Experimental Realization of a Three-Sphere Swimmer in Newtonian and Shear-Thinning Fluids

The three-sphere swimmer, first introduced by Najafi and Golestanian, is one of the simplest models capable of achieving propulsion through nonreciprocal actuation at low Reynolds numbers. We present an experimental implementation of a robotic three-sphere swimmer operating in both Newtonian and shear-thinning fluids. Preliminary observations highlight the influence of fluid rheology on swimmer behavior, providing insight into the role of non-Newtonian effects in microscale locomotion.