Locomotion of Cardiomyocytes-Powered Swimmers: a Numerical Study Based on Fluid-Structure-Electrophysiology-Interaction
Year: 2025
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Biological systems can inspire the development of bio-hybrid swimmers, also called biobots, that integrate abiotic and biotic components into an engineered construct embedding life-like biomimetic behaviours and functions.Beyond bio-mimicry, biobots serve as platforms for testing new biological hypotheses, with the aim of extracting useful design principles.Here, we draw design inspiration from the locomotion and the simple cylindrical shape of salps to design a peristaltic swimmer, integrating cardiac muscle tissue for its functional capabilities with an artificial activation device.We investigate the performance of the biobot using a multiphysics numerical tool to determine the characteristics that influence the swimming dynamics.Our results indicate that optimal performance is achieved when a single wave propagates along the body and, as the contraction reaches the trailing edge, the peristaltic pattern begins again, avoiding inactivity phases and ensuring a continuous propulsion.Similar to salps, we observe an inverse relationship between the optimal actuation frequency and body length, suggesting that the same mechanism, i.e. the single wave propagation at a time, may govern the locomotion of salps as well.Overall, our findings provide new insights into the locomotion of salps and offer specific design principles that could be incorporated into the construction of bio-inspired and bio-hybrid robotic systems.
Authors: R. Santoriello, F. Viola, V. Citro
Institutions: University of Salerno, Gran Sasso Science Institute
Language: English
Topic: Micro and Nano Robotics
Subfield: Condensed Matter Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4416782398