BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Memento EPFL// BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Toward Intelligent Behavior in Macroscopic Active Matter DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260706 DTSTAMP:20260501T112021Z UID:2cd6fe92c98a3ee7222bfd15c9a93564221d6263f4498a2309c3e4dd CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars DESCRIPTION:You can apply to participate and find all the relevant informa tion (speakers\, abstracts\, program\,...) on the event website: https:// www.cecam.org/workshop-details/toward-intelligent-behavior-in-macroscopic- active-matter-1481.\n\nRegistration is required to attend the full event\, take part in the social activities and present a poster at the poster ses sion (if any).  However\, the EPFL community is welcome to attend spe cific lectures without registration if the topic is of interest to their research. Do not hesitate to contact the CECAM Event Manager if you have any question.\n\nDescription\n\nActive matter has emerged as a central fr amework for understanding systems composed of self-driven units across sca les\, ranging from molecular motors and cytoskeletal filaments to animal g roups and robotic swarms. Initially\, many foundational models focused on macroscopic agents – such as flocks\, swarms\, and driven granular parti cles – where simple interaction rules give rise to rich collective pheno mena. However\, over the past two decades\, much of the focus has shifted toward microscopic and mesoscopic active systems\, especially in soft and biological matter\, supported by the technological development of high-res olution imaging\, force measurement\, and microfabrication. These advances have driven a more refined theoretical understanding\, connecting microsc opic dynamics with hydrodynamic and continuum-scale descriptions\, and hav e found applications in biophysics\, material science\, and cellular biolo gy. \nIn parallel\, yet often semi-independently\, active matter concepts have flourished in ecological and robotic systems. In these domains\, the agents – be they insects\, birds\, autonomous vehicles\, or soft robots – not only self-propel and interact\, but also sense their environments \, make decisions\, and adapt their behavior. These systems extend the cla ssical framework of active matter by incorporating elements of intelligenc e\, information processing\, and environmental feedback. Notably\, such sy stems can operate far from equilibrium and exhibit coordinated behavior th at seems tuned for functional outcomes – navigation\, foraging\, or coll ective decision-making.\nThese trends point toward a convergence: macrosco pic active matter systems capable of intelligent\, adaptive\, or programma ble behavior. This includes both natural systems (e.g.\, flocking insects\ , social insects\, animal herds) and artificial systems (e.g.\, modular ro bots\, programmable matter\, active granular agents). The interplay of sel f-propulsion\, interaction rules\, information exchange\, learning or memo ry\, and system-level feedback opens exciting new directions for both fund amental science and applications. Recent efforts in this space combine tec hniques from statistical physics\, nonlinear dynamics\, robotics\, and mac hine learning.\nHowever\, the communities working on these different aspec ts of active matter – soft matter physicists\, ecologists\, roboticists\ , and complexity scientists – remain fragmented\, with limited opportuni ty for sustained dialogue. Bridging these communities is essential to deve lop a shared language\, identify unifying principles\, and guide the devel opment of new experimental platforms and theoretical frameworks.\n\nRefere nces\n\n[1] F. Gu\, B. Guiselin\, N. Bain\, I. Zuriguel\, D. Bartolo\, Nat ure\, 638\, 112-119 (2025)\n[2] A. Rafsanjani\, K. Bertoldi\, A. Studart\ , Sci. Robot.\, 4\, (2019)\n[3] J. Tirado\, A. Parvaresh\, B. Seyidoğlu\ , D. Bedford\, J. Jørgensen\, A. Rafsanjani\, Cyborg. Bionic. Syst.\, 6\ , (2025)\n[4] J. O’Byrne\, Y. Kafri\, J. Tailleur\, F. van Wijland\, Nat . Rev. Phys.\, 4\, 167-183 (2022)\n[5] P. Baconnier\, D. Shohat\, C. 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Peruani\, H. Löwen\, R. Golestanian\, U. Kaupp\, L. Alvarez\, T. Kiørboe\, E. Lauga\, W. Poon\, A . DeSimone\, S. Muiños-Landin\, A. Fischer\, N. Söker\, F. Cichos\, R. K apral\, P. Gaspard\, M. Ripoll\, F. Sagues\, A. Doostmohammadi\, J. Yeoman s\, I. Aranson\, C. Bechinger\, H. Stark\, C. Hemelrijk\, F. Nedelec\, T. Sarkar\, T. Aryaksama\, M. Lacroix\, G. Duclos\, V. Yashunsky\, P. Silberz an\, M. Arroyo\, S. Kale\, J. Phys.: Condens. Matter\, 32\, 193001 (2020) \n[20] G. Popkin\, Nature\, 529\, 16-18 (2016) LOCATION:BCH 2103 https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==BCH%202103 STATUS:CONFIRMED END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR