Elasticity-Based Mechanism for the Collective Motion of Self-Propelled Particles with Springlike Interactions: A Model System for Natural and Artificial Swarms

Eliseo Ferrante (1) , Ali Emre Turgut (2) , Marco Dorigo (3, 1) , Cristián Huepe (4)

1 ULB - Université libre de Bruxelles
2 METU - Middle East Technical University [Ankara]
3 University of Paderborn
4 Northwestern University [Evanston]

We introduce an elasticity-based mechanism that drives active particles to self-organize by cascading self-propulsion energy towards lower-energy modes. We illustrate it on a simple model of self-propelled agents linked by linear springs that reach a collectively rotating or translating state without requiring aligning interactions. We develop an active elastic sheet theory, complementary to the prevailing active fluid theories, and find analytical stability conditions for the ordered state. Given its ubiquity, this mechanism could play a relevant role in various natural and artificial swarms.

Domains: Artificial Intelligence [cs.AI]; Computational Complexity [cs.CC]; Machine Learning [cs.LG]; Multiagent Systems [cs.MA]; Robotics [cs.RO]; Adaptation and Self-Organizing Systems [nlin.AO]

Eliseo Ferrante, Ali Emre Turgut, Marco Dorigo, Cristián Huepe. Elasticity-Based Mechanism for the Collective Motion of Self-Propelled Particles with Springlike Interactions: A Model System for Natural and Artificial Swarms. Physical Review Letters, 2013, 111, ⟨10.1103/PhysRevLett.111.268302⟩. ⟨hal-01405921⟩