Bio-Inspired Robots Imitating Human Organs with Embodied Intelligence Behaviour

Abstract

Soft robotics is an emerging field that introduces promising engineering methods that replicate biological behaviours. Soft robotics aims to obtain a delicate interaction with their environment and be adaptable in different situations. Using the morphology and materials in robotics design is recognised as an embodied intelligence of the system. This method provides new ideas other than classic engineering strategies; it can translate biological behaviour into an engineering context. Embodied intelligence introduces potential ways to replicate human organs' motor activities with soft-bodied simulators. Researchers are looking for a test environment that imitates the complex human organs functionalities to advance the knowledge of the human body. Many recent diseases were discovered, such as stomach dysrhythmia. It is believed that a test environment that can replicate such illnesses can introduce a faster solution to patients suffering from those illnesses. This chapter will discuss soft robots that emulate human organs using embodied intelligence in their morphology for simpler control systems and continuous actuation behaviour.

Early career scientists converse on the future of soft robotics

“…There are already a few systems, but these lack simplicity, are not electronic free and prone to failure. Some systems like the soft total artificial heart (Cohrs et al, 2017), the SoGut-artificial stomach peristalsis simulator (Dang et al, 2020), the artificial oesophagus system RoSE (Dirven et al, 2013;Dirven et al 2015;Dirven et al 2017) and the silicon-based peristaltic pump (utilizable as an artificial intestine and oesophagus) (Esser et al, 2019a;Esser et al, 2019b;Tauber and Fitzgerald, 2021) are completely soft but necessitate an external pressure supply (Menciassi and Iacovacci, 2020;Tauber and Fitzgerald, 2021;Hashem et al, 2022). There are a few commercially available artificial hearts, such as the temporary Total Artificial heart (TAH-t) (SynCardia Systems, Inc., Tucson, AZ, United States) and the AESON CARMAT TAH (Carmat, Vélizy-Villacoublay, France).…”