Bionic Components Research Articles

INTEGRATION OF BIONICS AND PROPAEDEUTICS IN THE TRAINING OF ARCHITECTURAL ENVIRONMENT DESIGN STUDENTS

The article substantiates the relevance of changing the methodological approach to the content of the disciplines of the introductory propaedeutic course for architectural environment design students. The authors consider the possibility of integrating elements of the disciplines “Bionics” and “Introduction to Professional Activities” in studying the fundamentals of professional training, proposing the use of bionic components as an alternative to abstract shaping, built on the geometrisation of compositional elements. The proposed methodological changes are based on the study of the historical prerequisites for the formation of the discipline “Introduction to Professional Activities”. The authors of the article compare the methodological content of creative tasks in the introductory disciplines and propose an approach aimed at increasing the productivity of mastering professional competencies based on the synthesis of imaginative search and functionality in the process of training future designers of the architectural environment.

Assembling feather-like reentrant structures with multiple mechanical properties fabricated by laser powder bed fusion

A new assembly design method for structural components is proposed. Inspired by the feathers of the grey crane, which have an energy dissipation effect, novel re-entrant scapus component and novel re-entrant double-crank component are proposed. Novel re-entrant structures are formed by assembling honeycomb structure (HS), poisson structure (PS), and chiral structure (CS). Laser powder bed fusion technology (LPBF) is utilized for the manufacturing of bio-inspired structures. And the impact of structural assembly on mechanical performance is comprehensively analyzed through experimental, numerical, and theoretical approaches. Euler theory is employed to predict the influence of bionic components on structural load trends, while explaining the relationship between compression load and deformation. Specifically, the average load capacity of bio-inspired scapus re-entrant structures and double-crank re-entrant structures exceeds that of their original designs by at least 55% and 13.2%, respectively. Moreover, specific energy absorption increases by a minimum of 8.6% and 3.4%, accompanied by improved heat dissipation performance in these structures. Finally, battery pack impact resistance models as well as thermal conductivity models for electric-powered vehicles are presented as examples to validate the potential application prospects of this novel bio-inspired re-entrant structure in engineering.

Compatibilised and toughened of PLA/PCL blends via modified-chitosan linking amorphous regions: 4D printing and shape memory processes

It is valuable research to improve the compatibility and toughness of PLA/PCL blends while endowing them with shape memory & 4D printing capability. In this work, lactic acid/caprolactone-modified chitosan (mCS) was used to connect the amorphous region of PLA and PCL to achieve compatibilisation, toughening and 4D printing shape memory ability. The effects of different mCS additions on the morphology, crystalline behaviour, and thermal properties of PLA/PCL blends were observed to study the mechanism of compatibilisation and toughening. Adding 0.5 g mCS into 10 g PLA/PCL blends had the best compatibilisation and toughening effect. At the same time, the blends with this addition ratio had the best shape memory performance after 4D printing. The shape fixity and shape memory ratios of the 4D printing model were as high as 100% and 94.5%, respectively. This work provides a new way to fabricate biomedical devices and bionic components with 4D printing.

Wettability-Controlled Directional Actuating Strategy Based on Bilayer Photonic Crystals.

Although the water-triggered bending behavior of bilayer films has been a wide concerned, there are few reports on wettability-controlled directional actuators with visible color changes. Using photonic crystals as carriers, bilayer directional bending structural color actuators were prepared based on the hydrophilic difference. Top inverse opal with strong hydrophilicity can promote water penetration and strengthen the effect of swelling. While, bottom inverse opal with weak hydrophilicity can inhibit water penetration and weaken the effect of swelling. When the bilayer structure is immersed in water, its wettability differences will produce different optical responses for visualization and will bring different swelling performances, resulting in directional bending. Infiltration differences are visualized as structural color red shifts or transparency. The mechanism of the design involves optical diffractions in the fabricated periodic nanostructures, differences in the surface wettability and swelling rate, uses the infiltration and capillary evaporation of water to realize the spectral diversity of reflectance, and the enhancement of bending by gradient infiltration. This work deeply analyzes the improvement of the photonic crystal structure on the optical and bending performance of the wettability-controlled actuator, provides a basic model for the design of bionic components, and opens an idea for the combination of bilayer photonic crystals and actuators.

