Working definition
Mechanical intelligence is the purposeful use of geometry, compliance, material behavior, passive dynamics, and mechanisms to sense, decide, adapt, or coordinate behavior with less active computation and control.
It is not “intelligence without electronics.” It is a system-level approach: allow the body to solve the parts of a problem that physics can solve efficiently, then reserve sensing and software for the parts that genuinely need them.
Proposed thesis direction
Biomimetic Cable-Driven Underactuation and Mechanical Cam Programming for Low-Cost Humanoid Robotics.
The work would investigate whether tendon-like cable routing, elastic elements, and replaceable cam profiles can generate coordinated, expressive motions with fewer actuators and simpler control.