A geometric condition for robot-swarm cohesion and cluster-flock transition.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 40920923.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1073/pnas.2502211122 and PMC identifier 12452893.
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Abstract
We present a geometric design rule for size-controlled clustering of self-propelled particles. We show that active particles that tend to rotate under an external force have an intrinsic, signed parameter with units of curvature which we call curvity, that can be derived from first principles. Experiments with robots and numerical simulations show that properties of individual robots (radius and curvity) control pair cohesion in a binary system, and the stability of flocking and self-limiting clustering in a swarm, with applications in metamaterials and in embodied decentralized control.