Abstract In this paper we examine the prospect of using localized flow control for biomimetic fluid trapping. The problem is of interest for applications that call for guided transport of fluid volumes. The study shows that trapping can be achieved with the help of two partially shrouded rotating cylinders in a side-by-side arrangement. Secondary flows that manifest successful trapping resemble recirculation zones forming under the crests of peristaltic deformation waves, in particular with respect to their response to increasing incident flow velocity. Varying the rotation speed of the cylinders provides means to control the amount of trapped fluid. Numerical calculations to support these conclusions are presented in the paper for 0≤Re≤100 and h ≈2, where Re and h are, respectively, the Reynolds number and the center-to-center distance between two cylinders divided by the cylinder diameter. Experimental validation of numerical results is performed for 0≤Re≤4.