Belousov-Zhabotinsky liquid marbles in robot control

Abstract

© 2019 Elsevier B.V. We show how to control the movement of a wheeled robot using on-board liquid marbles made of Belousov-Zhabotinsky solution droplets coated with polyethylene powder. Two stainless steel, iridium coated electrodes were inserted in a marble and the electrical potential recorded was used to control the robot's motor. We stimulated the marble with a laser beam. It responded to the stimulation by pronounced changes in the electrical potential output. The electrical output was detected by the robot. The robot changed its trajectory in response to the stimulation. The results open new horizons for applications using oscillatory chemical reactions in robotics