Manipulating objects with chemical waves: Open loop case of experimental Belousov–Zhabotinsky medium coupled with simulated actuator array

Abstract We simulate a massively-parallel actuator array coupled with an experimental excitable chemical medium (Belousov–Zhabotinsky system). The actuator has a fine-grained modular structure, and each actuating unit is controlled by the excitation dynamics occurring in a unique domain of the thin-layer chemical system. We study the types of manipulation—of pixel-sized objects and basic planar shapes—that may be achieved using typical wave excitation dynamics in the Belousov–Zhabotinsky medium, including target waves, spiral waves and wave-fragments.