Physics-informed digital twins of brainbots

Abstract: A brainbot is a robotic device powered by a battery-driven motor that induces horizontal vibrations which lead to controlled two-dimensional motion. While the physical design and capabilities of a brainbot have been discussed in previous work, here we present a detailed theoretical analysis of its motion. We show that the various autonomous trajectories executed by a brainbot -- linear, spinning, orbital and helical -- are explained by a kinematic model that ascribes angular and translational velocities to the brainbot's body. This model also uncovers some trajectories that have not so far been observed experimentally. Using this kinematic framework, we present a simulation system that accurately reproduces the experimental trajectories. This can be used to parameterize a digital twin of a brainbot that executes synthetic trajectories that faithfully mimic the required statistical features of the experimental trajectories while being as long as required, such as for machine learning applications.