Active matter as a framework for living systems-inspired Robophysics

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.