Research Projects

Matter, in the classical sense, is defined as a thermodynamically large collection of atoms or molecules. Based on this, the conventional phases of matter; solids, liquids, and gases; are well understood within the framework of equilibrium statistical mechanics. However, this classification fails when attempting to describe living matter. For instance, it is not obvious whether a human being is solid or a liquid. Living organisms exhibit remarkable capabilities such as self-healing, growth, adaptation, and collective intelligence, none of which are adequately explained by the physics of passive matter. While engineers have made significant developments in designing smart materials using conventional passive matter, replicating the complex and adaptive behaviour of living systems remains a fundamental challenge. A central obstacle is the lack of understanding of the physical laws that govern living matter. In recent years, the emerging field of active matter physics has provided a promising framework to bridge this gap. Active matter refers to systems composed of energy-consuming units that drive themselves out of equilibrium at scale of individual level. Such systems exhibit behaviours strikingly similar to those seen in living systems. These include phenomena like spontaneous flows, motility-induced phase separation, flocking, navigation, and pattern formation. These non-equilibrium collective phenomena are not only scientifically intriguing but are also central to biological functions such as cell division, morphogenesis, tissue organization, and wound healing. Furthermore, they find analogues in systems like human crowds, vehicular traffic, and robotic swarms. Despite these advances, the field lacks a versatile, controllable, and tunable experimental platform that can systematically mimic and investigate such phenomena in a reproducible way. This proposal aims to address that gap by developing a robotic experimental system capable of emulating the emergent properties of living matter while being grounded in physical principles and quantitative control. We have developed a versatile set of tabletop experimental systems to study active matter using self-propelled agents. These include (i) programmable wheeled robots, (ii) compact vibration-motor-driven robots, and (iii) vibrated granular rods. The wheeled robots, controlled via onboard microcontrollers, feature light, IR, and RF sensors for environmental interaction and wireless communication. Their dynamics can be tuned precisely by adjusting the independent wheel velocities. We currently have 20 such units and plan to scale up to 100. The vibration-motor robots are smaller, lightweight, and modular, ideal for exploring shape-dependent dynamics and dry active nematics. We aim to build up to 1000 such robots. The granular system uses millimeter-scale brass rods vibrated vertically to mimic self-propulsion. While scalable and simple, they lack programmable control or long-range interaction capabilities, unlike robotic agents. All robotic experiments are conducted on a flat, high-friction arena with projected dynamic light fields and overhead video tracking for real-time analysis of position and orientation. Using these systems, we will explore collective behaviours like flocking through non-reciprocal interactions and information transfer, study defect dynamics in dry active nematics, investigate shape effects on motility-induced phase separation, and design robotic active solids and polymer chains to emulate biological systems such as cytoskeletons and tissues. These studies will uncover fundamental principles in non-equilibrium physics and living matter.