Premium
Swarming Microdroplets to a Dexterous Micromanipulator
Author(s) -
Sun Mengmeng,
Fan Xinjian,
Tian Chenyao,
Yang Mingxuan,
Sun Lining,
Xie Hui
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.202011193
Subject(s) - micromanipulator , reconfigurability , swarm behaviour , camouflage , swarming (honey bee) , computer science , soft robotics , adaptability , grasp , materials science , biomimetics , nanotechnology , artificial intelligence , simulation , actuator , aerospace engineering , engineering , biology , ecology , telecommunications , programming language
Many astonishing biological collective behaviors exist in nature, and artificial microrobotic swarms have been developed by emulating these scenarios. However, these microswarms typically have single structures and lack the adaptability that many biological swarms exhibit to thrive in complex environments. Inspired by viscoelastic fire ant aggregations and using a combination of experiment and simulation, a strategy to trigger ferrofluid droplets into forming microswarms exhibiting both liquid‐like and solid‐like behaviors is reported. By spatiotemporally programming an applied magnetic field, microswarms can be liquefied to implement reversible elongation with a high aspect ratio and solidified into entireties to perform overturning and bending behaviors. It is demonstrated that reconfigurability enables the microswarm to be a mobile dexterous micromanipulator, acting not only as a soft “octopus arm” to explore a confined environment and grasp a targeted object but also adaptively navigate multiple terrains, such as uneven surfaces, curved grooves, complex mazes, high steps, narrow channels, and even wide gaps. This microrobotic swarm can reconfigure both shapes and tasks based on the demands of the environment, presenting novel solutions for a variety of applications.