A Software Engineering Method Based on Bionic Components

With the development of Information Technology, the traditional software engineering method is no longer fully meet the needs of software development. Thesis, according to the point of view of bionics, combined with the analysis of animal architecture, presents the concept of bionic components characteristic of animal body organs and the software engineering method which uses bionic components as the basic unit, based on bionic component method for short. In this paper, the bionic component model, the process model based on bionic component method and the life cycle model based on bionic component method are studied. And on the basis of these models, detailed describes the software development method based on bionic components.

Carbon Nanotubes: Biocompatibility of Immobilized Aligned Carbon Nanotubes (Small 8/2011)

AbstractIn vivo host responses to an electrode‐like array of aligned carbon nanotubes (ACNTs) embedded within a biopolymer sheet are reported. This biocompatibility study assesses the suitability of immobilized carbon nanotubes for bionic devices. Inflammatory responses and foreign‐body histiocytic reactions are not substantially elevated when compared to negative controls following 12 weeks implantation. A fibrous capsule isolates the implanted ACNTs from the surrounding muscle tissue. Filamentous nanotube fragments are engulfed by macrophages, and globular debris is incorporated into the fibrous capsule with no further reaction. Scattered leukocytes are observed, adherent to the ACNT surface. These data indicate that there is a minimal local foreign‐body response to immobilized ACNTs, that detached fragments are phagocytosed into an inert material, and that ACNTs do not attract high levels of surface fouling. Collectively, these results suggest that immobilized nanotube structures should be considered for further investigation as bionic components.

Biocompatibility of Immobilized Aligned Carbon Nanotubes

In vivo host responses to an electrode-like array of aligned carbon nanotubes (ACNTs) embedded within a biopolymer sheet are reported. This biocompatibility study assesses the suitability of immobilized carbon nanotubes for bionic devices. Inflammatory responses and foreign-body histiocytic reactions are not substantially elevated when compared to negative controls following 12 weeks implantation. A fibrous capsule isolates the implanted ACNTs from the surrounding muscle tissue. Filamentous nanotube fragments are engulfed by macrophages, and globular debris is incorporated into the fibrous capsule with no further reaction. Scattered leukocytes are observed, adherent to the ACNT surface. These data indicate that there is a minimal local foreign-body response to immobilized ACNTs, that detached fragments are phagocytosed into an inert material, and that ACNTs do not attract high levels of surface fouling. Collectively, these results suggest that immobilized nanotube structures should be considered for further investigation as bionic components.

メカノバイオニック微小ツールの構築―骨格筋細胞による人工微小骨格の駆動実験―

Mechano-bionic micro tool is a fusion of the micro mechanical components with the bionic systems. Mechanical output from mechano-bionic system could be caused by combination of multiple functions via artificial and bionic components. In this study, we demonstrated muscular cells driven micro tweezers-like structure with artificial three-dimensional micro/nano structure as a mechano-bionic system. We employed structural depend movements for the tweezers with precise three-dimensional micro scaffold to control principal movement without complex molecular biological cellular differentiation and adhesion techniques. The asymmetric inner structure with isometric stiffness could work for guide structure such as joints and skeleton. Focused ion beam technique for three-dimensional fabrication was employed to manufacture biocompatible three-dimensional scaffold on dog's body hair. Skeletal myoblast of rat primary culture were attached on the rapid prototyped structures, and the cells successfully differentiated to myotubes. The deformation of the manipulator was not enough, however the micro structure was driven by muscular contraction due to electrical stimulation. This study was the first trial to realize endoskeletal mechanical micro system using the asymmetric three-dimensional structure.

Robotics as a future and emerging technology biomimetics, cybernetics, and neuro-robotics in european projects

The evolution of the paradigm of modern biomechatronics and robotics can be seen in two main directions, standing as two extremities of a range of future biomechatronics systems: increasing the performance and miniaturization of the hardware platform and increasing the intelligence of the integrated system. Regarding the first direction, the current challenge is to develop sophisticated machines with a higher level of miniaturization and performance, as they can be inspired by insects. Towards the other extremity, there is research on intelligent and autonomous robots, like humanoids. At intermediate levels, one can envisage the development of machines with a good degree of sophistication and performance and with a moderate degree of intelligence and that are more prone to human supervision and control or even to integration with natural bodies as bionic components. In this article, three projects funded by the European Commission in the 5th Framework Programme, in the Information Society Technology-Future and Emerging Technologies (IST-FET) program, are presented as implementing three levels of this evolution of the biomechatronic paradigm: from the biomimetic wormlike microrobot for endoscopic exploration to a cybernetic hand prosthesis to an anthropomorphic robotic platform implementing learning schemes for sensory-motor coordination in manipulation.