While classic hydrodynamic models predict ordered formations for fish schools, observations show that schools are seemingly disordered. Our experiments on robotic swimmers may help to reconcile this discrepancy by showing that many different formations all emerge spontaneously and are stabilized due to flow interactions. Surprisingly, these locked states extend almost twice as far downstream for laterally displaced swimmers as for those in line. We also observe significant boosts in swimming speed—up to 60% faster than an isolated swimmer—for side-by-side formations. These findings demonstrate that benefits such as group cohesion and speed enhancement arise naturally via flow interactions and for the diverse relative arrangements seen in schools.

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• Biological fluid dynamics
• Collective behavior
• Flow-structure interactions
• Locomotion
• Swimming