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Lepinay SG, Deblais A, Habibi M, Bonn D, Shahidzadeh N. Capillary Forces Lead to Pendant Crystals at the Liquid-Air Interface of Evaporating Salt Solutions. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2023; 39:18208-18214. [PMID: 38051540 PMCID: PMC10734214 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c01830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
We investigated the nucleation and growth processes of individual NaCl crystals from an evaporating salt solution that is supersaturated. We find that crystals nucleate at the liquid/vapor interface, resulting in distinct "pendant" crystals, which reach millimeter dimensions. The substantial size of the crystals induces deformation of the interface. This process and the evaporation rate, in turn, determine the final crystal shape, which features a deep central cavity. Our findings reveal that a delicate balance exists between gravity, buoyancy, and the surface tension of the liquid/vapor interface that allows the crystal to remain pendant. When the contact angle of the crystal with the meniscus reaches 90°, the crystal disconnects from the interface and falls into the solution. We quantitatively predict the critical mass at which this occurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon
E. G. Lepinay
- Institute
of Physics, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Antoine Deblais
- Institute
of Physics, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Mehdi Habibi
- Institute
of Physics, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Department
of Agrotechnology and Food Sciences, Wageningen
University and Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 4, 6708 PB Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Daniel Bonn
- Institute
of Physics, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Noushine Shahidzadeh
- Institute
of Physics, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Howison T, Crisp H, Hauser S, Iida F. On the Stability and Behavioral Diversity of Single and Collective Bernoulli Balls. ARTIFICIAL LIFE 2023; 29:168-186. [PMID: 37022940 DOI: 10.1162/artl_a_00395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The ability to express diverse behaviors is a key requirement for most biological systems. Underpinning behavioral diversity in the natural world is the embodied interaction between the brain, body, and environment. Dynamical systems form the basis of embodied agents, and can express complex behavioral modalities without any conventional computation. While significant study has focused on designing dynamical systems agents with complex behaviors, for example, passive walking, there is still a limited understanding about how to drive diversity in the behavior of such systems. In this article, we present a novel hardware platform for studying the emergence of individual and collective behavioral diversity in a dynamical system. The platform is based on the so-called Bernoulli ball, an elegant fluid dynamics phenomenon in which spherical objects self-stabilize and hover in an airflow. We demonstrate how behavioral diversity can be induced in the case of a single hovering ball via modulation of the environment. We then show how more diverse behaviors are triggered by having multiple hovering balls in the same airflow. We discuss this in the context of embodied intelligence and open-ended evolution, suggesting that the system exhibits a rudimentary form of evolutionary dynamics in which balls compete for favorable regions of the environment and exhibit intrinsic "alive" and "dead" states based on their positions in or outside of the airflow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toby Howison
- University of Cambridge, Bio-Inspired Robotics Lab, Department of Engineering
| | - Harriet Crisp
- University of Cambridge, Bio-Inspired Robotics Lab, Department of Engineering
| | - Simon Hauser
- University of Cambridge, Bio-Inspired Robotics Lab, Department of Engineering
| | - Fumiya Iida
- University of Cambridge, Bio-Inspired Robotics Lab, Department of Engineering.
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Howison T, Hughes J, Iida F. Morphological Sensitivity and Falling Behavior of Paper V-Shapes. ARTIFICIAL LIFE 2021; 27:1-16. [PMID: 34473820 DOI: 10.1162/artl_a_00340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral diversity seen in biological systems is, at the most basic level, driven by interactions between physical materials and their environment. In this context we are interested in falling paper systems, specifically the V-shaped falling paper (VSFP) system that exhibits a set of discrete falling behaviors across the morphological parameter space. Our previous work has investigated how morphology influences dominant falling behaviors in the VSFP system. In this article we build on this analysis to investigate the nature of behavioral transitions in the same system. First, we investigate stochastic behavior transitions. We demonstrate how morphology influences the likelihood of different transitions, with certain morphologies leading to a wide range of possible paths through the behavior-space. Second, we investigate deterministic transitions. To investigate behaviors over longer time periods than available in falling experiments we introduce a new experimental platform. We demonstrate how we can induce behavior transitions by modulating the energy input to the system. Certain behavior transitions are found to be irreversible, exhibiting a form of hysteresis, while others are fully reversible. Certain morphologies are shown to behave like simplistic sequential logic circuits, indicating that the system has a form of memory encoded into the morphology-environment interactions. Investigating the limits of how morphology-environment interactions induce non-trivial behaviors is a key step for the design of embodied artificial life-forms.
