Finally, synthetic active systems are truly biomimetic when they are functionally indistinguishable from their biological counterparts. A particularly intriguing opportunity is to engineer "living" hybrid systems 183 , in which communication and interaction between living and synthetic active matter lead to complex organization similar to but extend beyond morphogenesis. Synthetic active matter may communicate with living cells, secrete attractants or repellants, leading to long-range cell organization and response 184 . In addition, they may mediate cellular communication between different types of living cells which is not possible in vivo. Thus, synthetic active matter could initiate complex multicellular interactions across multiple length scales leading to functions and dynamics that are not observed physiologically.