Device and programming abstractions for spatiotemporal control of active micro-particle swarmsAn early version of the code is available on GitHub at https://github.com/hirklab/euglena_LOC.git.Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c7lc00131b

• Main Authors: Lam, Amy T, Samuel-Gama, Karina G, Griffin, Jonathan, Loeun, Matthew, Gerber, Lukas C, Hossain, Zahid, Cira, Nate J, Lee, Seung Ah, Riedel-Kruse, Ingmar H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 11.04.2017
• ISSN: 1473-0197; 1473-0189
• DOI: 10.1039/c7lc00131b

We present a hardware setup and a set of executable commands for spatiotemporal programming and interactive control of a swarm of self-propelled microscopic agents inside a microfluidic chip. In particular, local and global spatiotemporal light stimuli are used to direct the motion of ensembles of Euglena gracilis , a unicellular phototactic organism. We develop three levels of programming abstractions (stimulus space, swarm space, and system space) to create a scripting language for directing swarms. We then implement a multi-level proof-of-concept biotic game using these commands to demonstrate their utility. These device and programming concepts will enhance our capabilities for manipulating natural and synthetic swarms, with future applications for on-chip processing, diagnostics, education, and research on collective behaviors. We present a hardware setup and a set of executable commands for spatiotemporal programming and interactive control of a swarm of self-propelled microscopic agents ( Euglena gracilis ) inside a microfluidic chip.