Active matter as a framework for living systems-inspired Robophysics
Abstract
Abstract Robophysics investigates the physical principles that govern living-like robots operating in complex, real-world environments. Despite remarkable technological advances, robots continue to face fundamental efficiency limitations. At the level of individual units, locomotion remains a challenge, while at the collective level, robot swarms struggle to achieve shared purpose, coordination, communication, and cost efficiency. This perspective article examines the key challenges faced by bio-inspired robotic collectives and highlights recent research efforts that incorporate principles from active matter physics and biology into the modeling and design of robot swarms.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Micro and Nano Robotics
Modular Robots and Swarm Intelligence
Distributed Control Multi-Agent Systems
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Europhysics Letters (EPL)
- Publisher
- IOP Publishing
- Volume
- 154
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 37001–37001
- Publication date
- 9 April 2026