Instabilities control transport in poroelastic networks

In active soft matter, the presence of active forces can drive a system away from equilibrium, triggering instabilities that transform stable configurations into self-sustained deformations. These dynamics, ranging from flagellar motion of slender structures to 2D and 3D bulk deformations, are governed by active waves emerging from the interplay between passive elasticity, active stress, and dissipation. Here, we show that these active waves can be harnessed to drive fluid transport in soft fluidic networks, enabling decentralized control of matter and information transport. By designing poroelastic networks with pressure-based mechanosensory feedback, our results provide a model for uncovering the design principles of biological transport and a basis for developing autonomous fluidic systems.