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Ren Z, Xin C, Liang K, Wang H, Wang D, Xu L, Hu Y, Li J, Chu J, Wu D. Femtosecond laser writing of ant-inspired reconfigurable microbot collectives. Nat Commun 2024; 15:7253. [PMID: 39179567 PMCID: PMC11343760 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51567-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/12/2024] [Indexed: 08/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Microbot collectives can cooperate to accomplish complex tasks that are difficult for a single individual. However, various force-induced microbot collectives maintained by weak magnetic, light, and electric fields still face challenges such as unstable connections, the need for a continuous external stimuli source, and imprecise individual control. Here, we construct magnetic and light-driven ant microbot collectives capable of reconfiguring multiple assembled architectures with robustness. This methodology utilizes a flexible two-photon polymerization strategy to fabricate microbots consisting of magnetic photoresist, hydrogel, and metal nanoparticles. Under the cooperation of magnetic and light fields, the microbots can reversibly and selectively assemble (e.g., 90° assembly and 180° assembly) into various morphologies. Moreover, we demonstrate the ability of assembled microbots to cross a one-body-length gap and their adaptive capability to move through a constriction and transport microcargo. Our strategy will broaden the abilities of clustered microbots, including gap traversal, micro-object manipulation, and drug delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongguo Ren
- Key Laboratory of Precision Scientific Instrumentation of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Chen Xin
- Key Laboratory of Precision Scientific Instrumentation of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China.
- Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, China.
| | - Kaiwen Liang
- Key Laboratory of Precision Scientific Instrumentation of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Heming Wang
- Key Laboratory of Precision Scientific Instrumentation of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Dawei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Precision Scientific Instrumentation of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Liqun Xu
- Key Laboratory of Precision Scientific Instrumentation of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Yanlei Hu
- Key Laboratory of Precision Scientific Instrumentation of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Jiawen Li
- Key Laboratory of Precision Scientific Instrumentation of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Jiaru Chu
- Key Laboratory of Precision Scientific Instrumentation of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Dong Wu
- Key Laboratory of Precision Scientific Instrumentation of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China.
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2
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Fedorets AA, Koltsov S, Muravev AA, Fotin A, Zun P, Orekhov N, Nosonovsky M, Skorb EV. Observation of a chemical reaction in a levitating microdroplet cluster and droplet-generated music. Chem Sci 2024; 15:12067-12076. [PMID: 39092132 PMCID: PMC11290446 DOI: 10.1039/d4sc03066d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Ordered clusters of water droplets levitating over a heated water surface can be used as chemical microreactors and computational devices. Here we show that a chemical reaction between melamine and cyanuric acid can occur during coalescence of pairs of droplets containing these reagents and lead to the sedimentation of the product, crystals of melamine cyanurate. In rotating droplets, the crystals flash with frequencies dependent mostly on the rotational velocity of the droplets defined by the rotor of the velocity field of the air-vapor flow above the heated water surface. With the Machine Learning (ML) approach, we trace the brightness and frequencies of individual crystals and convert the frequencies into musical notes thus making a "micro-orchestra" of the levitation cluster.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Pavel Zun
- ITMO University St. Petersburg 191002 Russia
| | | | - Michael Nosonovsky
- ITMO University St. Petersburg 191002 Russia
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Milwaukee WI 53211 USA
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3
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Ren Z, Sitti M. Design and build of small-scale magnetic soft-bodied robots with multimodal locomotion. Nat Protoc 2024; 19:441-486. [PMID: 38097687 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-023-00916-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Small-scale magnetic soft-bodied robots can be designed to operate based on different locomotion modes to navigate and function inside unstructured, confined and varying environments. These soft millirobots may be useful for medical applications where the robots are tasked with moving inside the human body. Here we cover the entire process of developing small-scale magnetic soft-bodied millirobots with multimodal locomotion capability, including robot design, material preparation, robot fabrication, locomotion control and locomotion optimization. We describe in detail the design, fabrication and control of a sheet-shaped soft millirobot with 12 different locomotion modes for traversing different terrains, an ephyra jellyfish-inspired soft millirobot that can manipulate objects in liquids through various swimming modes, a larval zebrafish-inspired soft millirobot that can adjust its body stiffness for efficient propulsion in different swimming speeds and a dual stimuli-responsive sheet-shaped soft millirobot that can switch its locomotion modes automatically by responding to changes in the environmental temperature. The procedure is aimed at users with basic expertise in soft robot development. The procedure requires from a few days to several weeks to complete, depending on the degree of characterization required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyu Ren
- Physical Intelligence Department, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Metin Sitti
- Physical Intelligence Department, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart, Germany.
