Attributes of two-dimensional magnetic self-assembly

Self-assembly is a phenomenon broadly observed in nature where a vast number of various molecules spontaneously synthesize complex structures. In this article, prompted by the need for the realization of highly autonomous self-assembly systems that employ magnetism as a driving force, we discuss fundamental issues associated with magnetically driven self-assembly systems. We first introduce some examples from our case studies, in which the models all subscribe to a distributed approach, and thus lack central control. Then we categorize them by their type of magnetic attachment. The issues discussed include several fundamental properties, such as the effect of morphology, stochasticity, the difference between two-dimensional models and three-dimensional models, emergence, allostericity, and parallelism. The conclusions obtained support our stance that the appropriate morphology lightens the control cost for the assembly, providing primal but engaging instances of magnetic self-assembly systems that warrant further study.

[1]  Jarle Breivik,et al.  Self-Organization of Template-Replicating Polymers and the Spontaneous Rise of Genetic Information , 2001, Entropy.

[2]  G. Whitesides,et al.  Self-Assembly of Mesoscale Objects into Ordered Two-Dimensional Arrays , 1997, Science.

[3]  Junichi Higo,et al.  Size-Dependent Separation of Colloidal Particles In Two-Dimensional Convective Self-Assembly , 1995 .

[4]  Marco Dorigo,et al.  Self-Assembly at the Macroscopic Scale , 2008, Proceedings of the IEEE.

[5]  Metin Sitti,et al.  Assembly and Disassembly of Magnetic Mobile Micro-Robots towards 2-D Reconfigurable Micro-Systems , 2009, ISRR.

[6]  George M. Whitesides,et al.  Making Things by Self-Assembly , 2005 .

[7]  Rolf Pfeifer,et al.  The Influence of Shape on Parallel Self-Assembly , 2009, Entropy.

[8]  Rolf Pfeifer,et al.  Tribolon: Water based self-assembly robot with freezing connector (video) , 2008, 2008 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.

[9]  George M. Whitesides,et al.  Electrostatic self-assembly of macroscopic crystals using contact electrification , 2003, Nature materials.

[10]  L. Penrose,et al.  MECHANICS OF SELF‐REPRODUCTION , 1958, Annals of human genetics.

[11]  Kazuhiro Saitou,et al.  Automated optimal design of mechanical conformational switches , 1995 .

[12]  Kazuhiro Saitou,et al.  Conformational switching in self-assembling mechanical systems , 1999, IEEE Trans. Robotics Autom..

[13]  Tien,et al.  Forming electrical networks in three dimensions by self-assembly , 2000, Science.

[14]  E. Klavins,et al.  Programmable Self-Assembly , 2007, IEEE Control Systems.

[15]  George M. Whitesides,et al.  Self-assembling fluidic machines , 2004 .

[16]  Sue Whitesides,et al.  Magnetic self-assembly of three-dimensional surfaces from planar sheets. , 2005, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[17]  Saul Griffith,et al.  Robotics: Self-replication from random parts , 2005, Nature.

[18]  Rolf Pfeifer,et al.  Tribolon: Water-Based Self-Assembly Robots , 2009, Artificial Life Models in Hardware.

[19]  George M Whitesides,et al.  Biomimetic self-assembly of a functional asymmetrical electronic device , 2002, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[20]  George M. Whitesides,et al.  Dynamic self-assembly of magnetized, millimetre-sized objects rotating at a liquid–air interface , 2000, Nature.

[21]  Daniela Rus,et al.  Robot pebbles: One centimeter modules for programmable matter through self-disassembly , 2010, 2010 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[22]  George M. Whitesides,et al.  Mesoscale Self-Assembly: Capillary Interactions When Positive and Negative Menisci Have Similar Amplitudes , 2003 .

[23]  A. Pisano,et al.  Self-assembling electrical networks: an application of micromachining technology , 1991, TRANSDUCERS '91: 1991 International Conference on Solid-State Sensors and Actuators. Digest of Technical Papers.

[24]  Rolf Pfeifer,et al.  Morpho-functional machines : the new species : designing embodied intelligence , 2003 .

[25]  Sue Whitesides,et al.  Dissections: self-assembled aggregates that spontaneously reconfigure their structures when their environment changes. , 2002, Journal of the American Chemical Society.

[26]  Kazuhiro Saitou,et al.  Subassembly Generation via Mechanical Conformational Switches , 1995, Artificial Life.

[27]  Hod Lipson,et al.  Stochastic self-reconfigurable cellular robotics , 2004, IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, 2004. Proceedings. ICRA '04. 2004.

[28]  Rolf Pfeifer,et al.  How reverse reactions influence the yield of self-assembly robots , 2011, Int. J. Robotics Res..

[29]  Shuhei Miyashita,et al.  How morphology affects self-assembly in a stochastic modular robot , 2008, 2008 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[30]  Kazuhiro Saitou,et al.  Externally resonated linear microvibromotor for microassembly , 2000, Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems.

[31]  Hod Lipson,et al.  Fluidic manipulation for scalable stochastic 3D assembly of modular robots , 2010, 2010 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[32]  Eric Klavins,et al.  Programmable parts: a demonstration of the grammatical approach to self-organization , 2005, 2005 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.

[33]  Peter C. Jurs,et al.  Chemistry: The Molecular Science , 2001 .

[34]  Hod Lipson,et al.  Three Dimensional Stochastic Reconfiguration of Modular Robots , 2005, Robotics: Science and Systems.

[35]  Rolf Pfeifer,et al.  Peltier-based freeze-thaw connector for waterborne self-assembly systems , 2008, 2008 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.

[36]  Shuhei Miyashita.  Effect of morphology on scalable self-assembling robots : in pursuit of living artificial systems , 2011 .

[37]  Isao Shimoyama,et al.  Dynamics of Self-Assembling Systems: Analogy with Chemical Kinetics , 1994, Artificial Life.

[38]  S. Murata,et al.  Multistate part for mesoscale self-assembly , 2007, SICE Annual Conference 2007.

[39]  G M Whitesides,et al.  Molecule-mimetic chemistry and mesoscale self-assembly. , 2001, Accounts of chemical research.

[40]  George M Whitesides,et al.  Plasticity in self-assembly: templating generates functionally different circuits from a single precursor. , 2003, Angewandte Chemie.

[41]  Wolfgang Losert,et al.  Pattern formation in a monolayer of magnetic spheres. , 2003, Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics.

[42]  E. Purcell.  Life at Low Reynolds Number , 2008 .

[43]  L. Penrose,et al.  Self-Reproducing Machines , 1959 .