Low-Reynolds-number, biflagellated Quincke swimmers with multiple forms of motion. Author Endao Han, Lailai Zhu, Joshua Shaevitz, Howard Stone Publication Year 2021 Type Journal Article Abstract In the limit of zero Reynolds number (Re), swimmers propel themselves exploiting a series of nonreciprocal body motions. For an artificial swimmer, a proper selection of the power source is required to drive its motion, in cooperation with its geometric and mechanical properties. Although various external fields (magnetic, acoustic, optical, etc.) have been introduced, electric fields are rarely utilized to actuate such swimmers experimentally in unbounded space. Here we use uniform and static electric fields to demonstrate locomotion of a biflagellated sphere at low Re via Quincke rotation. These Quincke swimmers exhibit three different forms of motion, including a self-oscillatory state due to elastohydrodynamic-electrohydrodynamic interactions. Each form of motion follows a distinct trajectory in space. Our experiments and numerical results demonstrate a method to generate, and potentially control, the locomotion of artificial flagellated swimmers. Keywords Locomotion, Models, Biological, Motion, Rotation, Hydrodynamics, Rheology Journal Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A Volume 118 Issue 29 Date Published 2021 Jul 20 ISSN Number 1091-6490 DOI 10.1073/pnas.2022000118 Alternate Journal Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A PMCID PMC8307774 PMID 34266946 PubMedPubMed CentralGoogle ScholarBibTeXEndNote X3 XML