@article {2014, title = {Discrete one-dimensional crawlers on viscous substrates: achievable net displacements and their energy cost}, number = {Mechanics Research Communications}, year = {2014}, publisher = {Elsevier}, abstract = {We study model one-dimensional crawlers, namely, model mechanical systems that can achieve self-propulsion by controlled shape changes of their body (extension or contraction of portions of the body), thanks to frictional interactions with a rigid substrate. We evaluate the achievable net displacement and the related energetic cost for self-propulsion by discrete crawlers (i.e., whose body is made of a discrete number of contractile or extensile segments) moving on substrates with either a Newtonian (linear) or a Bingham-type (stick-slip) rheology. Our analysis is aimed at constructing the basic building blocks towards an integrative, multi-scale description of crawling cell motility.}, keywords = {Cell migration}, doi = {10.1016/j.mechrescom.2013.10.023}, url = {http://urania.sissa.it/xmlui/handle/1963/34449}, author = {Giovanni Noselli and Amabile Tatone and Antonio DeSimone} }