Autonomous thermodynamic cycles via robotic mobility and sensing
Abstract
Thermodynamic cycles are the foundation of energy conversion across natural and engineered systems, transforming heat into useful work. However, these cycles traditionally operate between fixed thermal reservoirs, restricting them to specific locations and temperature differences. Here, we introduce autonomous thermodynamic cycles enabled by robotic mobility and sensing, allowing robots to perform thermodynamic cycles by accessing spatially varying temperature fields. We experimentally realize this concept using multistable gas-filled capsules that circulate within the system across a thermal gradient. Our model reveals that rapid transitions in the capsules' energy states allow the system to operate as a mobile heat engine that harvests and stores energy. By linking the capsule-scale internal energy dynamics to the robot's large-scale navigation strategy, we optimize locomotion paths that balance motion cost and energy harvesting. These findings demonstrate that thermodynamic cycles can emerge when autonomous systems navigate their environments, offering an artificial analog of organisms that forage for energy across spatial resources.
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BibTeX
@misc{kuperman2026autonomous,
title = {{Autonomous thermodynamic cycles via robotic mobility and sensing}},
author = {Sofia Kuperman and Ezra Ben-Abu and Yaron Veksler and Anna Zigelman and Sefi Givli and Amir D. Gat},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.11667},
eprint = {2610.11667},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.11667},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Autonomous thermodynamic cycles via robotic mobility and sensing
AU - Sofia Kuperman
AU - Ezra Ben-Abu
AU - Yaron Veksler
AU - Anna Zigelman
AU - Sefi Givli
AU - Amir D. Gat
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/08
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.11667
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.11667
AB - Thermodynamic cycles are the foundation of energy conversion across natural and engineered systems, transforming heat into useful work. However, these cycles traditionally operate between fixed thermal reservoirs, restricting them to specific locations and temperature differences. Here, we introduce autonomous thermodynamic cycles enabled by robotic mobility and sensing, allowing robots to perform thermodynamic cycles by accessing spatially varying temperature fields. We experimentally realize this concept using multistable gas-filled capsules that circulate within the system across a thermal gradient. Our model reveals that rapid transitions in the capsules' energy states allow the system to operate as a mobile heat engine that harvests and stores energy. By linking the capsule-scale internal energy dynamics to the robot's large-scale navigation strategy, we optimize locomotion paths that balance motion cost and energy harvesting. These findings demonstrate that thermodynamic cycles can emerge when autonomous systems navigate their environments, offering an artificial analog of organisms that forage for energy across spatial resources.
ER -