Multimodal collective swimming of magnetically articulated modular nanocomposite robots
Abstract
Magnetically responsive composites can impart maneuverability to miniaturized robots. However, collective actuation of these composite robots has rarely been achieved, although conducting cooperative tasks is a promising strategy for accomplishing difficult missions with a single robot. Here, we report multimodal collective swimming of ternary-nanocomposite-based magnetic robots capable of on-demand switching between rectilinear translational swimming and rotational swimming. The nanocomposite robots comprise a stiff yet lightweight carbon nanotube yarn (CNTY) framework surrounded by a magnetic polymer composite, which mimics the hierarchical architecture of musculoskeletal systems, yielding magnetically articulated multiple robots with an agile above-water swimmability (~180 body lengths per second) and modularity. The multiple robots with multimodal swimming facilitate the generation and regulation of vortices, enabling novel vortex-induced transportation of thousands of floating microparticles and heavy semi-submerged cargos. The controllable collective actuation of these biomimetic nanocomposite robots can lead to versatile robotic functions, including microplastic removal, microfluidic vortex control, and transportation of pharmaceuticals.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Nov 08, 2022
- Source ID
- 10.1038/s41467-022-34430-2
Entities
People
- Hee Eun Lee
- Jeong Eun Park
- Jeong Jae Wie
- Kijun Yang
- Seung Jae Yang
- Sukyoung Won
- Young Shik Cho
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Korea Institute of Science and Technology
- National Research Foundation of Korea