Winn L. Rosch Hardware Bible, Sixth Edition

Computer Intelligence

Biomechanical engineers are changing the way people think about insect intelligence. In an effort to develop machines that walk like insects, they have discovered that form doesn't dictate function, and function doesn't dictate form. The two are intimately linked.

Although some researchers have worked hard to develop machines that walk like insects by adding more and more intelligence, others have gone back to the drawing board with a more mechanical approach. By mimicking the structure of the insect body, they have been able to make mechanical insects that duplicate the gait of your typical six-legged bug. These mechanical insects can even change their gait and crawl over obstacles, all using no more intelligence than an ...