Programming tunable active dynamics in a self-propelled robot

Abstract

We present a scheme for producing tunable active dynamics in a self-propelled robotic device. The robot moves using the differential drive mechanism where two wheels can vary their instantaneous velocities independently. These velocities are calculated by equating robot's equations of motion in two dimensions with well-established active particle models and encoded into the robot's microcontroller. We demonstrate that the robot can depict active Brownian, run and tumble, and Brownian dynamics with a wide range of parameters. The resulting motion analyzed using particle tracking shows excellent agreement with the theoretically predicted trajectories. Finally, we demonstrate that its motion can be switched between different dynamics using light intensity as an external parameter. This work opens an avenue for designing tunable active systems with the potential of revealing the physics of active matter and its application for bio- and nature-inspired robotics.

10 pages, 4 figures, For supplementary movies and SI file visit: https://iitbacin-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/somnath_p_iitb_ac_in/EvOuWA3nDdtFsJ9x1thyDCcBDuE029-kduxwXulG6HFMpA?e=iIgTRK

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• Emergent short-range repulsion for attractively coupled active particles
• Spontaneous Emergence of Run-and-Tumble-Like Dynamics in a Robotic Analog of \textit{Chlamydomonas}: Experiment and Theory
• Crystal to liquid cross-over for active particles with inverse-square power-law interaction
• An active soft condensed matter approach to the Physics of living systems
• Effect of the background flow on the motility induced phase separation
• From Attraction to Repulsion: Emergent Interactions in Harmonically Coupled Active Binary System