Dresden 2026 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 38: Active Matter VI (joint session DY/BP)

BP 38.1: Invited Talk

Friday, March 13, 2026, 09:30–10:00, ZEU/0160

Morphogenesis, transport, and computation in micro-scale swarms — •Akira Kakugo — Division of Physics and Astronomy, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

Collective behavior at the microscale offers a powerful route to creating adaptive and functional materials. In this talk, I present a series of studies in which microtubule/kinesin active matter is treated as an ensemble of active agents, and swarming is engineered through DNA-mediated interactions. By introducing programmable dipole-dipole like binding via designed DNA motifs, we establish tunable microscale swarms with controllable cohesion. First, I describe how external mechanical stimuli trigger diverse modes of morphogenesis within these swarms, leading to the emergence of ordered structures and pattern transformations. Next, I introduce a DNA-programmable transport system in which a swarm of millions of active agents cooperatively captures, carries, and releases microscale cargo, enabling light-controlled, spatiotemporally precise transport. Finally, I demonstrate how such active swarms can function as a physical reservoir, where their high-dimensional, nonlinear dynamics are directly harnessed for computation within an active-matter ensemble.

Keywords: active matter; microtubule; kinesin; DNA; function