The 2025 motile active matter roadmap

Area of Science:

• Physics and Engineering of Active Matter
• Interdisciplinary Research in Self-Propelled Systems

Background:

• Active matter encompasses diverse systems, from biological agents to synthetic micro-machines, exhibiting autonomous motion.
• Understanding active matter requires addressing its non-equilibrium nature, non-additive interactions, and environmental sensing capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current state of motile active matter research.
• To provide guidance for future progress in the field, particularly for engineered micro-robotic systems.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and synthesis of current research findings.
• Identification of key challenges and future research avenues.

Main Results:

• Fundamental properties of motile active matter are increasingly understood.
• The field is poised for advancements in complex environments, chirality, microbots, and collective behavior.

Conclusions:

• Progress in active matter necessitates an interdisciplinary approach involving biology, physics, engineering, and mathematics.
• The 2025 roadmap outlines critical areas for future exploration in this dynamic field.