CEE Seminar - Adaptability through control in robotic and active systems

One of the hallmarks of adaptive matter is the ability to sense and respond to the environment. How can we engineer soft matter systems to exhibit such behavior? In this talk, I will present our recent findings on systems driven by centimeter-scale actuators (electric motors) and nanometer-scale actuators (myosin motors), using methods from control theory to either design function or probe system properties. Such control-theoretical approaches are often exploited in engineering applications. I will instead emphasize how control in active and robotic systems can help physicists better understand information processing, orchestration of function, and adaptability in living systems.