Dynamics and Control of Bubble-Propelled Microrobots

TL;DR

This study investigates the dynamics and control of bubble-propelled microrobots, comparing hemispherically coated Janus and GLAD patchy types, revealing their propulsion mechanisms, bubble behaviors, and potential for precise micro-manipulation.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the dynamics of bubble-propelled microrobots, highlighting differences between types and demonstrating their manipulation capabilities at interfaces.

Findings

Patchy microrobots produce smaller bubbles and move more smoothly.

Theories previously explaining motion are insufficient for these microrobots.

Microrobots exhibit positive gravitaxis at air-liquid interfaces.

Abstract

Having the advantage of being relatively fast and powerful, as well as readily fabricated, spherical bubble-propelled microrobots are particularly well suited for applications such as cargo delivery, micromanipulation, and biological or environmental remediation. However, there have been limited examples of control and manipulation with these microrobots and few studies on their dynamics. Here we investigate the bubble formation and dynamics of both hemispherically coated Janus microrobots as well as GLAD "patchy" microrobots which not only provide for an interesting comparison, but also exhibit useful properties in their own right. Specifically, we find that the patchy microrobots have a tendency to produce smaller bubbles and undergo smoother motion, properties that are beneficial for applications such as precise micro-manipulation, for example. We demonstrate manipulation and assemble of passive spheres on a substrate as well as at an air-liquid interface. We also characterize the propulsion and bubble formation of both types of microrobots and find that previously proposed theories insufficiently describe their motion and bubble bursting mechanism. Additionally, we observe that the microrobots, which reside at the air-liquid interface, demonstrate positive gravitaxis towards the droplet edges which we attribute to a torque resulting from opposing downward and buoyant forces on the microrobot.