ArticleScientific reports2021
Marangoni effect inspired robotic self-propulsion over a water surface using a flow-imbibition-powered microfluidic pump.
Article in Scientific reports, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed.
- Photochemical Fuel Carrier Molecules for Robotic Embodied Energy.Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) · 2026Article
- Gel-Based Marangoni Actuators: Mechanisms, Material Designs, Driving Modes, and Cross-Scale Applications.Gels (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Edible aquatic robots with Marangoni propulsion.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Untethered soft magnetic pump for microfluidics-based Marangoni surfer.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Undulatory Propulsion at Milliscale on Water Surface.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2024Article
- Vibration-Induced-Flow Mechanism and Its Application in Water Surface Robot.Research (Washington, D.C.) · 2024Article
- Using Footpad Sculpturing to Enhance the Maneuverability and Speed of a Robotic Marangoni Surfer.Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Pen-drawn Marangoni swimmer.Nature communications · 2023Article
- Toward droplets displaying life-like interaction behaviors.Biomicrofluidics · 2023Article
- On-the-Fly Formation of Polymer Film at Water Surface.Polymers · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Certain aquatic insects rapidly traverse water by secreting surfactants that exploit the Marangoni effect, inspiring the development of many self-propulsion systems. In this research, to demonstrate a new way of delivering liquid fuel to a water surface for Marangoni propulsion, a microfluidic pump driven by the flow-imbibition by a porous medium was integrated to create a novel self-propelling robot. After triggered by a small magnet, the liquid fuel stored in a microchannel is autonomously transported to an outlet in a mechanically tunable manner. We also comprehensively analyzed the effects of various design parameters on the robot's locomotory behavior. It was shown that the traveled distance, energy density of fuel, operation time, and motion directionality were tunable by adjusting porous media, nozzle diameter, keel-extrusion, and the distance between the nozzle and water surface. The utilization of a microfluidic device in bioinspired robot is expected to bring out new possibilities in future development of self-propulsion system.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.