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Energy and metabolism

Energy and metabolism
Energy and metabolism

Energy resulting from metabolism is essential for any living system-from single-cell to multicellular organisms. This also applies to symbiotic robots (SymBots), which function utilizing the energy (electricity) generated by living microorganisms. In the context of living technologies, artificial symbiosis between the living and the artificial entities of the machine becomes vital for the whole system. If the living entity stops generating energy, the mechatronic system ceases to work yet it is the mechatronic system that provides the microbes with food, and gets rid of their waste. This chapter presents and discusses SymBots, based on EcoBots that operate using Microbial Fuel Cells as onboard living energy devices. The interface between science and engineering is exemplified through the study and optimization of MFCs, producing the necessary data for technological implementation. Biological inspiration stems from living organisms metabolizing and adapting to the environment (homeostasis), which is the main process transferred to engineering.

Biofilm electrodes, Computational autonomy, Dynamic steady states, Energy autonomy, Metabolic homeostasis, Microbial fuel cells, Natural computation, SymBots
62-72
Oxford University Press
Ieropoulos, Ioannis A.
6c580270-3e08-430a-9f49-7fbe869daf13
Ledezma, Pablo
bae34594-33d7-4dfe-98b7-e13ba49b4aac
Scandroglio, Giacomo
70bef141-2444-43e8-88ea-c0d341dfc1e7
Melhuish, Chris
c52dcc8b-1e36-425e-80df-9d05d2b21893
Greenman, John
eb3d9b82-7cac-4442-9301-f34884ae4a16
Prescott, Tony J.
Lepora, Nathan
Verschure, Paul F.M.J
Ieropoulos, Ioannis A.
6c580270-3e08-430a-9f49-7fbe869daf13
Ledezma, Pablo
bae34594-33d7-4dfe-98b7-e13ba49b4aac
Scandroglio, Giacomo
70bef141-2444-43e8-88ea-c0d341dfc1e7
Melhuish, Chris
c52dcc8b-1e36-425e-80df-9d05d2b21893
Greenman, John
eb3d9b82-7cac-4442-9301-f34884ae4a16
Prescott, Tony J.
Lepora, Nathan
Verschure, Paul F.M.J

Ieropoulos, Ioannis A., Ledezma, Pablo, Scandroglio, Giacomo, Melhuish, Chris and Greenman, John (2018) Energy and metabolism. In, Prescott, Tony J., Lepora, Nathan and Verschure, Paul F.M.J (eds.) Living Machines: A Handbook of Research in Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems. Oxford University Press, pp. 62-72. (doi:10.1093/oso/9780199674923.003.0006).

Record type: Book Section

Abstract

Energy resulting from metabolism is essential for any living system-from single-cell to multicellular organisms. This also applies to symbiotic robots (SymBots), which function utilizing the energy (electricity) generated by living microorganisms. In the context of living technologies, artificial symbiosis between the living and the artificial entities of the machine becomes vital for the whole system. If the living entity stops generating energy, the mechatronic system ceases to work yet it is the mechatronic system that provides the microbes with food, and gets rid of their waste. This chapter presents and discusses SymBots, based on EcoBots that operate using Microbial Fuel Cells as onboard living energy devices. The interface between science and engineering is exemplified through the study and optimization of MFCs, producing the necessary data for technological implementation. Biological inspiration stems from living organisms metabolizing and adapting to the environment (homeostasis), which is the main process transferred to engineering.

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More information

Published date: 2018
Additional Information: Publisher Copyright: © Oxford University Press, 2018 and University of Tartu Press, 2012. Copyright: Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
Keywords: Biofilm electrodes, Computational autonomy, Dynamic steady states, Energy autonomy, Metabolic homeostasis, Microbial fuel cells, Natural computation, SymBots

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 454011
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/454011
PURE UUID: b7e31613-f2fc-4adc-b0e7-ec022394843b
ORCID for Ioannis A. Ieropoulos: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-9641-5504

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 27 Jan 2022 18:12
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 04:10

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Contributors

Author: Pablo Ledezma
Author: Giacomo Scandroglio
Author: Chris Melhuish
Author: John Greenman
Editor: Tony J. Prescott
Editor: Nathan Lepora
Editor: Paul F.M.J Verschure

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