Using experiments with anisotropic vibrated rods and quasi-2D numericalsimulations, we show that shape plays an important role in the collectivedynamics of self-propelled (SP) particles. We demonstrate that SP rods exhibitlocal ordering, aggregation at the side walls, and clustering absent in roundSP particles. Furthermore, we find that at sufficiently strong excitation SProds engage in a persistent swirling motion in which the velocity is stronglycorrelated with particle orientation.
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