Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER
13
Biomimetic Self-Organization
and Self-Healing
Torben Lenau
a
and
Thomas Hesselberg
b
a
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark,
DK2800 Lyngby, Denmark
b
Department of Zoology, University of Oxford,
Oxford OX1 3PS, United Kingdom
Prospectus
Self-organization and self-healing appeal to humans
because difficult and repeated actions can be avoided
through automation via bottom-up nonhierarchical
processes. This is in contrast to the top-level con-
trolled manner we normally apply as an action strat-
egy in manufacturing and maintenance work. This
chapter presents eight different self-organizing and
self-healing approaches in nature and takes a look
at realized and potential applications. Furthermore,
the core principles for each approach are described
using simplified drawings in order to make the ideas
behind the self-organizing and self-healing principles
more accessible to design practitioners.
producing goods. For instance, a sculptured
metal part for a car is produced by shaping
bulk material into thin sheets and then press-
ing them into shape in a die with a predefined
geometry. In contrast, nature constructs geom-
etry in seashells, insects, and plants without a
guiding mold or die. Instead, the geometrical
instructions are inherent in the single building
blocks, namely, in the cells. The traffic move-
ments of trains and airplanes are controlled
through time schedules and centralized com-
mand structures. In nature, bird flocks, fish
schools, ants, and penguins move nimbly and
purposefully without an overall controlling
body. In many situations, it could be advan-
tageous to emulate nature and move some of
the planning capacity away from the central
hierarchical level down to the single building
blocks. This chapter examines how nature uses
self-organization and self-healing and identi-
fies the underlying principles. Furthermore, it
describes how the principles have been used
and can be applied by humans.
The concepts of self-organization are often
explained by looking at emergent structures
Keywords
Adaptive growth, Animal behavior, Bio-inspired
design, Breaking plane, Collective decision mak-
ing, Decentralized control, Emergent structures,
Extensibility, Flock coordination, Multilayer forma-
tion, Self-healing, Self-organizing, Social insects,
Stigmergy, Swarm intelligence, Tensairity
13.1 INTRODUCTION
We humans normally apply a very con-
trolled approach to organizing activities and
