. - The platform features a compact array structure that enhances robot mobility and operates on low power, ensuring long-term stability [4][6]. - The system integrates visual feedback strategies, allowing the robot formation to track multiple independent paths [4][6]. Group 2: Distributed Magnetic Field System - A high-density distributed electromagnetic coil array has been designed to achieve large-scale programmable control of droplet robots at the millimeter scale [6][7]. - The system consists of 144 small electromagnetic coils, generating localized magnetic fields within a workspace of 113 × 113 mm², enabling independent multi-point driving [6][7]. - The modular power architecture supports a total power of up to 36 A and 400 W, ensuring efficient operation of the coils [6][7]. Group 3: Motion and Deformation Mechanism - The interaction between FDR and external magnetic fields has been analyzed, revealing that FDR can be magnetized and moved towards areas of higher magnetic field strength [7][10]. - The deformation of FDR is a result of the dynamic balance between magnetic forces and surface tension, allowing for various forms of stretching, splitting, and merging [7][10]. - The process is reversible and programmable, providing a solid physical foundation for precise control of FDR [7][10]. Group 4: Control Strategies and Performance Validation - A discrete closed-loop control strategy based on visual feedback has been proposed to enhance the path tracking performance of FDR in distributed magnetic fields [10][13]. - The system has been validated through experiments, demonstrating the ability to track predefined paths with average position errors of 0.4 mm and 1.0 mm for different movement patterns [13][17]. - Reliability tests showed that even after 1,000 cycles, FDR maintained precise tracking and effective driving, confirming the system's stability and thermal performance [17][18]. Group 5: Applications and Experimental Results - The research team conducted various experiments to showcase the capabilities of the programmable control system, including droplet sorting, coordinated movement, and integrated manipulation of motion, deformation, splitting, and merging [20][21]. - The droplet sorting experiment demonstrated a 300% increase in task efficiency when multiple FDR collaborated compared to a single FDR [21]. - The system's potential for complex multi-modal control was further illustrated through experiments involving integrated movement and transformation of FDR [25][30].