Morphological computation and morphological control: steps toward a formal theory and applications.

Morphological computation can be loosely defined as the exploitation of the shape, material properties, and physical dynamics of a physical system to improve the efficiency of a computation. Morphological control is the application of morphological computing to a control task. In its theoretical part, this article sharpens and extends these definitions by suggesting new formalized definitions and identifying areas in which the definitions we propose are still inadequate.

Transport in nonequilibrium systems with position-dependent mobility.

We propose a transport mechanism for overdamped diffusing particles. The mechanism is based on a position-dependent mobility and on breaking detailed balance. Using a two-state model, we show that the transport direction is given by the phase shift between mobility and potential or mobility and transition rate.

Bacterial swimming strategies and turbulence.

Most bacteria in the ocean can be motile. Chemotaxis allows bacteria to detect nutrient gradients, and hence motility is believed to serve as a method of approaching sources of food. This picture is well established in a stagnant environment.