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Del Dottore E, Sadeghi A, Mondini A, Mattoli V, Mazzolai B. Toward Growing Robots: A Historical Evolution from Cellular to Plant-Inspired Robotics. Front Robot AI 2018; 5:16. [PMID: 33500903 PMCID: PMC7805952 DOI: 10.3389/frobt.2018.00016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2017] [Accepted: 02/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper provides the very first definition of "growing robots": a category of robots that imitates biological growth by the incremental addition of material. Although this nomenclature is quite new, the concept of morphological evolution, which is behind growth, has been extensively addressed in engineering and robotics. In fact, the idea of reproducing processes that belong to living systems has always attracted scientists and engineers. The creation of systems that adapt reliably and effectively to the environment with their morphology and control would be beneficial for many different applications, including terrestrial and space exploration or the monitoring of disasters or dangerous environments. Different approaches have been proposed over the years for solving the morphological adaptation of artificial systems, e.g., self-assembly, self-reconfigurability, evolution of virtual creatures, plant inspiration. This work reviews the main milestones in relation to growing robots, starting from the original concept of a self-replicating automaton to the achievements obtained by plant inspiration, which provided an alternative solution to the challenges of creating robots with self-building capabilities. A selection of robots representative of growth functioning is also discussed, grouped by the natural element used as model: molecule, cell, or organism growth-inspired robots. Finally, the historical evolution of growing robots is outlined together with a discussion of the future challenges toward solutions that more faithfully can represent biological growth.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ali Sadeghi
- Center for Micro-BioRobotics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Pontedera, Italy
| | - Alessio Mondini
- Center for Micro-BioRobotics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Pontedera, Italy
| | - Virgilio Mattoli
- Center for Micro-BioRobotics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Pontedera, Italy
| | - Barbara Mazzolai
- Center for Micro-BioRobotics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Pontedera, Italy
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Nakajima K, Schmidt N, Pfeifer R. Measuring information transfer in a soft robotic arm. BIOINSPIRATION & BIOMIMETICS 2015; 10:035007. [PMID: 25970447 DOI: 10.1088/1748-3190/10/3/035007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Soft robots can exhibit diverse behaviors with simple types of actuation by partially outsourcing control to the morphological and material properties of their soft bodies, which is made possible by the tight coupling between control, body, and environment. In this paper, we present a method that will quantitatively characterize these diverse spatiotemporal dynamics of a soft body based on the information-theoretic approach. In particular, soft bodies have the ability to propagate the effect of actuation through the entire body, with a certain time delay, due to their elasticity. Our goal is to capture this delayed interaction in a quantitative manner based on a measure called momentary information transfer. We extend this measure to soft robotic applications and demonstrate its power using a physical soft robotic platform inspired by the octopus. Our approach is illustrated in two ways. First, we statistically characterize the delayed actuation propagation through the body as a strength of information transfer. Second, we capture this information propagation directly as local information dynamics. As a result, we show that our approach can successfully characterize the spatiotemporal dynamics of the soft robotic platform, explicitly visualizing how information transfers through the entire body with delays. Further extension scenarios of our approach are discussed for soft robotic applications in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Nakajima
- The Hakubi Center for Advanced Research, Kyoto University, 606-8501 Kyoto, Japan. Department of Applied Analysis and Complex Dynamical Systems, Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University, 606-8501 Kyoto, Japan
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Nakajima K, Hauser H, Kang R, Guglielmino E, Caldwell DG, Pfeifer R. A soft body as a reservoir: case studies in a dynamic model of octopus-inspired soft robotic arm. Front Comput Neurosci 2013; 7:91. [PMID: 23847526 PMCID: PMC3705147 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2013.00091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2013] [Accepted: 06/17/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The behaviors of the animals or embodied agents are characterized by the dynamic coupling between the brain, the body, and the environment. This implies that control, which is conventionally thought to be handled by the brain or a controller, can partially be outsourced to the physical body and the interaction with the environment. This idea has been demonstrated in a number of recently constructed robots, in particular from the field of “soft robotics”. Soft robots are made of a soft material introducing high-dimensionality, non-linearity, and elasticity, which often makes the robots difficult to control. Biological systems such as the octopus are mastering their complex bodies in highly sophisticated manners by capitalizing on their body dynamics. We will demonstrate that the structure of the octopus arm cannot only be exploited for generating behavior but also, in a sense, as a computational resource. By using a soft robotic arm inspired by the octopus we show in a number of experiments how control is partially incorporated into the physical arm's dynamics and how the arm's dynamics can be exploited to approximate non-linear dynamical systems and embed non-linear limit cycles. Future application scenarios as well as the implications of the results for the octopus biology are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kohei Nakajima
- Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Department of Informatics, University of Zurich Zurich, Switzerland ; Bio-inspired Robotics Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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