CAREER: Smart Artificial Microswimmers Unveiling Emergent Behavior in Finite Clusters via Experiments and Numerical Investigation

Artificial microswimmers modeled after microorganisms hold great potential for biomedical applications such as minimally invasive surgery and targeted drug delivery. Most biomedical applications require multiple microswimmers, and their activity is complicated by the non-Newtonian properties of bodily fluids. Hydrodynamic interactions and fluid rheology both significantly affect swimmers’ swimming performance, and extrapolation of collective behavior using existing models is not possible.

Understanding the physics of this type of swimming will enable successful biomedical applications. The researchers will use a novel framework that combines experimental, numerical, and machine learning methods to understand fluid dynamics in environments closer to real-life applications. The integrated education and outreach plan will promote broadening participation in STEM.

The overarching goal of this project is to develop a comprehensive understanding of the emergent behavior in finite microswimmer clusters in Newtonian and complex fluids. The researcher will conduct computational and experimental analyses in Newtonian and complex fluids on microswimmer clusters of different populations and packing densities, performing a prescribed gait and positioned in prescribed formations.

The project will study the emergent behavior of finite clusters of autonomous robotic swimmers endowed with machine learning capabilities experimentally for similar test cases without prescribing a gait to be performed. The experimental results will be compared with patterns predicted by AI-coupled simulations. The experimentally validated computational tools and flow visualization techniques will be utilized to elucidate the physics governing the emergence of the patterns.

The integrated education and outreach plan will engage undergraduates in STEM through workshops, research involvement, and structured mentorship.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.