  Colloidal particles in liquid crystals tend to induce topological defects and
distortions of the molecular alignment within the surrounding anisotropic host
medium, which results in elasticity-mediated interactions not accessible to
their counterparts within isotropic fluid hosts. Such particle-induced coronae
of perturbed nematic order are highly responsive to external electric fields,
even when the uniformly aligned host medium away from particles exhibits no
response to fields below the realignment threshold. Here we harness the
non-reciprocal nature of these facile electric responses to demonstrate
colloidal locomotion. Oscillations of electric field prompt repetitive
deformations of the corona of dipolar elastic distortions around the colloidal
inclusions, which at appropriately designed electric driving synchronize the
displacement directions. We observe the colloid-hedgehog dipole accompanied by
an umbilical defect in the tilt directionality field (c-field), along with the
texture of elastic distortions that evolves with changing applied voltage. The
temporal out-of-equilibrium evolution of the director and c-field distortions
around particles upon turning voltage on and off is not invariant upon reversal
of time, prompting lateral translations and interactions that markedly differ
from what is accessible to these colloids under equilibrium conditions. Our
findings may lead to both technological and fundamental science applications of
nematic colloids as both model reconfigurable colloidal systems and as
mesostructured materials with pre-designed temporal evolution of structure and
composition.
