Sea Urchins as an Inspiration for Robotic Designs

Abstract

Neuromorphic engineering is the approach to intelligent machine design inspired by nature. Here, we outline possible robotic design principles derived from the neural and motor systems of sea urchins (Echinoida). Firstly, we review the neurobiology and locomotor systems of sea urchins, with a comparative emphasis on differences to animals with a more centralized nervous system. We discuss the functioning and enervation of the tube feet, pedicellariae, and spines, including the limited autonomy of these structures. We outline the design principles behind the sea urchin nervous system. We discuss the current approaches of adapting these principles to robotics, such as sucker-like structures inspired by tube feet and a robotic adaptation of the sea urchin jaw, as well as future directions and possible limitations to using these principles in robots.

Dead urchin walking: resilience of an arctic Strongylocentrotus to severe skeletal damage

“…Echinoderms possess a primitive and decentralised nervous system which is separated into an ectoneural and a hyponeural system with limited neural connections between them (Mashanov et al 2009(Mashanov et al , 2016. Apart from a circumoral nerve ring as the most centralised nervous structure, they possess no brain to which all sensory input converges and from which motor commands emerge (Stiefel and Barrett 2018). Strongylocentrotus moves either on its tube feet or spines (Laur et al 1986) and movement of spine muscles is maintained by the ectoneural nervous system which is situated in the epithelium as a subepidermal plexus, whereas coordinated movement necessary for locomotion is ensured by the circumoral nervous ring (Hyman 1955;Strenger 1973;Stiefel and Barrett 2018).…”

“…Apart from a circumoral nerve ring as the most centralised nervous structure, they possess no brain to which all sensory input converges and from which motor commands emerge (Stiefel and Barrett 2018). Strongylocentrotus moves either on its tube feet or spines (Laur et al 1986) and movement of spine muscles is maintained by the ectoneural nervous system which is situated in the epithelium as a subepidermal plexus, whereas coordinated movement necessary for locomotion is ensured by the circumoral nervous ring (Hyman 1955;Strenger 1973;Stiefel and Barrett 2018). Both large parts of the subepidermal plexus and the circumoral nervous ring remained intact after the traumatic event, explaining why the urchin was still able to move around.…”

Robust Phototaxis by Harnessing Implicit Communication in Modular Soft Robotic Systems

“…They can sense and process information independently while still leading to whole-body locomotion, and robust behavior emerges without a central brain and only a limited central nervous system. [6] There has been a growing effort to understand such distributed systems in biology, in part due to their potential applications in autonomous robotic systems. [3,4,7] In the field of robotics, distributed control is mostly studied in modular and swarm robotics, which utilizes synergy and redundancy to improve the system's adaptability, functionality, reliability, and robustness.…”

Constructional design of echinoid endoskeleton: main structural components and their potential for biomimetic applications

“…Various studies were carried out in the robotic sector from the analysis of echinoid biology and structures to the development of new robotic designs [329]. As an example, a sea urchin-like robot was designed as a new exploration platform enhancing access to unstructured environments or dangerous places [330].…”