Modular robot that modeled cell membrane dynamics of a cellular slime mold

Abstract

Understanding of the design principles for implementing adaptive functions with respect to engineering currently remains stalled in the conceptual level. However, living organisms exhibit great adaptive function by skillfully relating shape and function in a spatio-temporal manner. In this study, we focus on amoeboid organisms because these organisms have a variable morphology that relates shape and function. Amoeboid organisms in the natural world (i.e., cellular slime molds) locomote through changing the cell membrane shape by inducing the internal protoplasmic streaming. Based on this mechanism, we developed modular robots that modeled the cell membrane dynamics of a cellar slime mold.