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

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, g

SUBMITTER: Bozuyuk U 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9586970 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature