Guardado en:
Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Chikere, Nnamdi C., Voticky, Sofia Lozano, Tran, Quang D., Ozkan-Aydin, Yasemin
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2024
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.05712
Etiquetas: Agregar Etiqueta
Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!
_version_ 1866915053203095552
author Chikere, Nnamdi C.
Voticky, Sofia Lozano
Tran, Quang D.
Ozkan-Aydin, Yasemin
author_facet Chikere, Nnamdi C.
Voticky, Sofia Lozano
Tran, Quang D.
Ozkan-Aydin, Yasemin
contents Traditional locomotion strategies become ineffective at low Reynolds numbers, where viscous forces predominate over inertial forces. To adapt, microorganisms have evolved specialized structures like cilia and flagella for efficient maneuvering in viscous environments. Among these organisms, Phytophthora zoospores demonstrate unique locomotion mechanisms that allow them to rapidly spread and attack new hosts while expending minimal energy. In this study, we present the design, fabrication, and testing of a zoospore-inspired robot, which leverages dual flexible flagella and oscillatory propulsion mechanisms to emulate the natural swimming behavior of zoospores. Our experiments and theoretical model reveal that both flagellar length and oscillation frequency strongly influence the robot's propulsion speed, with longer flagella and higher frequencies yielding enhanced performance. Additionally, the anterior flagellum, which generates a pulling force on the body, plays a dominant role in enhancing propulsion efficiency compared to the posterior flagellum's pushing force. This is a significant experimental finding, as it would be challenging to observe directly in biological zoospores, which spontaneously release the posterior flagellum when the anterior flagellum detaches. This work contributes to the development of advanced microscale robotic systems with potential applications in medical, environmental, and industrial fields. It also provides a valuable platform for studying biological zoospores and their unique locomotion strategies.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2412_05712
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Flagellar Swimming at Low Reynolds Numbers: Zoospore-Inspired Robotic Swimmers with Dual Flagella for High-Speed Locomotion
Chikere, Nnamdi C.
Voticky, Sofia Lozano
Tran, Quang D.
Ozkan-Aydin, Yasemin
Robotics
Traditional locomotion strategies become ineffective at low Reynolds numbers, where viscous forces predominate over inertial forces. To adapt, microorganisms have evolved specialized structures like cilia and flagella for efficient maneuvering in viscous environments. Among these organisms, Phytophthora zoospores demonstrate unique locomotion mechanisms that allow them to rapidly spread and attack new hosts while expending minimal energy. In this study, we present the design, fabrication, and testing of a zoospore-inspired robot, which leverages dual flexible flagella and oscillatory propulsion mechanisms to emulate the natural swimming behavior of zoospores. Our experiments and theoretical model reveal that both flagellar length and oscillation frequency strongly influence the robot's propulsion speed, with longer flagella and higher frequencies yielding enhanced performance. Additionally, the anterior flagellum, which generates a pulling force on the body, plays a dominant role in enhancing propulsion efficiency compared to the posterior flagellum's pushing force. This is a significant experimental finding, as it would be challenging to observe directly in biological zoospores, which spontaneously release the posterior flagellum when the anterior flagellum detaches. This work contributes to the development of advanced microscale robotic systems with potential applications in medical, environmental, and industrial fields. It also provides a valuable platform for studying biological zoospores and their unique locomotion strategies.
title Flagellar Swimming at Low Reynolds Numbers: Zoospore-Inspired Robotic Swimmers with Dual Flagella for High-Speed Locomotion
topic Robotics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.05712