Spontaneous Emergence of Run-and-Tumble-Like Dynamics in a Robotic Analog of Chlamydomonas: Experiment and Theory

Run-and-tumble (RT) motion is commonly observed in flagellated microswimmers, arising from synchronous and asynchronous flagellar beating. One such example is a biflagellated alga, called Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Its flagellar synchronization is not only affected by hydrodynamic interactions but also through contractile stress fibers that mechanically couple the flagella, enabling adaptable swimming behavior. To explore this, we design a macroscopic mechanical system that comprises dry, self-propelled robots linked by a rigid rod to model this organism. By varying the attachment points of the two ends of the rod on each robot, the model incorporates the effect of fiber contractility observed in the real organism. To mimic a low Reynolds number environment, we program each robot to undergo overdamped active Brownian (AB) motion. We find that such a system exhibits RT-like behavior, characterized by sharp, direction-reversing tumbles and exponentially distributed run times, consistent with the real organism. Moreover, we quantify tumbling frequency and demonstrate its tunability across experimental parameters. Additionally, we provide a theoretical model that reproduces our results, elucidating physical mechanisms governing RT dynamics. Thus, our robotic system not only replicates RT motion but also captures several subtle characteristics, offering valuable insights into the underlying physics of microswimmer motility.