Translating Active Particles: Challenges and Opportunities in Fabrication and Adoption

Active particles consume energy from their environment and locally dissipate it to power their motion, assembly, or reconfiguration. While active particle research has been ongoing since the early 2000s, it has struggled to move beyond research laboratories and into real-world use. In this Perspective, we discuss three basic aspects of active particle design that can be improved to accelerate their translation to real-world settings, such as drug delivery, analyte detection, and pollution removal. First, we describe strategies for enhancing particle dexterity to operate in non-idealized environments. Then, we discuss the integration of application-relevant materials to move from basic proof-of-concept studies to field-testable systems. Finally, we discuss the need to balance the inherent trade-off between complexity and scale-up to promote large-scale manufacturing for applications that require it. Addressing these areas, coupled with increased commercial investment and strategic licensing, may help to catalyze the translation of active particles into the real world.