We identify generic protocols achieving optimal power extraction from a single active particle subject to continuous feedback control under the assumption that its spatial trajectory, but not its instantaneous self-propulsion force, is accessible to direct observation. Our Bayesian approach draws on the Onsager-Machlup path integral formalism and is exemplified in the cases of free run-and-tumble and active Ornstein-Uhlenbeck dynamics in one dimension. Such optimal protocols extract positive work even in models characterized by time-symmetric positional trajectories and thus vanishing informational entropy production rates. We argue that the theoretical bounds derived in this work are those against which the performance of realistic active matter engines should be compared.

• Received 18 January 2023
• Revised 23 May 2023
• Accepted 12 October 2023

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.188301

Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

Published by the American Physical Society