Animal Movements

1. Characterize animal motor systems with unique abilities and as models for novel applications (devices).
    
2. Identify the role of hydrostatics and hydraulics in generating movements.
    
3. Use biologically inspired approaches to the development of novel control mechanisms (nervous systems). For articulated animals it is common to use a "state machine" approach combined with a command system to sequence behaviors. It is possible that soft bodied animals employ a more distributed control architecture. The laboratory will investigate various modeling approaches including genetic algorithms and neural nets.
    
4. Identify feedback information used during locomotion and decision making. Determine which parameters are used for fast local responses and which are employed in adaptive behavior. Analyze the coding mechanisms for efficient transmission and integration of feedback information.

Soft Machines: a new class of soft robots based on animal models

1. Materials selection and testing for the body wall. The laboratory will develop composite materials that mimic the cuticle of flexible animals. A special emphasis will be on designing highly compliant, low density and robust structures (e.g., elastomers, 3D-fiber knitting).
    
2. The design of actuators (artificial muscles) with dynamic properties similar to those of muscles (e.g., nitinol composite with elastomer, embedded reactive polyfibers).
    
3. Development of "smart" fluids for transmitting hydrostatic forces (e.g., materials with flow rates that vary in non-linear ways with force or aperture size). Thermally compensated fluids. Thermally anisotropic fluids.
    
4. Micro (or nano) embedded mechansosensors for hyper-distributed tactile sensing, turgor measurement and proprioception. Click here for more information about this project.
    
5. Building a physically flexible microcontroller for autonomous soft robot operation.