Adaptable Swimming and Organization of Magnetic Nanocomposite Robots

초록

Self-organization of creatures in nature appears to perform specific purposes including insect swarms and bird flocks. Herein, we present adaptable swimming and organization of magnetic modular nanocomposites which can provide controllability of both free and forced vortex in fluid. In particular, forced vortex requires agile and powerful collective movement of multiple robots. Toward this end, the architecture of the robot is constructed by dip-coating polymer-magnetic particle mixture onto nanoporous carbon nanotube yarn (CNTY), mimicking bone and muscle. Under pulsed rotating electromagnetic field, manipulation of magnetic frequency regulates the swimming modes of the nanocomposite robot, providing multimodality (i.e. rectilinear translational motion or rotational motion). In multiple robotic systems, magnetically jointed robots are self-organized and perform collective motion, thereby allowing direction and magnitude control of forced vortex. We will discuss various functions and potential applications with the collective swimming of magnetic robots such as transportation of floating microplastics as well as semi-submerged particles.