Limit cycles turn odd active matter into robots

Controlling how waves propagate, attenuate and amplify in simple, scalable geometric structures is a daunting challenge for science and technology. In this talk, I will discuss how odd active matter---media in which energy conservation and chiral symmetries are simultaneously broken---can be used to steer mechanical waves in unprecedented ways. Combining experiments on mechanical lattices of distributed robots with wave physics and continuum mechanics, I will discuss the emergence of unidirectionally amplified waves, of topological waves and of one-way solitons in odd active matter. I will further show how these odd waves can be used to induce locomotion and unusual responses to impacts and hence pave the way towards a novel generation of distributed robots with autonomous and adaptable locomotion.