Emergent microrobotic oscillators via asymmetry-induced order

Jing Fan Yang, Thomas A. Berrueta, Allan M. Brooks, Albert Tianxiang Liu, Ge Zhang, David Gonzalez-Medrano, Sungyun Yang, Volodymyr B. Koman, Pavel Chvykov, Lexy N. LeMar, Marc Z. Miskin, Todd D. Murphey and Michael S. Strano ()
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Jing Fan Yang: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Thomas A. Berrueta: Northwestern University
Allan M. Brooks: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Albert Tianxiang Liu: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Ge Zhang: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
David Gonzalez-Medrano: University of Pennsylvania
Sungyun Yang: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Volodymyr B. Koman: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Pavel Chvykov: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Lexy N. LeMar: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Marc Z. Miskin: University of Pennsylvania
Todd D. Murphey: Northwestern University
Michael S. Strano: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Spontaneous oscillations on the order of several hertz are the drivers of many crucial processes in nature. From bacterial swimming to mammal gaits, converting static energy inputs into slowly oscillating power is key to the autonomy of organisms across scales. However, the fabrication of slow micrometre-scale oscillators remains a major roadblock towards fully-autonomous microrobots. Here, we study a low-frequency oscillator that emerges from a collective of active microparticles at the air-liquid interface of a hydrogen peroxide drop. Their interactions transduce ambient chemical energy into periodic mechanical motion and on-board electrical currents. Surprisingly, these oscillations persist at larger ensemble sizes only when a particle with modified reactivity is added to intentionally break permutation symmetry. We explain such emergent order through the discovery of a thermodynamic mechanism for asymmetry-induced order. The on-board power harvested from the stabilised oscillations enables the use of electronic components, which we demonstrate by cyclically and synchronously driving a microrobotic arm. This work highlights a new strategy for achieving low-frequency oscillations at the microscale, paving the way for future microrobotic autonomy.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33396-5

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