Kinetic Theory of Rectified Motion in a Smarticle Gas

ORAL

Abstract

Smarticles are battery powered, self-deforming, three link robots that undergo a repeated prescribed gait. When a small number are confined inside an untethered ring the system undergoes undirected (isotropic) diffusion. Upon deactivation of one of the smarticles, the system displays directed diffusion, with speed and direction which depend on the mass of the confining ring. We present a collisional model that accurately predicts the directed motion.

*Funding support for W.S., S.L., and D.I.G. was provided by NSF PoLS-0957659, PHY-1205878, DMR-1551095, and ARO W911NF-13-1-0347. Funding support for Z.J. and K.W. provided by PHY-1205878.

Presenters

  • Zachary Jackson

    • Georgia Institute of Technology
    • Physics, Georgia Tech

Authors

  • Zachary Jackson

    • Georgia Institute of Technology
    • Physics, Georgia Tech
  • William C Savoie

    • Georgia Institute of Technology
    • Physics, Georgia Tech
  • Shengkai Li

    • Georgia Institute of Technology
  • Kurt A Wiesenfeld

    • Georgia Institute of Technology
    • Physics, Georgia Tech
  • Daniel Goldman

    • Georgia Institute of Technology
    • School of physics, Georgia Tech
    • Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology
    • Physics, Georgia Tech
    • Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
    • School of Physics, Georgia Tech