Search Results (3)

The Purcell’s swimmer, consisting of three links with two one-degree-of-freedom joints as defined by Edward M. Purcell, has been studied by several authors since its introduction in 1977. Researchers have delved into its mathematical foundations, analysing and optimising its motion for efficient propulsion. However, despite these theoretical advances, the practical realisation and experimental characterisation of Purcell’s swimmers remains relatively unexplored. Critical aspects such as material selection, manufacturing techniques, and experimental validation under real conditions represent important knowledge gaps. This paper contributes to bridging this gap by presenting a prototype of such a swimmer using ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMC) as link actuators. A simulation model is developed based on physical modelling tools in MATLAB^®/Simulink^®. Both simulation and experimental results at low-Reynolds-number ($Re$) conditions are presented to demonstrate the performance of the swimmer. Full article

This paper studies the displacement and efficiency of a Purcell’s three-link microswimmer in low Reynolds number regime, capable of moving by the implementation of a motion primitive or gait. An optimization is accomplished attending to the geometry of the swimmer and the motion primitives, considering the shape of the gait and its amplitude. The objective is to find the geometry of the swimmer, amplitude and shape of the gaits which make optimal the displacement and efficiency, in both an individual way and combined (the last case will be referred to as multiobjective optimization). Three traditional gaits are compared with two primitives proposed by the authors and other three gaits recently defined in the literature. Results demonstrate that the highest displacement is obtained by the Tam and Hosoi optimal velocity gait, which also achieves the best efficiency in terms of energy consumption. The rectilinear and Tam and Hosoi optimal efficiency gaits are the second optimum primitives. Regarding the multiobjective optimization and considering the two criteria with the same weight, the optimum gaits turn out to be the rectilinear and Tam and Hosoi optimal efficiency gaits. Thus, the conclusions of this study can help designers to select, on the one hand, the best swimmer geometry for a desired motion primitive and, on the other, the optimal method of motion for trajectory tracking for such a kind of Purcell’s swimmers depending on the desired control objective. Full article

Many lab-on-a-chip devices require a connection to an external pumping system in order to perform their function. While this is not problematic in typical laboratory environments, it is not always practical when applied to point-of-care testing, which is best utilized outside of the laboratory. Therefore, there has been a large amount of ongoing research into producing integrated microfluidic components capable of generating effective fluid flow from on-board the device. This research aims to introduce a system that can produce practical flow rates, and be easily fabricated and actuated using readily available techniques and materials. We show how an asymmetric elasto-magnetic system, inspired by Purcell’s three-link swimmer, can provide this solution through the generation of non-reciprocal motion in an enclosed environment. The device is fabricated monolithically within a microfluidic channel at the time of manufacture, and is actuated using a weak, oscillating magnetic field. The flow rate can be altered dynamically, and the direction of the resultant flow can be controlled by adjusting the frequency of the driving field. The device has been proven, experimentally and numerically, to operate effectively when applied to fluids with a range of viscosities. Such a device may be able to replace external pumping systems in portable applications. Full article