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Purcell’s “rotator”: mechanical rotation at low Reynolds number

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Abstract.

An object consisting of three spheres, linked like the spokes on a wheel, can undergo a net rotational movement when the relative positions of the spheres proceed through a four-step cycle. This rotational motion is the analogue of the two-hinged swimmer originally proposed by Purcell (1977), which has served as a prototype for mechanical implementations of swimming. We also note that the rotational motion analysed here may be useful in the design of micromachines and has similarities to molecular-scale rotational motors that have been identified recently.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire Colloïdes et Matériaux Divisés, ESPCI et CNRS, UMR7612, UPMC, 10 rue Vauquelin, 75231, Paris Cedex 05, France

    R. Dreyfus & J. Baudry

  2. Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA

    H. A. Stone

Authors
  1. R. Dreyfus
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  2. J. Baudry
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  3. H. A. Stone
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Correspondence to R. Dreyfus.

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Dreyfus, R., Baudry, J. & Stone, H. Purcell’s “rotator”: mechanical rotation at low Reynolds number. Eur. Phys. J. B 47, 161–164 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2005-00302-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2005-00302-5

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