Information bound on navigation speed in smart active matter
Abstract
Intelligent behavior in life-like systems often arises from the ability to gather, process, and act on information. While active matter provides a framework for studying life-like dynamics, it typically omits internal information-processing and decision-making. Here we introduce an adaptive active particle model that uses minimal information processing capabilities in order to navigate towards a distant target. By combining renewal-based intermittent motion with the Cram\'{e}r-Rao inequality, we derive a bound on the navigation speed valid for a wide range of information processing strategies. The framework captures hallmark features of cognitive systems, including optimal sensing durations and a speed-accuracy trade-off that balances noise and reliability. Allowing stored information to degrade before action reveals that although deterioration slows navigation, the trade-off remains governed primarily by external orientational noise and is remarkably insensitive to memory decay.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2602.23988,
title = {Information bound on navigation speed in smart active matter},
author = {Kristian Stølevik Olsen and Mitsusuke Tarama and Hartmut Löwen},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2602.23988},
year = {2026}
}