  Physics governing the locomotion of microorganisms and other microsystems is
dominated by viscous damping. An effective swimming strategy involves the
non-reciprocal and periodic deformations of the considered body. Here, we show
that a magnetocapillary-driven self-assembly, composed of three soft
ferromagnetic beads, is able to swim along a liquid-air interface when powered
by an external magnetic field. More importantly, we demonstrate that
trajectories can be fully controlled, opening ways to explore low Reynolds
number swimming. This magnetocapillary system spontaneously forms by
self-assembly, allowing miniaturization and other possible applications such as
cargo transport or solvent flows.
