Brainbots as smart autonomous active particles with programmable motion

[en] We present an innovative robotic device designed to provide controlled motion for studying active matter. Motion is driven by an internal vibrator powered by a small rechargeable battery. The system integrates acoustic and magnetic sensors along with a programmable microcontroller. Unlike conventional vibrobots, the motor induces horizontal vibrations, resulting in cycloidal trajectories that have been characterized and optimized. Portions of these orbits can be utilized to create specific motion patterns. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate how this versatile system can be exploited to develop active particles with varying dynamics, ranging from ballistic motion to run-and-tumble diffusive behavior.

Research Center/Unit :

CESAM - Complex and Entangled Systems from Atoms to Materials - ULiège

Disciplines :

Physics

Author, co-author :

Noirhomme, Martial ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de physique > Physique statistique

Mammadli, I. ; FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg

Vanesse, N.; University of Liège

Pande, J. ; FLAME University

Smith, A.-S. ; FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg ; Ruder Boskovic Institute

Vandewalle, Nicolas ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de physique > Physique statistique

Language :

English

Title :

Brainbots as smart autonomous active particles with programmable motion

Publication date :

04 June 2025

Journal title :

Physical Review Applied

eISSN :

2331-7019

Publisher :

American Physical Society (APS)

Volume :

Issue :

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Additional URL :

https://link.aps.org/article/10.1103/pv3d-7s54

Funders :

ESA - European Space Agency
F.R.S.-FNRS - Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique
DFG - Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

Available on ORBi :

since 04 June 2025

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See Supplemental Material at http://link.aps.org/supplemental/10.1103/pv3d-7s54 for the .stl file and the sketch of the electronics, for typical videos of our characterization experiments, the videos of the ballistic and random motions, and the videos of our experiments demonstrating the interaction between the brainbots and an external magnetic field.
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