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- School of Medicine and College of Engineering, Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey.
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4
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Chen Z, Ding H, Kollipara PS, Li J, Zheng Y. Synchronous and Fully Steerable Active Particle Systems for Enhanced Mimicking of Collective Motion in Nature. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2304759. [PMID: 37572374 PMCID: PMC10859548 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202304759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023]
Abstract
The collective motion observed in living active matter, such as fish schools and bird flocks, is characterized by its dynamic and complex nature, involving various moving states and transitions. By tailoring physical interactions or incorporating information exchange capabilities, inanimate active particles can exhibit similar behavior. However, the lack of synchronous and arbitrary control over individual particles hinders their use as a test system for the study of more intricate collective motions in living species. Herein, a novel optical feedback control system that enables the mimicry of collective motion observed in living objects using active particles is proposed. This system allows for the experimental investigation of the velocity alignment, a seminal model of collective motion (known as the Vicsek model), in a microscale perturbed environment with controllable and realistic conditions. The spontaneous formation of different moving states and dynamic transitions between these states is observed. Additionally, the high robustness of the active-particle group at the critical density under the influence of different perturbations is quantitatively validated. These findings support the effectiveness of velocity alignment in real perturbed environments, thereby providing a versatile platform for fundamental studies on collective motion and the development of innovative swarm microrobotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhihan Chen
- Materials Science and Engineering Program and Texas Materials Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Hongru Ding
- Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | | | - Jingang Li
- Materials Science and Engineering Program and Texas Materials Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Yuebing Zheng
- Materials Science and Engineering Program and Texas Materials Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
- Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
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5
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Liang Z, Joh H, Lian B, Fan DE. Light-stimulated micromotor swarms in an electric field with accurate spatial, temporal, and mode control. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadi9932. [PMID: 37878697 PMCID: PMC10599615 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi9932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
Swarming, a phenomenon widely present in nature, is a hallmark of nonequilibrium living systems that harness external energy into collective locomotion. The creation and study of manmade swarms may provide insights into their biological counterparts and shed light to the rules of life. Here, we propose an innovative mechanism for rationally creating multimodal swarms with unprecedented spatial, temporal, and mode control. The research is realized in a system made of optoelectric semiconductor nanorods that can rapidly morph into three distinct modes, i.e., network formation, collectively enhanced rotation, and droplet-like clustering, pattern, and switch in-between under light stimulation in an electric field. Theoretical analysis and semiquantitative modeling well explain the observation by understanding the competition between two countering effects: the electrostatic assembly for orderliness and electrospinning-induced disassembly for disorderliness. This work could inspire the rational creation of new classes of reconfigurable swarms for both fundamental research and emerging applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zexi Liang
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, Texas Materials Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Hyungmok Joh
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, Texas Materials Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Bin Lian
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, Texas Materials Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Donglei Emma Fan
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, Texas Materials Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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6
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Gardi G, Sitti M. On-Demand Breaking of Action-Reaction Reciprocity between Magnetic Microdisks Using Global Stimuli. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2023; 131:058301. [PMID: 37595233 PMCID: PMC7615123 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.131.058301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Revised: 02/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/20/2023]
Abstract
Coupled physical interactions induce emergent collective behaviors of many interacting objects. Nonreciprocity in the interactions generates unexpected behaviors. There is a lack of experimental model system that switches between the reciprocal and nonreciprocal regime on demand. Here, we study a system of magnetic microdisks that breaks action-reaction reciprocity via fluid-mediated hydrodynamic interactions, on demand. Via experiments and simulations, we demonstrate that nonreciprocal interactions generate self-propulsion-like behaviors of a pair of disks; group separation in collective of magnetically nonidentical disks; and decouples a part of the group from the rest. Our results could help in developing controllable microrobot collectives. Our approach highlights the effect of global stimuli in generating nonreciprocal interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaurav Gardi
