A lobster-sniffing inspired actuator for manipulation of micro-objects via controlling local fluid

Inspired by lobsters’ sniffing behavior, an array of biomimic actuators are proposed for micro-particle manipulation in liquid. The engineering implementation of this lobster-tiny-hair-like capturing device is achieved by surface micromachining. These synthetic tiny-hair-like actuators are actuated via electrostatic force, and drive the micro-objects via disturbing the fluid field. The behind principle is to manipulate the Reynolds number of the surrounding fluid to achieve the function of micro-object manipulation. Numerical simulations are carried out to obtain the design criteria. Preliminary experimental results demonstrate the feasibility and functionality of our lobster-sniffing inspired actuator via the micro-object manipulation in liquid environment.