Research Group for Evolutionary Morphology of Vertebrates

Seahorse-inspired Swiss army knife: versatile robot manipulators that also solve evolutionary problems

Bio-inspired research project on the evolutionary adaptive nature of the seahorse tail by means of a robotic manipulator design process

Project focus

Project scheme of project "Seahorse-inspired swiss army knife: versatile robot manipulators that also solve evolutionary problems"

In this project, we study the evolutionary adaptive nature of the seahorse tail by means of a robotic manipulator design process. The project relies on the co-learned embodiment and control by means of differentiable programming, starting from the morphology of a seahorse. Developing a parameterised, biomechanical model will lead to a versatile robotic manipulator that gives us a platform to test hypotheses on adaptive evolution in biology.

Collaborators

Dominique Adriaens (PI)

Francis wyffels (Engineering Sciences and Architecture - UGent - Co-PI)

Dries Marzougui (PhD-student, Engineering Sciences and Architecture - UGent)

Arne Verdonck (PhD-student, Biology - UGent)

Keywords

Biomimicry, seahorse, tail, prehensile, robotics, bio-inspired design, anatomy, modelling, simulation