When
Where
Speaker: Alain Goriely, Professor, Oxford University. Director, OCIAM
Title: From neurons, plants, and elephant trunks to actuators and soft robots: The fascinating
dynamics of smart active solids
Abstract: The world around us is filled with structures that respond to external stimuli and adapt their internal structures to perform specific functions. For example, plants have the ability to sense changes in their environment, such as changes in gravity or light, and modify their shape accordingly to survive. During development, neurons respond to their surroundings by growing and connecting different parts of the brain. Additionally, octopus arms and elephant trunks are respond to neural stimuli and have inspired the development of soft robotics. In this talk we will first develop a general theory of active structures, characterized by a solid matrix with embedded active components and suitable to model both biological and engineering systems. I will propose a unified mathematical framework to model how multiple stimuli can be combined at the microscopic level to produce changes at the macroscopic level, and apply these ideas to various systems.