Optical micromotors, key components in microrobotics and biomedical applications, have attracted widespread attention for their ability to manipulate and rotate microscopic particles using light. In this study, we present a tunable bilayer optical matter motor controlled by distance-modulated electromagnetic interlayer coupling. Using the generalized Lorentz-Mie scattering theory for multispheres and the Langevin dynamics method, we investigate the dynamics of the bilayer motor during light-driven self-organization and rotation. Through the modulation of the interlayer distance to tune coupling effects, we demonstrate the capacity to selectively manipulate the rotation modes of the motor—both layers can rotate clockwise (receiving negative optical torque), rotate anticlockwise, or counterrotate. These modes arise from changes in the relative contributions of excited electric and magnetic multipoles, offering an intuitive understanding of interlayer coupling from the perspective of multipoles. The bilayer motor exhibits stable rotation across a wide range of coupling distances due to strong long-range electromagnetic coupling, and demonstrates excellent robustness to both the polarization of the incident light and structural offset from the beam center, facilitating experimental implementation. Our structural stability analysis indicates that bilayer optical matter motors constructed from equilateral triangular units maintain remarkable stability during light-driven self-organization and rotation, even with varying interlayer coupling. This research enhances our understanding of light-matter interactions in the dynamics of bilayer optical matter systems while providing theoretical foundations for novel micromotor design.

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• Optical forces
• Optomechanics