?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.title=Natural+Variation+and+Neuromechanical+Systems&rft.creator=Alicea%2C+Bradly&rft.subject=Neurophysiology&rft.subject=Robotics&rft.subject=Theoretical+Biology&rft.subject=Population+Biology&rft.description=Natural+variation+plays+an+important+but+subtle+and+often+ignored+role+in+neuromechanical+systems.+This+is+especially+important+when+designing+for+living+or+hybrid+systems+%0D%0Awhich+involve+a+biological+or+self-assembling+component.+Accounting+for+natural+variation+can+be+accomplished+by+taking+a+population+phenomics+approach+to+modeling+and+analyzing+such+systems.+I+will+advocate+the+position+that+noise+in+neuromechanical+systems+is+partially+represented+by+natural+variation+inherent+in+user+physiology.+Furthermore%2C+this+noise+can+be+augmentative+in+systems+that+couple+physiological+systems+with+technology.+There+are+several+tools+and+approaches+that+can+be+borrowed+from+computational+biology+to+characterize+the+populations+of+users+as+they+interact+with+the+technology.+In+addition+to+transplanted+approaches%2C+the+potential+of+natural+variation+can+be+understood+as+having+a+range+of+effects+on+both+the+individual's+physiology+and+function+of+the+living%2Fhybrid+system+over+time.+Finally%2C+accounting+for+natural+variation+can+be+put+to+good+use+in+human-machine+system+design%2C+as+three+prescriptions+for+exploiting+variation+in+design+are+proposed.&rft.date=2009-11-06&rft.type=Preprint&rft.type=NonPeerReviewed&rft.format=application%2Fpdf&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Fcogprints.org%2F6698%2F1%2Fnat_variation_neuromech_design.pdf&rft.identifier=++Alicea%2C+Bradly++(2009)+Natural+Variation+and+Neuromechanical+Systems.++%5BPreprint%5D+++++&rft.relation=http%3A%2F%2Fcogprints.org%2F6698%2F