Regensburg 2019 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 32: Active matter II (joint session BP/CPP/DY)
BP 32.7: Talk
Friday, April 5, 2019, 11:00–11:15, H11
Feedback Control of Active Microswimmers — •Alexander Fischer1, Haw Yang2, and Frank Cichos1 — 1Uni Leipzig — 2Princeton University
Collective motion created by the interaction of autonomous individuals plays a major role in flocks of birds, bacterial growth or the motion of robotic swarms. Sensing and reacting to signals is a fundamental issue of life. Microswimmers, which are artificial objects that mimic the active motion of biological systems, do not have such sensing and response features built in yet, but may gain them through an external control of their propulsion. Here we explore an information exchange between artificial microswimmers by computer-controlled feedback processes. We have created a setup where multiple active microswimmers can react to their position in space or their distance to other microswimmers. We investigate the influence of different interaction potentials or a delay in the information exchange. Our results demonstrate so far that particles can be coupled to each other by the used feedback by designed virtual potentials. The collective motion of such coupled particles reveals oscillating modes with emergent features like spontaneous rotation. The experiments shall help to understand the emergence of complex behavior in biological systems.