Strandbeests: Theo Jansen’s Evolving Beach Creatures

Theo Jansen, a Dutch artist and physicist, has spent over three decades creating "Strandbeests" (beach animals) - sophisticated mechanical organisms made primarily from PVC pipes that walk autonomously along Dutch beaches. Initially conceived in 1990 as a solution to combat rising sea levels by building up dunes, these wind-powered creatures have evolved into complex entities that blur the line between art, engineering, and life. The Strandbeests feature Jansen's ingenious 13-part "Jansen linkage" locomotion system, mathematically optimized through computer simulations. The most advanced specimens possess rudimentary "brains" made of pneumatic circuits, allowing them to sense and respond to their environment. Jansen employs a form of artificial natural selection in his creative process, allowing only successful designs to "reproduce" into subsequent generations. His creations have garnered worldwide recognition, inspiring both artistic appreciation and scientific interest from institutions such as NASA, while raising profound philosophical questions about our definitions of life itself.

https://www.ihadnoclue.com/article/1125310178726412289