Do robots make good models of animals?

14 Dec 2012

John Long
Department of Biology
Vassar College

Abstract

As physically-embodied robots gain sophistication in terms of their bio-inspired anatomy, physiology, and behavior, biologists are using them to test hypotheses about how animals function and how they evolve. What makes a bio-robotic model a good one? To address this question, we take a look at robots that were built to model extinct fossil vertebrates [1].

1. John Long, Darwin's Devices: What Evolving Robots Can Teach Us About the History of Life and the Future of Technology, Basic Books, 2012. Amazon