Speaker: Daniel Harris

Host: Dan Goldman

Title: Propulsion and interaction of wave-propelled interfacial particles

Abstract: When an asymmetric floating body is internally or externally vibrated, the self-generated capillary wavefield can lead to steady propulsion or rotation.  In this talk, I will discuss several related and recently discovered systems that leverage this driving mechanism.  On a vibrating fluid substrate, freely floating particles are shown to self-propel along straight paths, rotate in place, or move along curvilinear trajectories, depending sensitively on the particle asymmetries and driving parameters. Such particles interact at a distance through their mutual wavefield, and exhibit a rich array of multi-body dynamics.  I will also present our work on the "SurferBot": a centimeter-scale robotic device that self-propels along a fluid interface using an onboard vibration motor.  Overall, these highly accessible and tunable macroscopic systems serve as a novel platform for exploring active and driven matter interacting in fluid environments.

Bio: Daniel M. Harris is an Associate Professor of Engineering at Brown University in the Fluids and Thermal Sciences group. Before joining Brown, Dan was a Postdoctoral Research Associate and Lecturer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Department of Mathematics.  Dan received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering.