Engineered Biomimicry: Chapter 4. Biomimetic Robotics

Some basic features of biomimetic robotics and the technologies that are facilitating their development are discussed in this chapter. The emergence of smart materials and structures, smart sensors and actuators capable of mimicking biological transducers, bio-inspired signal-processing techniques, modeling and control of manipulators resembling biological limbs, and the shape control of flexible systems are the primary areas in which recent technological advances have taken place. Some key applications of these technological developments in the design of morphing airfoils, modeling and control of anthropomorphic manipulators and muscle activation modeling, and control for human limb prosthetic and orthotic applications are discussed. Also discussed, with some typical examples, are the related developments in the application of nonlinear optimal control and estimation, which are fundamental to the success of biomimetic robotics.