Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 20.1 A view of the Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) which belongs to the woodpecker family. (Courtesy
of Ulf T. Runesson, Faculty of Forestry and the Forest Environment, Lakehead University, Ontario, Canada:
www.borealforest.org.)
mechanism for protecting operators of jackhammers. The vibrations generated by the jackhammer
back-propagate into the hand and body of the operator. These vibrations can cause severe damage
including the pulling out the teeth from the operator mouth. Mimicking the shock-absorbing
mechanism of the woodpecker beak may offer an effective approach to suppressing back-propa-
gated vibrations from the jackhammer.
Nanostructures (Chapters 7 and 8): Biology consists of complex nanostructures that allow
many capabilities that are far beyond current human capabilities. Recent developments in nano-
and micro-fabrication, as well as self-assembly techniques, are driving the development of new
functional materials and unique coatings that mimic biomaterials. For controlled adhesion, efforts
are underway to mimic the geckos and their setae. These setae, which are microscopic hairs on the
bottom of their feet, use van der Waals forces to run fast on smooth surfaces such as glass (Autumn
and Peattie, 2003). Further, there are efforts to produce the biomimetic equivalence of cells as
described in Chapters 1 and 15.
.
.
Behavior and cooperative operation (Chapters 3, 4, 5, and 16): Biologically inspired systems
need to autonomously recognize and navigate in various environments, perform critical tasks that
include terrain following, target location and tracking, and cooperative tasks such as hive and
swarm behavior. Such activity requires the incorporation of principles that are derived from
biological behaviors of social groups. Ants serve as a model for accomplishing tasks that are
much bigger than an individual.
Mimicking aerodynamic performance: The development of aerodynamic structures and sys-
tems was inspired by birds and the shape of wind-dispersed seeds. Trees disperse their seeds to
great distances using various aerodynamic principles that allow them to use the wind. The
propelling capability of seeds has inspired designs of futuristic missions with spacecraft that
could soft land on atmospheric planets such as Mars. Adapting this design may offer a better
alternative than parachutes, with a better capability to steer towards selected sites. In recent years,
increasing efforts have been made to develop miniature flying vehicles, especially since the terror
.
Search WWH ::
Custom Search