- Physical Intelligence Department, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
- Department of Physics, University of Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Metin Sitti
- Physical Intelligence Department, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
- School of Medicine and College of Engineering, Koç University, 34450 Istanbul, Turkey
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
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7
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Fu Y, Wu Z, Zhan S, Yang J, Gardi G, Kishore V, Malgaretti P, Wang W. Entropy by Neighbor Distance as a New Measure for Characterizing Spatiotemporal Orders in Microscopic Collective Systems. MICROMACHINES 2023; 14:1503. [PMID: 37630039 PMCID: PMC10456758 DOI: 10.3390/mi14081503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
Collective systems self-organize to form globally ordered spatiotemporal patterns. Finding appropriate measures to characterize the order in these patterns will contribute to our understanding of the principles of self-organization in all collective systems. Here we examine a new measure based on the entropy of the neighbor distance distributions in the characterization of collective patterns. We study three types of systems: a simulated self-propelled boid system, two active colloidal systems, and one centimeter-scale robotic swarm system. In all these systems, the new measure proves sensitive in revealing active phase transitions and in distinguishing steady states. We envision that the entropy by neighbor distance could be useful for characterizing biological swarms such as bird flocks and for designing robotic swarms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yulei Fu
- University of Michigan—Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Zongyuan Wu
- University of Michigan—Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Sirui Zhan
- University of Michigan—Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- College of Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Jiacheng Yang
- The Academy for Engineering and Technology, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Gaurav Gardi
- Physical Intelligence Department, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
- Department of Physics, University of Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Vimal Kishore
- Department of Physics, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, India
| | - Paolo Malgaretti
- Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy (IEK-11), Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Wendong Wang
- University of Michigan—Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
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8
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Zhu S, Cheng Y, Chen J, Liu G, Luo T, Yang R. Dynamically reversible cooperation and interaction of multiple rotating micromotors. LAB ON A CHIP 2023; 23:1905-1917. [PMID: 36880376 DOI: 10.1039/d3lc00108c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Micromotors have been shown to have great potential in various fields (e.g., targeted therapeutics, self-organizing systems), and research on the cooperative and interactive behaviours of multiple micromotors could potentially revolutionize many fields in terms of performing multiple or complex tasks to compensate for the limitations of individual micromotors; however, dynamically reversible transitions among diverse behaviours remain much less explored, and such dynamic transformations are advantageous for achieving complex tasks. Here, we present a microsystem consisting of multiple disk-like micromotors capable of performing reversible transformations between cooperative and interactive behaviours at the liquid surface. The micromotors with aligned magnetic particles in our system have great magnet properties, which provides a strong magnetic interaction with each other and is vital for the whole microsystem. We offer and analyse the physical models among multiple micromotors concerning the cooperative and interactive modes in the lower and higher frequency ranges, respectively, between which the state transformation can reversibly occur. Furthermore, based on the proposed reversible microsystem, the feasibility of the application of self-organization is verified by demonstrating three different dynamic self-organizing behaviours. Our proposed dynamically reversible system has great potential to serve as a paradigm for studying cooperative and interactive behaviours among multiple micromotors in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shilu Zhu
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Biomedical Robotics Laboratory, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China.
| | - Yifan Cheng
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Biomedical Robotics Laboratory, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China.
| | - Jialong Chen
- College & Hospital of Stomatology, Anhui Medical University, Key Lab. of Oral Diseases Research of Anhui Province, Hefei, 230032, China
| | - Guangli Liu
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Biomedical Robotics Laboratory, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China.
| | - Tingting Luo
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Biomedical Robotics Laboratory, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China.
| | - Runhuai Yang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Biomedical Robotics Laboratory, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China.
