Magnetic cilia carpets with programmable metachronal waves

This paper reports on the creation of magnetically actuated, soft artificial cilia carpets that exhibit metachronal waves in dynamic magnetic fields. Programmable magnetization patterns, encoded by stretching and folding the carpets onto curved templates, allow for control over the wave patterns. The carpets' transport capabilities in fluid environments and locomotion capabilities on solid surfaces were tested, demonstrating their potential for both fundamental research into natural cilia and the development of cilia-inspired soft robots for biomedical applications.

Hongri Gu, Quentin Boehler, Haoyang Cui, Eleonora Secchi, Giovanni Savorana, Carmela De Marco, Simone Gervasoni, Quentin Peyron, Tian-Yun Huang, Salvador Pane, Ann M. Hirt, Daniel Ahmed, Bradley J. Nelson