Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 31, 2025
11:54
Real-Time Proxy-Control of Re-Parameterized Peripheral Signals using a Close-Loop Interface
Published on: May 8, 2021
5.0K
Viewpoint: Homeostasis as Inspiration-Toward Interactive Materials
Michael M Lerch1,2, Alison Grinthal1, Joanna Aizenberg1,2,3,4
1John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|January 11, 2020
Summary
Synthetic materials can mimic biological homeostasis using "mini-homeostasis" feedback loops. This approach enables the design of robust, interactive, and multifunctional materials with diverse behaviors.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Systems Biology
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Homeostatic systems exhibit self-regulation and interactive behaviors.
- Mini-homeostasis, characterized by feedback loops, is fundamental to maintaining system integrity.
- Perturbing these loops across scales can lead to complex phenomena.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose the implementation of mini-homeostatic modules in synthetic materials.
- To explore the design of multifunctional materials with interactive behaviors.
- To demonstrate controlled material responses from synthetic feedback modules.
Main Methods:
- Designing synthetic feedback modules inspired by biological mini-homeostasis.
- Integrating diverse physical and chemical processes into material modules.
- Analyzing material responses to perturbations and random events.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated controlled, nontrivial material responses from simple synthetic feedback modules.
- Illustrated how mini-homeostasis enables interactive behaviors in materials.
- Showcased the inseparability of material fabrication and interactivity exploration.
Conclusions:
- Mini-homeostatic modules offer a pathway to designing robust and interactive synthetic materials.
- Understanding feedback loops across scales is key to material innovation.
- This approach opens new avenues for creating multifunctional materials.
Related Concept Videos
01:16What is Homeostasis?
51.5K
Maintaining homeostasis requires that the body continuously maintain its internal conditions. Each physiological condition has a particular set point, from body temperature to blood pressure to levels of certain nutrients. A set point is the physiological value around which the normal range fluctuates. A normal range is a restricted set of values that is optimally healthful and stable. For example, the set point for normal human body temperature is approximately 37°C (98.6°F).
51.5K
01:18Positive and Negative Feedback Loops
23.9K
Animal organs and organ systems constantly adjust to internal and external changes through a process called homeostasis ("steady state"). Examples of these changes include regulation of the level of glucose or calcium in the blood or internal responses to external temperatures. Homeostasis requires maintaining an internal dynamic equilibrium:
23.9K
01:30Mechanism of Breathing I: Inspiration
2.9K
Introduction to Inspiration: The Respiratory System in Action
The respiratory system, an essential network for breathing, comprises the conducting and respiratory zones, each playing a crucial role in the overall process of respiration. Let us explore the detailed mechanism of inspiration, or inhalation, which is the first phase of the respiratory cycle.
Pathway of Air during Inspiration
During inspiration, air enters our body through the nose or mouth and moves through the conducting zone,...
The respiratory system, an essential network for breathing, comprises the conducting and respiratory zones, each playing a crucial role in the overall process of respiration. Let us explore the detailed mechanism of inspiration, or inhalation, which is the first phase of the respiratory cycle.
Pathway of Air during Inspiration
During inspiration, air enters our body through the nose or mouth and moves through the conducting zone,...
2.9K
01:10Homeostatic Imbalance
31.7K
Homeostasis is the maintenance of a stable internal environment within the body, which is crucial for the proper functioning of cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems. The body has various control mechanisms that work together to regulate various physiological parameters such as temperature, blood pressure, pH balance, and fluid balance, to name a few. These control mechanisms are based on feedback loops that can be either positive or negative.
However, sometimes these feedback loops fail,...
However, sometimes these feedback loops fail,...
31.7K
01:23Physiological Control of Respiration
5.6K
Introduction
Breathing, a seemingly passive process, is regulated by the respiratory center in the brainstem. This center coordinates the involuntary control of respirations, which means it occurs without conscious effort, ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted pattern.
Regulation of Ventilation
The body maintains ventilation by monitoring levels of carbon dioxide (CO2), oxygen (O2), and hydrogen ion concentration (pH) in the arterial blood. Among these factors, the level of CO2 plays a crucial...
Breathing, a seemingly passive process, is regulated by the respiratory center in the brainstem. This center coordinates the involuntary control of respirations, which means it occurs without conscious effort, ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted pattern.
Regulation of Ventilation
The body maintains ventilation by monitoring levels of carbon dioxide (CO2), oxygen (O2), and hydrogen ion concentration (pH) in the arterial blood. Among these factors, the level of CO2 plays a crucial...
5.6K
01:05Breathing
64.0K
The process of breathing, inhaling and exhaling, involves the coordinated movement of the chest wall, the lungs, and the muscles that move them. Two muscle groups with important roles in breathing are the diaphragm, located directly below the lungs, and the intercostal muscles, which lie between the ribs. When the diaphragm contracts, it moves downward, increasing the volume of the thoracic cavity and creating more room for the lungs to expand. When the intercostal muscles contract, the ribs...
64.0K