The immense project: Toward mechano-intelligence

The immense project: Toward mechano-intelligence Alberto Corigliano introduces the ERC Advanced Grant project IMMENSE, which aims to overcome the challenge of developing sentient materials and structures that can receive, exchange, and interpret signals, self-learn and adapt, thus achieving mechano-intelligence. Forests, insect swarms, and bones during remodelling are striking examples of biological systems whose elements possess the ability to sense and exchange signals. These signals are exploited to adapt to evolving environmental conditions and to learn how to improve performance, in some cases without a centralized control.