by Keyword: Biological principles
Prescott, T. J., Verschure, P. F. M. J., (2018). Living machines: An introduction 
Living Machines: A Handbook of Research in Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems (ed. Prescott, T. J., Lepora, Nathan, Verschure, P.), Oxford Scholarship (Oxford, UK) , 3-14
Biomimetics is the development of novel technologies through the distillation of principles from the study of biological systems. Biohybrid systems are formed by at least one biological component—an already existing living system—and at least one artificial, newly engineered component. The development of either biomimetic or biohybrid systems requires a deep understanding of the operation of living systems, and the two fields are united under the theme of “living machines”—the idea that we can construct artifacts that not only mimic life but share some of the same fundamental principles. This chapter sets out the philosophy and history underlying this Living Machines approach and sets the scene for the remainder of this book.
JTD Keywords: Biohybrids, Biological principles, Biomimetics, History of technology, Living machines, Technology ethics
Prescott, T. J., Lepora, Nathan, Verschure, P., (2018). Living machines: A handbook of research in biomimetics and biohybrid systems Oxford Scholarship , 1-623
Biomimetics is the development of novel technologies through the distillation of ideas from the study of biological systems. Biohybrids are formed through the combination of at least one biological component—an existing living system—and at least one artificial, newly engineered component. These two fields are united under the theme of Living Machines—the idea that we can construct artifacts that not only mimic life but also build on the same fundamental principles. The research described in this volume seeks to understand and emulate life’s ability to self-organize, metabolize, grow, and reproduce; to match the functions of living tissues and organs such as muscles, skin, eyes, ears, and neural circuits; to replicate cognitive and physical capacities such as perception, attention, locomotion, grasp, emotion, and consciousness; and to assemble all of these elements into integrated systems that can hold a technological mirror to life or that have the capacity to merge with it. We conclude with contributions from philosophers, ethicists, and futurists on the potential impacts of this remarkable research on society and on how we see ourselves.
JTD Keywords: Novel technologies, Biomimetics, Biohybrids, Living systems, Living machines, Biological principles, Technology ethics, Societal impacts
