  Coexistence of order and fluidity in soft matter often mimics that in
biology, allowing for complex dynamics and applications like displays. In
active soft matter, emergent order can arise because of such dynamics. Powered
by local energy conversion, this behavior resembles motions in living systems,
like schooling of fish. Similar dynamics at cellular levels drive biological
processes and generate macroscopic work. Inanimate particles capable of such
emergent behavior could power nanomachines, but most active systems have
biological origins. Here we show that thousands-to-millions of topological
solitons, dubbed "skyrmions", while each converting macroscopically-supplied
electric energy, exhibit collective motions along spontaneously-chosen
directions uncorrelated with the direction of electric field. Within these
"schools" of skyrmions, we uncover polar ordering, reconfigurable
multi-skyrmion clustering and large-scale cohesion mediated by
out-of-equilibrium elastic interactions. Remarkably, this behavior arises under
conditions similar to those in liquid crystal displays and may enable dynamic
materials with strong emergent electro-optic responses.
