Bio-inspired spinning robotic swarms

Collective behavior in nature, such as bird flocks and ant colonies, offers a model for bioinspired robotic systems with enhanced functionality. Recent studies have shown that spinning starfish embryos can spontaneously self-assemble into living chiral crystals, exhibiting novel nonequilibrium collective states like cluster rotation, sustained odd elastic waves, and directional propulsion. Inspired by these phenomena, we developed a robotic system based on spinning units that interact via hydrodynamic forces. Our experiments demonstrate that these robots can self-assemble into rotating clusters with hexagonal crystal order, disperse in response to mechanical disturbances, and reassemble through dynamic reorganization. By integrating tilted fins beneath their spinning propellers, the robots generate directed propulsion, enabling collective translational movement. We propose that this robotic swarm platform could be applied to tasks such as ocean plastic collection, local water transport control, and the formation of autonomous, self-organizing floating rafts.