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Reduced rotational flows enable the translation of surface-rolling microrobots in confined spaces

Author

Listed:
  • Ugur Bozuyuk

    (Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems
    ETH Zurich)

  • Amirreza Aghakhani

    (Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems)

  • Yunus Alapan

    (Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems)

  • Muhammad Yunusa

    (Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems)

  • Paul Wrede

    (Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems
    ETH Zurich)

  • Metin Sitti

    (Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems
    ETH Zurich
    Koç University)

Abstract

Biological microorganisms overcome the Brownian motion at low Reynolds numbers by utilizing symmetry-breaking mechanisms. Inspired by them, various microrobot locomotion methods have been developed at the microscale by breaking the hydrodynamic symmetry. Although the boundary effects have been extensively studied for microswimmers and employed for surface-rolling microrobots, the behavior of microrobots in the proximity of multiple wall-based “confinement” is yet to be elucidated. Here, we study the confinement effect on the motion of surface-rolling microrobots. Our experiments demonstrate that the locomotion efficiency of spherical microrollers drastically decreases in confined spaces due to out-of-plane rotational flows generated during locomotion. Hence, a slender microroller design, generating smaller rotational flows, is shown to outperform spherical microrollers in confined spaces. Our results elucidate the underlying physics of surface rolling-based locomotion in confined spaces and present a design strategy with optimal flow generation for efficient propulsion in such areas, including blood vessels and microchannels.

Suggested Citation

  • Ugur Bozuyuk & Amirreza Aghakhani & Yunus Alapan & Muhammad Yunusa & Paul Wrede & Metin Sitti, 2022. "Reduced rotational flows enable the translation of surface-rolling microrobots in confined spaces," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-022-34023-z
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34023-z
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. T. O. Tasci & P. S. Herson & K. B. Neeves & D. W. M. Marr, 2016. "Surface-enabled propulsion and control of colloidal microwheels," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 7(1), pages 1-6, April.
    2. Louis William Rogowski & Jamel Ali & Xiao Zhang & James N. Wilking & Henry C. Fu & Min Jun Kim, 2021. "Symmetry breaking propulsion of magnetic microspheres in nonlinearly viscoelastic fluids," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-11, December.
    3. Tian Qiu & Tung-Chun Lee & Andrew G. Mark & Konstantin I. Morozov & Raphael Münster & Otto Mierka & Stefan Turek & Alexander M. Leshansky & Peer Fischer, 2014. "Swimming by reciprocal motion at low Reynolds number," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 5(1), pages 1-8, December.
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