Introduction to the Special Issue on Biomorphic Robots

This special issue of Autonomous Robots is based on presentations given at the NASA workshop on Biomorphic Robotics1 hosted in August 2000 by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology. The purpose of the workshop was to bring together a representative sample of work in biomorphic robotics likely to have an impact in future NASA missions. Biomorphic robotics can be broadly defined as the transfer of biological principles to robotics and the use of robots to evaluate and test computational models in biology. Robotics has historically been grounded in control theory, generally meant for the precise control of machines in well-defined, predictable environments. In contrast, biological systems are uniquely competent at interactions with unpredictable and dynamic environments. Thus, a primary goal of biomorphic robotics is to imbue robotic systems with the capabilities of biological organisms, to successfully maneuver within and explore unpredictable environments. This body of work is of great interest to NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In particular, the surfaces of other planets are not well characterized, are likely to be environmentally hostile, and will demand a high degree of autonomy. Robots for space exploration are thus faced with unique challenges, and a biomorphic approach may be particularly appropriate.