13 scientific breakthroughs inspired by nature
By Jon Turi Dated August 22, 2015
1. Running wild
Boston Dynamics has been a hotbed of robotic innovation for years, with the BigDog quadrupedal robot as one of its earliest and most recognizable of the bunch. Balancing on four legs was certainly easier to accomplish than just two, so borrowing from dogs and pack mules was an obvious step.
When speed became the goal, the spritely cheetah's articulated back and basic leg motions were emulated, allowing the Cheetah robot to hit a record-breaking 28.3 MPH in 2012. Since that time, it's made its way into the world and is progressing by leaps and bounds.
2. Buggy bots
Japan's Takram Design Engineering borrowed from six-legged insects (and Stanford's earlier iSprawl) to create the Phasma robot. The method of locomotion for this hexapedal robot is called an alternating tripod gate. It toggles from having two feet down on one side and a single on the other, to the opposite configuration, creating a bouncy motion that's eerily similar to insects.
3. Bee moves
The concept of flight is easily attributed to emulating creatures humans have seen soaring overhead. Harvard's RoboBee project, however, looked toward less lofty aviators like bees for their flying mechanisms and hive behavior. Ultimately the goal is for a helpful autonomous drone swarm to handle new tasks, or take over for their slowly disappearing insectoid brethren.
4. Flappy bird
AeroVironment, a contractor for DARPA, developed this Nano Air Vehicle (NAV) as a biomimetic version of the hummingbird. It had a checklist of challenges, including hover stability, speed, precision, video-based piloting and, of course, resembling an actual bird. All of which it passed with flying colors.
5. Bug eyes
The incredible natural design of insect eyes inspired a team of engineers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to create a new type of digital camera technology. Mimicking the ocular systems of bees and mantises, they laid out a series of microlenses, each with a photodiode, on a half hemisphere to offer a 180-degree view and near infinite depth of field.
6. Lobster vision
The Lobster Eye X-ray Inspection Device (LEXID) was loosely inspired by the lobster's highly evolved method of sight in the murky depths on the ocean floor. Lobsters use a large number of cells arranged in a spherical array to capture tiny amounts of light, which then focus to present an image.
The LEXID's operation was a departure from nature's design, though: It had a wide cone, mini X-ray generator and lobster-eye-styled sensor. The X-ray imaging gave it enhanced vision and the ability to see through solids. The project's even moved into its second phase of development with the Department of Homeland Security investing $750,000 in 2005.
7. Getting a grip
Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (a Harvard affiliate) have been studying a new jellyfish-like method of detecting and capturing specific molecules. Using a microchip with a microfluidic surface and a 3D DNA network of strands (like sticky jellyfish tentacles), the team was able to search for and capture cancer cell proteins in the blood. It proved to be more effective than other methods at collecting these unwanted invaders.
[Image: B.Positive.2014/Flickr]
8. Smooth and sanitary
While investigating solutions for the US Navy to keep its hulls clear of algae buildup, Dr. Anthony Brennan was inspired by the un-fouled skins of slow-swimming sharks. The secret, it seems, was in the topography and arrangement of tiny diamond patterned riblets. The technology, Sharklet SafeTouch, is especially useful in the medical field, where the material mitigates the buildup of microbes.
9. Walking on water
The water strider insect has the natural ability to walk and jump on water. A team at Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering made progress on mimicking its abilities in 2007, albeit at a larger scale than the real thing. This year, a new project has managed to develop a more realistically scaled version that matches the mechanics and movements of the creatures. It allows them to exert a force equivalent to 16 times their own weight without breaking the surface of the water.
10. Fiber optics from a sponge
While the sea sponge isn't the most endearing of sea creatures, it's been able to inspire a variety of engineering advancements. The Euplectella (or Venus' Flower Basket) is made of a natural glass called biosilica. Its fibers are only about the size of a human hair, but through layering and an organic glue, they're extremely resilient. Alcatel-Lucent's Bell Labs has studied their inner workings leading to innovations in fiber optics.
The lattice and criss-cross pattern that comprise the essential structure of these creatures also exhibits highly advanced construction principles. The glass-like material is incredibly strong and resistant to twisting or breaking, which is useful in synthetic materials design and structural developments.
11. Butterfly affectation
Qualcomm's Mirasol display technology found its inspiration in the wings of a butterfly. Interferometric modulation (iMoD) tech developed by Iridigm Display Corp played a major role in its development, which is why the company was acquired by Qualcomm in 2004. Together with microscopic electro-mechanical machines (MEMS), the resultant displays are able to provide bright images using significantly less energy than other screens, because they reflect light, instead of emitting it.
12. Fool me twice
Cuttlefish, as well as squid and octopuses, belong to the class of cephalopods with chromatophores -- neuromuscular organs that enable them to adjust pigment and shape. These unique marine creatures have an innate ability to camouflage themselves by blending into the background through color and textural changes.
The University of Illinois explored camouflage techniques (backed by the US Navy) that mimicked the real thing through layers of photosensors, actuators and temperature-sensitive pigment. And at MIT, scientists developed a display one micron thick, which contained poly-2 vinyl that could change colors through an electric charge.
13. Sticking to it
Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and NASA have been adapting the unique adhesive properties of gecko feet to produce a variety of tools. Geckskin is an adhesive from the university that's able to support heavy loads (700 pounds from an index-card sized piece) on smooth surfaces.
