> I think it's to demonstrate that fully mechanical systems can learn and react like a real brain plus muscles and sensors.
That wasn't the point of the research as expressed in the article (note that the final image has a label for "Control electronics" underneath the mechanical system):
> Thus, this work lays the foundation for artificial-intelligent (AI) materials that can learn behaviors and properties.
With applications such as:
> use in aircraft wings to morph the shape in response to wind patterns to boost efficiency, adding reactive rigidity to buildings to better withstand earthquakes and other disasters, shockwave-deflecting reactive armor, or even the creation of surfaces able to perform acoustic imaging.
That wasn't the point of the research as expressed in the article (note that the final image has a label for "Control electronics" underneath the mechanical system):
> Thus, this work lays the foundation for artificial-intelligent (AI) materials that can learn behaviors and properties.
With applications such as:
> use in aircraft wings to morph the shape in response to wind patterns to boost efficiency, adding reactive rigidity to buildings to better withstand earthquakes and other disasters, shockwave-deflecting reactive armor, or even the creation of surfaces able to perform acoustic imaging.