#10 Active Pathways

Carpenter ants efficiently explore their environment and find the fastest paths by rearranging their surroundings, crafting longer-lived routes using fallen branches, twigs, and lianas as bridges, facilitating quicker traversal compared to straight paths marked by pheromones. In previous works, we have shown that active particles can create and reuse tunnels among a large number of obstacles, improving space exploration. We found a mechanism that can be generic across length scales that enhances the mobility of active particles.

In this project, we will perform both experiments and simulations of active particles crossing an environment full of mobile obstacles. We will build centimeter-size robots using vibrating motors and a 3D printer. We will print the robots, the obstacles, and a circular arena with two exits at opposite points. Robots will enter one side and possibly exit the other side, returning through a loop to the entrance. By doing this experiment we will test the effect of obstacles and tunnel formation for different shapes of the robots. We will perform Langevin dynamics simulation to predict experimental outcomes and avoid possible finite-size effects on the experiment.

This project is for two students. One will be working on the experimental part and the other will perform the simulations, having continuous discussions between them.