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Ceron S, O’Keeffe K, Petersen K. Diverse behaviors in non-uniform chiral and non-chiral swarmalators. Nat Commun 2023; 14:940. [PMID: 36806287 PMCID: PMC9941214 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36563-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
We study the emergent behaviors of a population of swarming coupled oscillators, dubbed swarmalators. Previous work considered the simplest, idealized case: identical swarmalators with global coupling. Here we expand this work by adding more realistic features: local coupling, non-identical natural frequencies, and chirality. This more realistic model generates a variety of new behaviors including lattices of vortices, beating clusters, and interacting phase waves. Similar behaviors are found across natural and artificial micro-scale collective systems, including social slime mold, spermatozoa vortex arrays, and Quincke rollers. Our results indicate a wide range of future use cases, both to aid characterization and understanding of natural swarms, and to design complex interactions in collective systems from soft and active matter to micro-robotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Ceron
- grid.5386.8000000041936877XSibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 USA ,grid.116068.80000 0001 2341 2786Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
| | - Kevin O’Keeffe
- grid.116068.80000 0001 2341 2786Senseable City Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
| | - Kirstin Petersen
- Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cornell University, 136 Hoy Road, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
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Gardi G, Ceron S, Wang W, Petersen K, Sitti M. Microrobot collectives with reconfigurable morphologies, behaviors, and functions. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2239. [PMID: 35473915 PMCID: PMC9043221 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29882-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Mobile microrobots, which can navigate, sense, and interact with their environment, could potentially revolutionize biomedicine and environmental remediation. Many self-organizing microrobotic collectives have been developed to overcome inherent limits in actuation, sensing, and manipulation of individual microrobots; however, reconfigurable collectives with robust transitions between behaviors are rare. Such systems that perform multiple functions are advantageous to operate in complex environments. Here, we present a versatile microrobotic collective system capable of on-demand reconfiguration to adapt to and utilize their environments to perform various functions at the air-water interface. Our system exhibits diverse modes ranging from isotropic to anisotrpic behaviors and transitions between a globally driven and a novel self-propelling behavior. We show the transition between different modes in experiments and simulations, and demonstrate various functions, using the reconfigurability of our system to navigate, explore, and interact with the environment. Such versatile microrobot collectives with globally driven and self-propelled behaviors have great potential in future medical and environmental applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaurav Gardi
- Physical Intelligence Department, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
- Department of Physics, University of Stuttgart, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Steven Ceron
- Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Wendong Wang
- University of Michigan-Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
| | - Kirstin Petersen
- Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
| | - Metin Sitti
- Physical Intelligence Department, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany.
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zurich, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland.
- School of Medicine and College of Engineering, Koç University, 34450, Istanbul, Turkey.
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Basualdo FNP, Gardi G, Wang W, Demir SO, Bolopion A, Gauthier M, Lambert P, Sitti M. Control and Transport of Passive Particles Using Self-Organized Spinning Micro-Disks. IEEE Robot Autom Lett 2022. [DOI: 10.1109/lra.2022.3143306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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12
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Microscopic Swarms: From Active Matter Physics to Biomedical and Environmental Applications. MICROMACHINES 2022; 13:mi13020295. [PMID: 35208419 PMCID: PMC8876490 DOI: 10.3390/mi13020295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Revised: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Microscopic swarms consisting of, e.g., active colloidal particles or microorganisms, display emergent behaviors not seen in equilibrium systems. They represent an emerging field of research that generates both fundamental scientific interest and practical technological value. This review seeks to unite the perspective of fundamental active matter physics and the perspective of practical applications of microscopic swarms. We first summarize experimental and theoretical results related to a few key aspects unique to active matter systems: the existence of long-range order, the prediction and observation of giant number fluctuations and motility-induced phase separation, and the exploration of the relations between information and order in the self-organizing patterns. Then we discuss microscopic swarms, particularly microrobotic swarms, from the perspective of applications. We introduce common methods to control and manipulate microrobotic swarms and summarize their potential applications in fields such as targeted delivery, in vivo imaging, biofilm removal, and wastewater treatment. We aim at bridging the gap between the community of active matter physics and the community of micromachines or microrobotics, and in doing so, we seek to inspire fruitful collaborations between the two communities.
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