Paleontologists must confront the challenge of studying the forms and functions of extinct species for which data from preserved fossils are extremely limited, yielding only a fragmented picture of life in deep time. In response to this hurdle, we describe the nascent field of paleoinspired robotics, an innovative method that builds upon established techniques in bioinspired robotics, enabling the exploration of the biology of ancient organisms and their evolutionary trajectories. This Review presents ways in which robotic platforms can fill gaps in existing research using the exemplars of notable transitions in vertebrate locomotion. We examine recent case studies in experimental paleontology, highlighting substantial contributions made by engineering and robotics techniques, and further assess how the efficient application of robotic technologies in close collaboration with paleontologists and biologists can offer additional insights into the study of evolution that were previously unattainable.

中文翻译：

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受古启发的机器人学作为研究生命历史的实验方法


古生物学家必须面对研究已灭绝物种的形式和功能的挑战，因为保存下来的化石数据极其有限，只能产生一幅碎片化的深时生命图景。为了应对这一障碍，我们描述了古启发机器人学的新兴领域，这是一种建立在生物启发机器人学成熟技术之上的创新方法，能够探索古代生物的生物学及其进化轨迹。本综述介绍了机器人平台可以使用脊椎动物运动中显着转变的示例来填补现有研究空白的方法。我们研究了实验古生物学的最新案例研究，强调了工程和机器人技术做出的重大贡献，并进一步评估了机器人技术如何与古生物学家和生物学家密切合作，为进化研究提供以前无法实现的更多见解。