Periodic Reporting for period 2 - MAPEI (Microscopic Active Particles with Embodied Intelligence)
Reporting period: 2023-03-01 to 2024-08-31
Over billions of years of evolution, motile organisms have developed complex strategies to survive and thrive. These strategies integrate three components: sensors, actuators, and information processing. In the last two decades, active-matter research has tried to replicate the evolutionary success of microorganisms in artificial systems. Researchers have replicated the actuators by developing artificial active particles that extract energy from their environment to perform mechanical work and, to a lesser extent, the sensors, by making these active particles adjust their motion properties to physical cues.
However, these artificial particles are still largely incapable of autonomous information processing, which is limiting the scientific insight and technological applications of active matter. The main challenges are: 1. Make active particles capable of autonomous information processing. 2. Optimize the behavioral strategies of individual active particles. 3. Optimize the interactions between active particles.
Drawing inspiration from Nature, this project aims at taking the next steps in the evolution of artificial active matter systems by endowing them with embodied intelligence and autonomous information processing abilities. Specifically, it will: 1. Realize microscopic active particles with embodied intelligence (microbots). 2. Use embodied intelligence to achieve optimal behaviors for the microbots. 3. Use embodied intelligence to engineer interactions between microbots.
However, these artificial particles are still largely incapable of autonomous information processing, which is limiting the scientific insight and technological applications of active matter. The main challenges are: 1. Make active particles capable of autonomous information processing. 2. Optimize the behavioral strategies of individual active particles. 3. Optimize the interactions between active particles.
Drawing inspiration from Nature, this project aims at taking the next steps in the evolution of artificial active matter systems by endowing them with embodied intelligence and autonomous information processing abilities. Specifically, it will: 1. Realize microscopic active particles with embodied intelligence (microbots). 2. Use embodied intelligence to achieve optimal behaviors for the microbots. 3. Use embodied intelligence to engineer interactions between microbots.
The work during the first half of the project (2.5 years) has been proceeding essentially as planned.
In particular, we have realized the following:
1. We have developed the necessary nanofabrication techniques, which include the development of microscopic active particles with integrated metasurfaces that can autonomously process information from their environment.
2. We have developed the necessary software to realize the experiments and to analyze the acquired data, these include the development of the open-source Python software for deep learning DeepTrack2 and Deeplay.
3. We have developed the experimental systems to study biological active matter in realistic enviroments and applied them to the study of microplakton.
4. We have made progress in the development of programmable robots to test the behavior of intelligent active particles on the macroscale.
In particular, we have realized the following:
1. We have developed the necessary nanofabrication techniques, which include the development of microscopic active particles with integrated metasurfaces that can autonomously process information from their environment.
2. We have developed the necessary software to realize the experiments and to analyze the acquired data, these include the development of the open-source Python software for deep learning DeepTrack2 and Deeplay.
3. We have developed the experimental systems to study biological active matter in realistic enviroments and applied them to the study of microplakton.
4. We have made progress in the development of programmable robots to test the behavior of intelligent active particles on the macroscale.
This project will provide scientific insight into far-from-equilibrium physics and lay the foundations for ground-breaking applications empowered by microbots that are able to autonomously sense and react to their microscopic environment.
This represents a significant progress beyond the state of the art that we expect to fully achieve by the end of the progress.
This represents a significant progress beyond the state of the art that we expect to fully achieve by the end of the progress.