Bio-Inspired Smart Machines: Structure, Mechanisms and Applications

Dear Colleagues,

With the long-term evolution of nature, each creature has its unique structure and function, which can adjust to unstructured environments with diversity. These structures, mechanisms, and potential principles from biology will definitely excite new ideas for improving and optimizing conventional machine designs and control. By imitating certain characteristics of these creatures, such as grasp, twist, locomotion, or flying, etc., bio-inspired smart machines can engage in certain difficult tasks instead of human beings, such as medical surgery, rapid manufacture and assembly, disaster search and rescue, and scientific investigation. Therefore, bio-inspired smart machines have important research significance and broad developmental prospects.

Generally, bio-inspired smart machines can be divided into two categories: rigid machines and soft machines. Rigid machines are composed of different rigid components assembled together, and the joints are mainly driven by electric motors or hydraulic means. In soft machines, the rigid hinges and bolts together with the body structure are replaced by soft components usually made from stimulus-responsive materials that change shape in response to stimuli.

This Special Issue will be devoted to state-of-the-art research on bio-inspired smart machines and their subsystems and components, such as bio-inspired rigid machines, soft machines and robotics, active materials, controls, sensors and actuators, structure and modeling, etc. We seek submissions with original perspectives and advanced thinking on the theme addressed. Related research on theories, simulations, experiments, and engineering applications is also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Yanjie Wang
Prof. Dr. Xiaofeng Liu
Prof. Dr. Aihong Ji
Prof. Dr. Shichao Niu
Dr. Bo Li
Guest Editors

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