Microrobots as a new platform for far-from-equilibrium physics
Abstract
Far-from-equilibrium physics needs new model systems to study the interface between energy and information. Currently, there is no technology to explore these concepts that is amenable to rapid experimentation. For example, while there is ample evidence that biological systems operate at or near the fundamental limits for information processing, control and coordination, living systems are difficult to measure rapidly, precisely, or dynamically reprogram. Alternatively, active matter systems in the physics community provide a simpler way to explore collective behavior, but generally lack the ability to store and process information, reconfigure, or communicate. Cell-sized robots are an ideal system for exploring the impact of information on far-from equilibrium physics. Using major advances in microfabrication, actuation, and optoelectronic control, we have demonstrated the deployment of millions of individually addressable, sub-100 µm robots able to locomote, manipulate their chemical environment, and process information. At this size scale, robots can be used to explore thermodynamic effects, collective behavior, and computation as interrelated phenomena. In addition, their ability to be programmed and communicate directly with macroscale information technology offers a new level of flexibility and precision. These properties bring together the best strengths of biological and physical test systems, poising micro-robots to catalyze new scientific discoveries at the interface of lifescience, physics, and computation. This project details building the next generation of microrobot technology as a tool for discovery in far from equilibrium physics. Crucially, we will leverage the advantages of massive parallelism and miniaturization to rapidly carry out complex experiments with tens of thousands of robots. We will use this platform to explore the role of information in pattern formation, how noisy, stochastic systems communicate and when they can act as computers. We offer a new kind of experimental platform, where thousands of agents can work together to produce complex, emergent behavior, each communicating its precise state to an experimenter, and each ten times smaller than the period at the end of this sentence.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jun 25, 2021
- Source ID
- W911NF2110076
Entities
People
- Marc Z Miskin
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- United States Army
- University of Pennsylvania