Abstract
The aim of this paper is to describe the self-propulsion of a micro-robot (or micro-swimmer) consisting of N spheres moving along a fixed line. The spheres are linked to each other by arms with their lengths changing periodically. We use the asymptotic procedure containing the two-timing method and a distinguished limit. We show that self-propulsion velocity appears (in the main approximation) as a linear combination of velocities of all possible triplets of spheres. Velocities and efficiencies of three-, four- and five-sphere swimmers are calculated.
Original language | English |
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Article number | R1 |
Pages (from-to) | R11-R111 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Journal of Fluid Mechanics |
Volume | 716 |
Early online date | 28 Jan 2013 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Feb 2013 |