Reconfigurable Collective Swimming of Magnetic Modular Soft Robots

초록

Collective motion of multiple magnetic soft robots is difficult to be regulated as the soft robots are agglomerated into a cluster by magnetic attractive force. Herein, we present multimodal assembled swimming of multiple soft robots above water capable to control vorticity of fluids so as to transport numerous floating microbeads. By pulsed clockwise (CW) rotation of electromagnetic field, magnetic soft robot swims with counterclockwise (CCW) rectilinear transitional motility or CW rotational motility upon varying rotational frequency. Multiple soft robots are magnetically jointed owing to their mutual magnetic interactions, enabling agile multimodal swimming through magnetic assembly or disassembly. The adaptable reconfiguration shows where the swimming mode is determined by competition among magnetic attraction of multiple robots and drag of water. We will discuss vorticity control of fluids through the collective motility which can rapidly deliver hundreds of floating microbeads.