# Biological Robots: Perspectives on an Emerging Interdisciplinary Field

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2207.00880 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2207.00880/

## Key facts

- Cited by 3 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 9 of its 120 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 2 Jul 2022.

## Builds on (most cited first, 9 of 9)

- [ChainQueen: A Real-Time Differentiable Physical Simulator for Soft Robotics](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1810.01054/) (2018)
- [Learning to Control Self-Assembling Morphologies: A Study of Generalization via Modularity](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1902.05546/) (2019)
- [Reinforcement Learning for Improving Agent Design](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1810.03779/) (2018)
- [Scalable Co-Optimization of Morphology and Control in Embodied Machines](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.06133/) (2017)
- [Technological Approach to Mind Everywhere (TAME): an experimentally-grounded framework for understanding diverse bodies and minds](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.10346/) (2021)
- [Scalable sim-to-real transfer of soft robot designs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1911.10290/) (2019)
- [DiffAqua: A Differentiable Computational Design Pipeline for Soft Underwater Swimmers with Shape Interpolation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2104.00837/) (2021)
- [Reality-assisted evolution of soft robots through large-scale physical experimentation: a review](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2009.13960/) (2020)
- [A good body is all you need: avoiding catastrophic interference via agent architecture search](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.08398/) (2021)

## Built on by (most cited first, 3 of 3)

- [Alignment and Safety in Large Language Models: Safety Mechanisms, Training Paradigms, and Emerging Challenges](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.19672/) (2025)
- [Classical Sorting Algorithms as a Model of Morphogenesis: self-sorting arrays reveal unexpected competencies in a minimal model of basal intelligence](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.05375/) (2023)
- [Birds of a Different Feather Flock Together: Exploring Opportunities and Challenges in Animal-Human-Machine Teaming](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.13973/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Advances in science and engineering often reveal the limitations of classical approaches initially used to understand, predict, and control phenomena. With progress, conceptual categories must often be re-evaluated to better track recently discovered invariants across disciplines. It is essential to refine frameworks and resolve conflicting boundaries between disciplines such that they better facilitate, not restrict, experimental approaches and capabilities. In this essay, we discuss issues at the intersection of developmental biology, computer science, and robotics. In the context of biological robots, we explore changes across concepts and previously distinct fields that are driven by recent advances in materials, information, and life sciences. Herein, each author provides their own perspective on the subject, framed by their own disciplinary training. We argue that as with computation, certain aspects of developmental biology and robotics are not tied to specific materials; rather, the consilience of these fields can help to shed light on issues of multi-scale control, self-assembly, and relationships between form and function. We hope new fields can emerge as boundaries arising from technological limitations are overcome, furthering practical applications from regenerative medicine to useful synthetic living machines.