EFRI-BSBA: Multifunctional materials exhibiting distributed actuation, sensing, and control: Uncovering the hierarchical control of fish for developing smarter materials

EFRI-BSBA：展示分布式驱动，传感和控制的多功能材料：揭示鱼类的分层控制，以开发更智能的材料摘要鱼类具有非凡的能力，可以在狭窄的地方进行机动，执行稳定的高加速度机动，高效悬停和快速制动，这是一个复杂的肌肉系统的结果，该系统占身体质量的一半以上。此外，鱼类有一种非凡的能力，可以通过侧线的神经突感知流体流动的微小变化，这种能力已被证明可以让鱼类检测、定位和跟踪猎物，执行同步的鱼群动作，为有效的运动提供反馈控制，并形成环境的流体动力学图像，使鱼类能够表征附近的实体。然而，对于层次控制系统的结构和组织，以及这些驱动和传感系统如何集成来执行稳定和机动的运动任务，人们仍然知之甚少。此外，很少有人努力将与鱼的传感、驱动和控制相关的生物学概念转化为真正的生物灵感和仿生工程材料和系统。本研究旨在确定并从理论上描述在局部感觉水平上进行的肌肉激活和脊椎刚度调节的计算处理，沿着鱼的尾部结构进行运动。通过一系列跨学科工程实验，该研究试图了解(a)鱼类通过肌肉招募主动调节尾部机械特性的能力，(b)游泳步态是如何由包括视觉、前庭和神经桅杆感觉系统在内的控制系统层次调节的，以及(c)对侧线神经桅杆的水动力刺激如何直接影响尾部的机械特性。将开发一种具有分布式驱动和传感的先进多功能材料系统，作为验证平台，并提供对这些系统生物学的更深入了解。新材料系统将利用创新的人工神经细胞（传感器）和肌肉（致动器），这些神经细胞和肌肉的分布和排列受到鱼体内结构的启发。人造神经桅杆将由一簇纳米线组成，这些纳米线就像毛发一样附着在离子聚合物人造神经元上，从而制造出坚固、灵活、敏感、动态响应的流体流量检测传感器。由多功能材料提供的生物启发驱动利用了材料系统中微米柔性矩阵复合驱动器的分布。通过鱼和人工材料系统的生物和工程实验的耦合，跨学科团队将共同开发一个新的框架，用于观察、识别和预测鱼的运动和刚度调节的感觉运动行为。这项研究将推动多功能材料的最新发展，导致能够智能感知和驱动分布式鲁棒传感器和执行器网络的新结构。先驱者的努力包括利用纳米技术和先进的复合技术开发先进的材料系统，制造分层结构的传感器，为生物工程研究创造新的工具，并在理解用于传感和机动的分层控制鱼的组织和结构方面引发范式转变。通过合作努力，将制定和实施K-12课堂教育、本科研究和少数民族招生的智力框架。拟议的教育计划的一个目标是对学生产生广泛的影响。通过哈佛大学K-12课程的知识传播来学习？这里是自然历史博物馆。将开发一个关于机器鱼的巡回展览，展示水生推进的生物学，新的执行器和传感技术，以及如何将这些集成到设计机器鱼中。评估将建立可衡量的学习目标，并提供学习和改进教育模块的数据。

EFRI-BSBA: Multifunctional materials exhibiting distributed actuation, sensing, and control: Uncovering the hierarchical control of fish for developing smarter materialsPI Name: Michael PhilenInstitution: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityProposal No. 0938043Abstract Fish have a remarkable ability to maneuver in tight places, perform stable high acceleration maneuvers, hover efficiently, and quickly brake as a result of a complex muscular system that comprises more than half of the body mass. Additionally, fish have an extraordinary ability to sense minuscule changes in fluid flow through neuromasts in the lateral line which has been shown to allow fish to detect, localize, and track prey, perform synchronized schooling maneuvers, provide feedback control for efficient locomotion, and form hydrodynamic images of the environment which enable the fish to characterize entities in the vicinity. However, there is still very little understanding of the structure and organization of the hierarchical control systems or of how these actuation and sensing systems are integrated to perform steady and maneuvering locomotor tasks. Furthermore, there has been little effort to transform the biological concepts related to the sensing, actuation, and control of fish into truly bioinspired and biomimetic engineered materials and systems. This research aims to identify and theoretically describe the computational processing performed at the local sensory level for muscle activation and vertebral-stiffness modulation along the tail structure of fish for locomotion. Through a series of interdisplinary engineered experiments, the research seeks to understand (a) the ability of fish to actively modulate the mechanical properties of the tail via muscle recruitment, (b) how swimming gaits are regulated by a hierarchy of control systems that involve the visual, vestibular, and neuromast sensory systems, and (c) how hydrodynamic stimuli to the lateral line neuromasts directly influence the mechanical properties of the tail. An advanced multifunctional material system having distributed actuation and sensing will be developed to serve as a platform for validation and to provide greater understanding of the biology of these systems. The new material system will utilize innovative artificial neuromasts (sensors) and muscles (actuators) that are distributed and arranged as inspired by the configuration found in fish. The artificial neuromast will consist of a cluster of nanowires acting as hairs attached to ionic polymer artificial neurons to create robust, flexible, sensitive, and dynamically responsive sensors for fluid flow detection. The biologically inspired actuation provided by the multifunctional material utilizes a distribution of micron flexible matrix composite actuators in the material system. Through coupling of the biological and engineering experiments of the fish and artificial material system, the interdisplinary team will work together to develop a new framework for observing, identifying, and predicting the sensorimotor behavior of fish for locomotion and stiffness modulation. This research will advance the state-of-the-art development of multifunctional materials, leading to new structures that can intelligently sense and actuate a network of distributed robust sensors and actuators. Pioneer efforts include developing an advanced material system using nanotechnology and advanced composite technology, fabricating hierarchically structured sensors, creating new tools for bio-engineering investigations, and instigating a paradigm shift in the understanding of the organization and structure of the hierarchical control fish use for sensing and maneuvering. Through collaborative efforts, an intellectual framework for education in K-12 classrooms, undergraduate research, and recruitment of minorities will be developed and implemented. One goal of the proposed education plan is to achieve broad impact on students? learning through dissemination of knowledge through K-12 programs at Harvard?s Museum of Natural History. A traveling exhibit will be developed on robotic fish that showcases the biology of aquatic propulsion, new actuator and sensing technologies and how these can be integrated to design a robotic fish. Assessment will establish measurable learning objectives and provide data on learning and improvement of the educational modules.