  Advances in science and engineering often reveal the limitations of classical
approaches initially used to understand, predict, and control phenomena. With
progress, conceptual categories must often be re-evaluated to better track
recently discovered invariants across disciplines. It is essential to refine
frameworks and resolve conflicting boundaries between disciplines such that
they better facilitate, not restrict, experimental approaches and capabilities.
In this essay, we discuss issues at the intersection of developmental biology,
computer science, and robotics. In the context of biological robots, we explore
changes across concepts and previously distinct fields that are driven by
recent advances in materials, information, and life sciences. Herein, each
author provides their own perspective on the subject, framed by their own
disciplinary training. We argue that as with computation, certain aspects of
developmental biology and robotics are not tied to specific materials; rather,
the consilience of these fields can help to shed light on issues of multi-scale
control, self-assembly, and relationships between form and function. We hope
new fields can emerge as boundaries arising from technological limitations are
overcome, furthering practical applications from regenerative medicine to
useful synthetic living machines.
