Focus issue on Biomimetics Using Electroactive Polymers as Artificial Muscles

Abstract

Over billions of years, nature has been 'experimenting' with various solutions to its challenges using inputs from every field of science and engineering and it has come up with 'inventions' that work well and last. Nature has always served as a model for mimicking and a source of inspiration to people in their efforts to improve their life. Adapting mechanisms and capabilities from nature and using scientific approaches has led to effective materials, structures, tools, mechanisms, processes, algorithms, methods, systems and many other benefits (Bar-Cohen 2005). Biologically inspired technologies are making it possible to consider developing devices such as prosthetics that feel and operate like the 'real thing' as well as the engineering of robots that look and behave like human and animals.