microflapping
Microflapping refers to small-amplitude, high-frequency flapping motions of slender flexible filaments or membranes at microscopic scales. These motions typically occur in viscous fluids where inertial effects are small, so propulsion and mixing rely on non-reciprocal deformations rather than simple back-and-forth motion.
Mechanisms involve internal active actuation, such as molecular motors along a filament, or external fields that
Biology: Cilia and flagella of microorganisms execute beat patterns that are, in effect, microflapping cycles enabling
Artificial systems: Researchers have built microflapping devices, including magnetically actuated microfilaments and soft–rigid hybrids for micro-robots,
Modeling and measurement: Low-Reynolds-number theories such as resistive-force theory and slender-body theory are used alongside active-filament
See also: flagellum, cilium, microrobotics, low-Reynolds-number hydrodynamics.