Editorial: Generation Growbots: Materials, Mechanisms, and Biomimetic Design for Growing Robots
Author: Barbara Mazzolai
Publisher:
Published: 2021
Total Pages: 0
ISBN-13:
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Author: Barbara Mazzolai
Publisher:
Published: 2021
Total Pages: 0
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DOWNLOAD EBOOKAuthor: Barbara Mazzolai
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Published: 2021-08-18
Total Pages: 139
ISBN-13: 2889711854
DOWNLOAD EBOOKAuthor: Paco Calvo
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 2023-03-14
Total Pages: 199
ISBN-13: 0393881091
DOWNLOAD EBOOK“Weaves science and history into an absorbing exploration of the many ways that plants rise to the challenge of living.” —Merlin Sheldrake, author of Entangled Life An astonishing window into the inner world of plants, and the cutting-edge science in plant intelligence. Decades of research document plants’ impressive abilities: they communicate with each other, manipulate other species, and move in sophisticated ways. Lesser known, however, is that although plants may not have brains, their internal workings reveal a system not unlike the neuronal networks running through our own bodies. They can learn and remember, possessing an intelligence that allows them to behave in flexible, forward-looking, and goal-directed ways. In Planta Sapiens, Paco Calvo, a leading figure in the philosophy of plant signaling and behavior, offers an entirely new perspective on plants’ worlds, showing for the first time how we can use tools developed to study animal cognition in a quest to understand plant intelligence. Plants learn from experience: wild strawberries can be taught to link light intensity with nutrient levels in the soil, and flowers can time pollen production to pollinator visits. Plants have social intelligence, releasing chemicals from their roots and leaves to speak to and identify one another. They make decisions about where to invest their growth, judging risk based on the resources available. Their individual preferences vary, too—plants have personalities. Calvo also illuminates how plants inspire technological advancements, from robotics to AI. Most importantly, he demonstrates that plants are not objects: they have their own agency. If we recognize plants as actors alongside us in the climate crisis—rather than seeing them simply as resources for carbon capture and food production—plants may just be able to help us tackle our most urgent problems.
Author: Concepción A. Monje
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Published: 2021-07-14
Total Pages: 175
ISBN-13: 2889710475
DOWNLOAD EBOOKAuthor: Karl J. Niklas
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Published: 2012-02-06
Total Pages: 447
ISBN-13: 0226586340
DOWNLOAD EBOOKFrom Galileo, who used the hollow stalks of grass to demonstrate the idea that peripherally located construction materials provide most of the resistance to bending forces, to Leonardo da Vinci, whose illustrations of the parachute are alleged to be based on his study of the dandelion’s pappus and the maple tree’s samara, many of our greatest physicists, mathematicians, and engineers have learned much from studying plants. A symbiotic relationship between botany and the fields of physics, mathematics, engineering, and chemistry continues today, as is revealed in Plant Physics. The result of a long-term collaboration between plant evolutionary biologist Karl J. Niklas and physicist Hanns-Christof Spatz, Plant Physics presents a detailed account of the principles of classical physics, evolutionary theory, and plant biology in order to explain the complex interrelationships among plant form, function, environment, and evolutionary history. Covering a wide range of topics—from the development and evolution of the basic plant body and the ecology of aquatic unicellular plants to mathematical treatments of light attenuation through tree canopies and the movement of water through plants’ roots, stems, and leaves—Plant Physics is destined to inspire students and professionals alike to traverse disciplinary membranes.
Author: Anja Geitmann
Publisher: Springer
Published: 2018-06-09
Total Pages: 436
ISBN-13: 3319790994
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis book provides important insights into the operating principles of plants by highlighting the relationship between structure and function. It describes the quantitative determination of structural and mechanical parameters, such as the material properties of a tissue, in correlation with specific features, such as the ability of the tissue to conduct water or withstand bending forces, which will allow advanced analysis in plant biomechanics. This knowledge enables researchers to understand the developmental changes that occur in plant organs over their life span and under the influence of environmental factors. The authors provide an overview of the state of the art of plant structure and function and how they relate to the mechanical behavior of the organism, such as the ability of plants to grow against the gravity vector or to withstand the forces of wind. They also show the sophisticated strategies employed by plants to effect organ movement and morphogenesis in the absence of muscles or cellular migration. As such, this book not only appeals to scientists currently working in plant sciences and biophysics, but also inspires future generations to pursue their own research in this area.
Author: C. A. Brebbia
Publisher: WIT Press
Published: 2008
Total Pages: 369
ISBN-13: 1845641205
DOWNLOAD EBOOKDesign in engineering and science has often been inspired by nature. This has been more evident in recent years, after a period during which our civilization thought in terms of taming rather than working in harmony with nature. The consequences of that approach are still with us and have resulted in a world increasingly homogenized, lacking in biodiversity and with increased pollution. Mankind has been slow to learn and even slower to apply the lessons that nature offers, in spite of the urgency of our predicament. This book contains papers presented at the fourth International Conference on Comparing Design in Nature with Science and Engineering . The emphasis of this Volume is on engineering and architectural applications and on biomimetics, reflecting in some measure current interest in finding environmentally friendly solutions which also optimize the use of natural resources. The contributions have been arranged into the following topics: Biomimetics; Shape and Form in Engineering Nature; Nature and Architectural Design; Natural Materials and Surfaces; Complexity; and Education.
Author: Francis E. Putz
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 1991
Total Pages: 576
ISBN-13: 9780521392501
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis 1992 book is a treatment of what was known about climbing plants, written by a group of experts.
Author: Anthony Herrel
Publisher: CRC Press
Published: 2006-01-13
Total Pages: 351
ISBN-13: 1420001590
DOWNLOAD EBOOKWe live in a well-engineered universe. This engineering is present in every system and organism in existence, including in the actions and interactions of plants and animals. In fact, one could say that the function and movement of plants and animals is just as much a part of their makeup as chlorophyll and fiber or bone and blood. Consequently, if
Author: Arnim Gleich
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Published: 2010-03-18
Total Pages: 202
ISBN-13: 3642052460
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThere is a wide consensus about the necessity of sustainable development. There is also a consensus that wide areas of our economy, industry, and technology and the life styles in industrialized countries are not susta- able. Science and technology are widely regarded as (main) causes for this situation. Issues in this context comprise the generally low resource ef- ciency, an increased and mostly undebated technological power, an - creased invasiveness of modern technologies, increasing amounts and - versity of pollutants, and high technological risks. On the other hand science and technology are also regarded as (main) solution providers towards more sustainability. Thus the question is which type of science and technology is rather a part of the problem, and which type is rather a part of the solution? ‘Learning from nature’ may give some orientation in this context. B- mimetics and bionics are widely regarded as being a part of the solution.