NASA is working on bots that can stick to the hull of the ISS for repairs or snag passing space junk. Other variations allow robots to climb stone walls using claws and smaller units leverage electro-static properties to stick on surfaces.
http://www.engadget.com/2015/08/22/13-scientific-breakthroughs-inspired-by-nature/
By Jon Turi Dated August 22, 2015
1. Running wild
Boston Dynamics has been a hotbed of robotic innovation for years, with the BigDog quadrupedal robot as one of its earliest and most recognizable of the bunch. Balancing on four legs was certainly easier to accomplish than just two, so borrowing from dogs and pack mules was an obvious step.
When speed became the goal, the spritely cheetah's articulated back and basic leg motions were emulated, allowing the Cheetah robot to hit a record-breaking 28.3 MPH in 2012. Since that time, it's made its way into the world and is progressing by leaps and bounds.
2. Buggy bots
Japan's Takram Design Engineering borrowed from six-legged insects (and Stanford's earlier iSprawl) to create the Phasma robot. The method of locomotion for this hexapedal robot is called an alternating tripod gate. It toggles from having two feet down on one side and a single on the other, to the opposite configuration, creating a bouncy motion that's eerily similar to insects.
3. Bee moves
The concept of flight is easily attributed to emulating creatures humans have seen soaring overhead. Harvard's RoboBee project, however, looked toward less lofty aviators like bees for their flying mechanisms and hive behavior. Ultimately the goal is for a helpful autonomous drone swarm to handle new tasks, or take over for their slowly disappearing insectoid brethren.
4. Flappy bird
AeroVironment, a contractor for DARPA, developed this Nano Air Vehicle (NAV) as a biomimetic version of the hummingbird. It had a checklist of challenges, including hover stability, speed, precision, video-based piloting and, of course, resembling an actual bird. All of which it passed with flying colors.
5. Bug eyes
The incredible natural design of insect eyes inspired a team of engineers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to create a new type of digital camera technology. Mimicking the ocular systems of bees and mantises, they laid out a series of microlenses, each with a photodiode, on a half hemisphere to offer a 180-degree view and near infinite depth of field.
6. Lobster vision
The Lobster Eye X-ray Inspection Device (LEXID) was loosely inspired by the lobster's highly evolved method of sight in the murky depths on the ocean floor. Lobsters use a large number of cells arranged in a spherical array to capture tiny amounts of light, which then focus to present an image.
The LEXID's operation was a departure from nature's design, though: It had a wide cone, mini X-ray generator and lobster-eye-styled sensor. The X-ray imaging gave it enhanced vision and the ability to see through solids. The project's even moved into its second phase of development with the Department of Homeland Security investing $750,000 in 2005.
7. Getting a grip
Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (a Harvard affiliate) have been studying a new jellyfish-like method of detecting and capturing specific molecules. Using a microchip with a microfluidic surface and a 3D DNA network of strands (like sticky jellyfish tentacles), the team was able to search for and capture cancer cell proteins in the blood. It proved to be more effective than other methods at collecting these unwanted invaders.
[Image: B.Positive.2014/Flickr]
8. Smooth and sanitary
While investigating solutions for the US Navy to keep its hulls clear of algae buildup, Dr. Anthony Brennan was inspired by the un-fouled skins of slow-swimming sharks. The secret, it seems, was in the topography and arrangement of tiny diamond patterned riblets. The technology, Sharklet SafeTouch, is especially useful in the medical field, where the material mitigates the buildup of microbes.
9. Walking on water
The water strider insect has the natural ability to walk and jump on water. A team at Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering made progress on mimicking its abilities in 2007, albeit at a larger scale than the real thing. This year, a new project has managed to develop a more realistically scaled version that matches the mechanics and movements of the creatures. It allows them to exert a force equivalent to 16 times their own weight without breaking the surface of the water.
10. Fiber optics from a sponge
While the sea sponge isn't the most endearing of sea creatures, it's been able to inspire a variety of engineering advancements. The Euplectella (or Venus' Flower Basket) is made of a natural glass called biosilica. Its fibers are only about the size of a human hair, but through layering and an organic glue, they're extremely resilient. Alcatel-Lucent's Bell Labs has studied their inner workings leading to innovations in fiber optics.
The lattice and criss-cross pattern that comprise the essential structure of these creatures also exhibits highly advanced construction principles. The glass-like material is incredibly strong and resistant to twisting or breaking, which is useful in synthetic materials design and structural developments.
11. Butterfly affectation
Qualcomm's Mirasol display technology found its inspiration in the wings of a butterfly. Interferometric modulation (iMoD) tech developed by Iridigm Display Corp played a major role in its development, which is why the company was acquired by Qualcomm in 2004. Together with microscopic electro-mechanical machines (MEMS), the resultant displays are able to provide bright images using significantly less energy than other screens, because they reflect light, instead of emitting it.
12. Fool me twice
Cuttlefish, as well as squid and octopuses, belong to the class of cephalopods with chromatophores -- neuromuscular organs that enable them to adjust pigment and shape. These unique marine creatures have an innate ability to camouflage themselves by blending into the background through color and textural changes.
The University of Illinois explored camouflage techniques (backed by the US Navy) that mimicked the real thing through layers of photosensors, actuators and temperature-sensitive pigment. And at MIT, scientists developed a display one micron thick, which contained poly-2 vinyl that could change colors through an electric charge.
13. Sticking to it
Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and NASA have been adapting the unique adhesive properties of gecko feet to produce a variety of tools. Geckskin is an adhesive from the university that's able to support heavy loads (700 pounds from an index-card sized piece) on smooth surfaces.
NASA is working on bots that can stick to the hull of the ISS for repairs or snag passing space junk. Other variations allow robots to climb stone walls using claws and smaller units leverage electro-static properties to stick on surfaces.
http://www.engadget.com/2015/08/22/13-scientific-breakthroughs-inspired-by-nature/
