Hydrodynamics can determine the optimal route for microswimmer navigation

Abstract

While control theory for optimal navigation is relevant across scales, from aeronautics to targeted drug delivery, the role of thermal fluctuations and hydrodynamic interactions with interfaces, walls and obstacles at the microscale remains an open question. Here, the authors explore optimal microswimming in the presence of walls or obstacles, and study how hydrodynamic microswimmer-wall interactions impact on optimal microswimming strategies.