bio-inspired-robotics
Bio-inspired robotics is a field that draws on biological structures and behaviors to design simpler, more effective engineered systems and machines. In plant science, researchers study mechanisms like root growth, tendril coiling, and seed dispersal to develop soft robots capable of movement, sensing, and adaptation without rigid components. This cross-disciplinary approach not only advances robotic design but also deepens understanding of the mechanical and physiological principles underlying plant movement and growth.
open_in_new WikipediaEurope PMC · 2026-06-23
Researchers propose 'plant embodied intelligence' as a framework for understanding how plants solve problems, process information, and make decisions without a brain, using their distributed bodies and environment as the machinery of cognition.
The review defines plant embodied intelligence (PEI) as adaptive problem-solving that emerges from dynamic interactions between distributed plant structures and their environment, not from any central processing organ.
Four core research avenues are identified: adaptive morphogenesis and growth, distributed information processing and memory, ecological communication and swarm-like behavior, and decision-making under risk and competition.
A convergent methodology is proposed combining quantitative phenotyping, molecular systems biology, ecological modeling, and plant-inspired robotics to close critical gaps in the field.