Search for: All records

Abstract Planar magnetic microswimmers offer substantial potential for in vivo biomedical applications, owing to their efficient mass production via photolithography. In this study, we demonstrate the effective control of these microswimmers using an open-loop approach in environments with minimal external disturbances. We investigate their surface motion characteristics through both theoretical modeling and experimental testing under varying magnetic field strengths and rotation frequencies, identifying regions of stable and unstable motion. Additionally, we analyze how field frequency and strength influence surface motion speed and identify the frequencies that promote stability. Open-loop control of surface motion in fluid environments and swimming in channels is also demonstrated, highlighting the operational flexibility of these microswimmers. We further demonstrate swarm motion for both swimming and surface operations, exhibiting larger-scale coordination. Our findings emphasize their potential for future applications in biomedical engineering and microrobotics, marking a step forward in the development of microscale robotic systems. 

Climate change and increasing extreme temperatures present unique challenges to persons experiencing homelessness (PEH), including heightened physical and psychological harm. While green and urban infrastructure has emerged as one possible mitigation strategy, homeless populations are rarely included in municipal disaster planning or infrastructure research. This study used in-depth interviews with PEH (N = 42) during the summers of 2022 and 2023. Questions were designed around phenomenological methods to explore the individuals’ firsthand descriptions of the lived experience of coping during extreme temperatures within a mid-size city in the Southeastern United States. Our findings highlight how social exclusion within the built environment reduces PEH’s adaptive capacity and increases the physical and psychological risks of extreme temperatures, namely through limiting and policing scarce resources and restricting the mobility of PEH. In contrast, public transit provided relief from extreme temperatures. Implications from our findings include the need for attention on inclusive green urban infrastructure, including increased placement and access to shade, public water, mixed-use daytime sheltering models, and the installation of lockers to increase capacity to maintain supplies and gear necessary for enduring extreme temperatures. Findings also highlight the challenges of designing inclusive green infrastructure and the importance of de-stigmatizing homelessness and building more housing and income support to increase adaptive capacity for an entire community in the context of a rapidly warming climate.