This workshop is part of the Living Machines Conference 

Organisers: Dana Damian, Shuhei Miyashita, University of Sheffield

Nature offers some exquisite mechanisms, called homeostasis and morphogenesis, by which life forms can maintain their physical integrity and wellbeing. On the other hand, series of machines, including robots, cannot overcome some of the most insignificant damage, such as a cut in a functional component.

Machines and robots are usually made of durable materials and programmed to execute specific tasks. While typically they are more physically durable and computationally capable than living beings, machines break and fail in situations that are extremely trivial or unexpected for living beings, and often fail to adapt to small changes in the settings they were trained for. Such vulnerabilities render the machines useless, other times introduce risks and sometimes result in fatalities. While machine resilience and adaptability is multi-faceted, there are some fundamental issues that have been under-looked: machine homeostasis and morphogenesis.

The aim of this workshop is to discuss these fundamental gaps between biology and machines and share insights on how to develop a fundamental physical framework for homeostasis and metamorphosis in order to endow machines with the ability to sustain themselves at high entropic states such as hazards and unpredictable conditions. This dialogue will be supported by biologists, psychologists, roboticists and artists.

Programme 

Registration

Registering for the workshop day will allow you to attend any of workshop. 

Register here.