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Related Concept Videos

Thermodynamics: Chemical Potential and Activity01:10

Thermodynamics: Chemical Potential and Activity

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The effective concentration of a species in a solution can be expressed precisely in terms of its activity. Activity considers the effect of electrolytes present in the vicinity of the species of interest and depends on the ionic strength of the solution. The activity of a species is expressed as the product of molar concentration and the activity coefficient of the species.
The thermodynamic equilibrium constant is more accurately defined in terms of activity rather than concentration.
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Decision Making01:20

Decision Making

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Decision-making is a fundamental cognitive process that involves evaluating alternatives and selecting among them. This process can range from simple choices, such as deciding what to wear, to complex decisions, like choosing a major in college or a career path. The complexity of the decision often dictates the approach we use, which can be broadly categorized into two types: automatic and controlled decision-making.
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Decision Making: P-value Method01:09

Decision Making: P-value Method

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The process of hypothesis testing based on the P-value method includes calculating the P- value using the sample data and interpreting it.
First, a specific claim about the population parameter is proposed. The claim is based on the research question and is stated in a simple form. Further, an opposing statement to the claim  is also stated. These statements can act as null and alternative hypotheses:  a null hypothesis would be a neutral statement while the alternative hypothesis can...
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Chemical Formulas02:52

Chemical Formulas

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A chemical formula presents information about the proportions of atoms constituting a particular chemical compound or molecule, mainly using symbols of elements and numbers. At times other symbols, such as dashes, parentheses, brackets, commas, plus, and minus signs, are also used. A chemical formula can be one of three types – molecular, empirical, and structural.
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Chemical Equations03:10

Chemical Equations

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Chemical equations represent the identities and relative quantities of substances involved in a chemical reaction. The substances undergoing reaction are called reactants, and their formulas are placed on the left side of the equation. The substances generated by the reaction are called products, and their formulas are placed on the right side of the equation. Plus signs (+) separate individual reactant and product formulas, and an arrow (→) separates the reactant and product (left and right)...
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Chemical Reactions01:19

Chemical Reactions

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A chemical reaction is a process by which the bonds in the atoms of substances are rearranged to generate new substances. Matter cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical reaction—the same type and number of atoms that make up the reactants are still present in the products. Merely, the rearrangement of chemical bonds produces new compounds.
Chemical Reactions Rearrange Atoms into New Substances
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Development of automated imaging and analysis for zebrafish chemical screens.
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Automated decision-making by chemical echolocation in active droplets.

Aritra K Mukhopadhyay1, Ran Niu2, Linhui Fu2

  • 1Department of Physics, Institute for Condensed Matter Physics, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt 64289, Germany.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|January 29, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Synthetic microswimmers can now navigate and make decisions autonomously, mimicking biological microorganisms. This breakthrough uses chemo-hydrodynamic signals for environment sensing and response, enabling complex tasks without external guidance.

Keywords:
active matterautonomous navigationchemotaxismaze solvingmicroswimmers

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Area of Science:

  • Microscale robotics and synthetic biology.
  • Biomimetic engineering of autonomous agents.
  • Development of intelligent micro- and nanodevices.

Background:

  • Biological microorganisms exhibit sophisticated autonomous navigation and decision-making.
  • Current synthetic microswimmers lack the advanced functionalities of biological counterparts.
  • External guidance is typically required for synthetic agent navigation in complex environments.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To pioneer a mechanism for synthetic agents to autonomously navigate and make decisions.
  • To enable synthetic agents to solve mazes and transport cargo without external cues.
  • To bridge the functional gap between biological and synthetic motile agents.

Main Methods:

  • Exploiting chemo-hydrodynamic signals for remote environmental sensing and response.
  • Utilizing active droplets or colloids as synthetic agents.
  • Developing navigation and decision-making algorithms based on self-generated signals.
  • Testing agent performance in maze-solving and cargo transport tasks.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated autonomous navigation and decision-making capabilities in synthetic agents.
  • Successfully enabled agents to solve mazes and transport cargo in complex environments.
  • Showcased a bio-inspired mechanism for remote sensing and response, akin to echolocation.
  • Validated the potential for synthetic agents to perform tasks previously exclusive to biological organisms.

Conclusions:

  • Synthetic agents can be endowed with autonomous navigation and decision-making abilities.
  • Chemo-hydrodynamic signaling offers a viable mechanism for bio-inspired environmental interaction.
  • This research advances the development of sophisticated, self-sufficient micro- and nanoagents.
  • Opens new avenues for applications in targeted delivery, environmental monitoring, and micromanipulation.