Scientific American article on Paleobionics

SML work was profiled in this Scientific American article [link] on using soft robotics to study the biomechanics of an extinct echinoderm. This work represents the first application of soft robotics to the emerging field of “Paleobionics,” which involves the design and testing of robots that are based on the anatomy of extinct organisms from the Paleolithic Period. Research in Paleobionics has the potential to lead to new insights in the mechanics and locomotion of organisms that had a pivotal role in natural evolution.

To learn more about SML research in the emerging field of Paleobionics, take a look at the following papers published in PNAS:

R Desatnik, ZJ Patterson, P Gorzelak, S Zamora, P LeDuc, C Majidi, “Soft robotics informs how an early echinoderm moved,” PNAS 120 e2306580120 (2023).[link]

WI Ausich, “Rhombot and the dawn of paleobionic,” PNAS 120 e2314910120 (2023). [link]