Mechanical Intelligence: Lessons from biotic and abiotic systems

The living world is filled with examples of mechanical intelligence where information processing is deeply embedded in architecture of living materials. From the smallest to largest length scales ranging from protein machines to complex behavior of single cells all the way to a walking elephant - geometrical architecture of these dynamical systems enables a unique information processing platform that is not yet seen in human design. Deciphering the key physical principles of embodied computation in the living world would not only allow us to understand cellular machines as information processing units - but also inspire an entirely new class of design of intelligent matter. With examples from our work in understanding origins of behavior in single cells and non-neuronal multi-cellular ensembles - I will draw a few principles of mechanical intelligence. Finally, I will share our recent discovery of "mechanical circuits" that embody self-learning and show a few applications of this unique class of self-learning material.