Optimal Control of Microswimmers for Trajectory Tracking Using Bayesian Optimization

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Palazzolo, Lucas, Binois, Mickaël, Giraldi, Laëtitia
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2026
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author Palazzolo, Lucas
Binois, Mickaël
Giraldi, Laëtitia
author_facet Palazzolo, Lucas
Binois, Mickaël
Giraldi, Laëtitia
contents Trajectory tracking for microswimmers remains a key challenge in microrobotics, where low-Reynolds-number dynamics make control design particularly complex. In this work, we formulate the trajectory tracking problem as an optimal control problem and solve it using a combination of B-spline parametrization with Bayesian optimization, allowing the treatment of high computational costs without requiring complex gradient computations. Applied to a flagellated magnetic swimmer, the proposed method reproduces a variety of target trajectories, including biologically inspired paths observed in experimental studies. We further evaluate the approach on a three-sphere swimmer model, demonstrating that it can adapt to and partially compensate for wall-induced hydrodynamic effects. The proposed optimization strategy can be applied consistently across models of different fidelity, from low-dimensional ODE-based models to high-fidelity PDE-based simulations, showing its robustness and generality. These results highlight the potential of Bayesian optimization as a versatile tool for optimal control strategies in microscale locomotion under complex fluid-structure interactions.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_09563
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Optimal Control of Microswimmers for Trajectory Tracking Using Bayesian Optimization
Palazzolo, Lucas
Binois, Mickaël
Giraldi, Laëtitia
Robotics
Optimization and Control
49M37, 62F15
Trajectory tracking for microswimmers remains a key challenge in microrobotics, where low-Reynolds-number dynamics make control design particularly complex. In this work, we formulate the trajectory tracking problem as an optimal control problem and solve it using a combination of B-spline parametrization with Bayesian optimization, allowing the treatment of high computational costs without requiring complex gradient computations. Applied to a flagellated magnetic swimmer, the proposed method reproduces a variety of target trajectories, including biologically inspired paths observed in experimental studies. We further evaluate the approach on a three-sphere swimmer model, demonstrating that it can adapt to and partially compensate for wall-induced hydrodynamic effects. The proposed optimization strategy can be applied consistently across models of different fidelity, from low-dimensional ODE-based models to high-fidelity PDE-based simulations, showing its robustness and generality. These results highlight the potential of Bayesian optimization as a versatile tool for optimal control strategies in microscale locomotion under complex fluid-structure interactions.
title Optimal Control of Microswimmers for Trajectory Tracking Using Bayesian Optimization
topic Robotics
Optimization and Control
49M37, 62F15
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.09563