The elephant in the room: The biomimetic principle in bio-robotics and embodied AI

In recent years, bio-inspired robots have shaped numerous domains of technical and scientific production. Bio-inspired robots can now be found in all areas of industry, medicine, architecture, and even culture. Despite the wealth of historiographic and philosophical studies published on this topic, a philosophical investigation of the mimetic principle used in bio-robotics is still missing. In this paper, I will ask a simple question: what is the role of biomimetic and bio-inspired processes in the different practices of bio-robotics? In the following pages, I will first make some conceptual order. I discuss the differences between several bio-inspired disciplines to clearly identify the biomimetic principle. Second, I introduce the discussion on the necessity of imitating nature in early twentieth-century bio-robotics. Third, I state the broader philosophical issue at stake in the debate on the biomimetic principle: the model-world relation, as discussed in the philosophical literature on models and idealization. In section 4, I address several emblematic case studies in which the imitation of nature, variously declined, is fundamental for producing knowledge, thus providing cursory taxonomy of the biomimetic principle. In the conclusion, I will come back to the elephant in the room and suggest how to tackle it further in a fruitful manner. As a broader result, my proposed taxonomy might be used by historians of science and technology as a starting point for historicizing the different practices of current bio-robotics as well as by philosophers to further problematize the various philosophical frameworks that have been accepted and developed in bio-robotics.

Automated summary

Bio-inspired robots have become increasingly important in various fields of technical and scientific production. However, there is still a lack of philosophical investigation into the mimetic principle used in bio-robotics. This paper aims to examine the role of biomimetic and bio-inspired processes in different practices of bio-robotics, providing conceptual order, discussing the necessity of imitating nature, addressing the philosophical issue of the model-world relation, and presenting case studies to demonstrate the importance of imitation in producing knowledge. The proposed taxonomy can be useful for historians and philosophers to understand and problematize the practices and frameworks in bio-robotics.