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About

Thomas Barois is a leading researcher in active matter and soft robotics, whose work bridges physics, engineering, and biology to understand and harness collective behavior in self-propelled systems. His key research areas include the dynamics of active particles, self-organization, and animate materials—systems that mimic living organisms in their adaptability and autonomy. Barois’s most impactful contribution is his 2018 study on inertial self-propelled robots, which demonstrated how simple interactions among rodlike robots can produce complex collective dynamics, earning 167 citations and establishing a foundational framework for the field. He further advanced this work by showing how swarms of simple robots confined in flexible scaffolds can form mobile, deformable superstructures capable of navigating narrow spaces—a breakthrough with 77 citations that has implications for soft robotics and swarm intelligence. Barois also co-authored the 2025 “Roadmap for animate matter,” a visionary piece outlining the future of nature-inspired materials. His innovative use of flexible membranes to probe active particle gases, published in 2022, has provided new tools for measuring effective temperature and dissipation in these systems. Through his research, Barois has shaped our understanding of how confinement and simple rules can steer self-organization, offering profound insights for both fundamental science and practical applications in robotics and materials design.