Bionic Design Research Articles

Enhancing biological system engineering realisation through advanced feature transfer and extenics: a bionic design approach

During the process of bionic design, the discrepancies between biological systems and engineering systems often result in designers being unable to handle the knowledge involved in biological systems effectively, thereby leading to a low utilisation rate of biological knowledge. This study proposes a model for the transformation of biological systems to engineering systems on the basis of feature transfer. First, the basic system is determined according to user requirements, followed by the search for suitable biological systems and the performance of similarity analysis. Second, the element model of extenics is used to represent biological systems, and the extension analysis method is used to extend biological systems. Then, on the basis of substance-field theory in TRIZ combined with the extension transformation method, three approaches for transforming biological systems into engineering systems are proposed: no processing, forward processing, and reverse processing. After transformation, the features of the engineering system are extracted and incorporated into the basic system to complete the structural design. The container bag outlet folding device is taken as an engineering case to validate the effectiveness of the proposed model.

Bionic structural design and model calculation for high toughness Si3N4f/BNi fibrous monolithic ceramic: A strategy from the fibrous cell and interface

Preeminent mechanical and dielectric performances are demonstrated by covalently bonded Si3N4 ceramics, yet their application range is still challenged because of limited toughness and sintering density. In this work, the Si3N4f/BNi fibrous monolithic ceramic with uniaxially arranged Si3N4 fibers cells separated by BN interfaces were successfully synthesized via hot-pressed sintering based on bionic structural design. The Si3N4f/BNi fibrous monolithic ceramics with bionic structure exhibited flexural strength, fracture toughness, and density of up to 501 MPa, 10.99 MPa m1/2, and 3.43 g/cm3, respectively. The results revealed that bionic structural design enables to significantly increase the toughness of the ceramic without sacrificing its strength. Furthermore, an original model for determining the flexural strength of fibrous monolithic ceramics was proposed, which can account for various shapes of fibrous cells. The findings of this research open up new prospects for achieving competitive mechanical performance of ceramics.

Thermal performance analysis of new bionic “fishbone” fins in a triplex-tube latent heat storage system with single cycle process

Targeting the low thermal conductivity characteristics of energy storage materials in latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) systems, a novel bionic fish bone fin design is proposed in this paper, and the numerical simulation is employed to analyze the thermal performance of a system during single charging and discharging cycle. In assessing the system, consideration is given to the time required to complete a cycle, mean temperature change rate, and charging and discharging efficiency over the course of a cycle. The temperature response of each monitoring point within the system was first analyzed for fishbone fins of different curvatures and found that the 30° and 60° fishbone fins have the fastest heat transfer rates and shortest cycle times, respectively. Subsequently, the effect of fishbone fractal position on the thermal performance of the system was investigated. The results showed that the system achieves the best circulating thermal performance when the fishbone fins are positioned in the middle of the straight fins. An increase in the dimensionless position of the fins from 0.2 to 0.5 produced a reduction in the cycle time of 28.03 % and an increase in the energy transfer efficiency of 38.15 %. Finally, the shortest cyclic cycle and the fastest heat transfer rate were taken as the optimization objectives to optimize and predict the thermal performance of the system through the response surface method. The findings demonstrated that the system exhibited optimal thermal performance when the radian angle of the fishbone fin is 44.43° and the dimensionless position is 0.45. Compared to traditional rectangular straight fins, the optimized structure reduces the cycle time by 52.64 % and increases the average heat transfer rate by 101.58 %.

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Evaluation of a Horizontal-axis Wind Turbine with a Bionic Blade

With the world's energy supply becoming increasingly scarce, wind power is gaining popularity as a clean source of renewable energy which is good for the environment. Thus, it is an alternative to burning fossil fuels such as coal, which may have an environmental impact during operations due to the emissions of unwanted gases. Wind turbines are the devices used to produce power by moving a turbine's propeller-like blades around a rotor, which spins a generator that generates energy as air passes through them. However, existing wind turbines still suffer from low conversion efficiencies. Therefore, in this current study, the bionic blade design has been used to enhance the performance of a horizontal axis wind turbine utilizing a computational simulation approach while seeking to improve its efficiency. The blade profile of the model used was based on the NACA 0012 airfoil with the modified angle of attack. The hybrid shear stress transport (SST) k-omega was used as the turbulence model. The computational procedures involved the use of various inlet velocities while maintaining a constant rotational speed. The results show that the bionic design was found to improve the overall performance of the standard NACA0012 blade design. Moreover, both power and torque coefficient outputs increase as the tip speed ratio (TSR) increases. However, the torque decreases as the TSR increases. In terms of power coefficient, the highest conversion efficiency was about 28% and it was achieved at 3.7 TSR.

Design of a Bionic Spider Robot with a Two-Degrees-of-Freedom Leg Structure and Body Frame

Spiders have unique biological characteristics and excellent maneuverability, making them an ideal model for bionic robot design. However, traditional bionic spider robot designs usually have multiple degrees of freedom and confront many challenges. These challenges include complex control requirements, higher energy consumption, larger size and weight, higher risk of failure, and higher cost. This study proposes a leg design with two degrees of freedom to reduce its control and manufacturing costs. It can better control leg movement and improve leg force through a multi-link mechanism and a dual-motor system. In addition, the triangular gait and hexagonal body structure align the weight of the body with the support point, thereby enhancing stability. This study offers a comprehensive and organized approach to bio-inspired robot design, providing a valuable reference for future bionic robot development.

High‐Accuracy Liquid Flow Monitoring via Triboelectric Nanogenerator Combined with Bionic Design and Common‐Mode Interference Suppression

AbstractIn the development of smart cities, accurate liquid flow monitoring is essential for the efficient operation of water supply systems. Current flow sensors often face limitations in sensitivity and environmental adaptability, affecting measurement accuracy, and restricting their application in smart city infrastructure. To address these challenges, this study proposes a high‐accuracy flow monitoring method. Specifically, by combining the bionic design with advanced signal processing techniques, the sensitivity and anti‐interference ability are improved, respectively, to enhance the measurement accuracy. Based on this method, a self‐powered flow sensor (SPFS) is developed using noncontact triboelectric nanogenerators (NC‐TENGs) as the sensing unit. The SPFS achieves a sensitivity of 2.07 Hz L−1 min−1 and improves the signal‐to‐noise ratio by more than 13 times over the initial sensing signal. In addition, an intelligent system is developed to accurately measure water resources. The maximum flow rate error rate is less than 0.97% compared to commercial flow sensors. The SPFS demonstrates higher sensitivity and accuracy compared to the existing TENG flow sensors. This study addresses the limitations of existing flow sensors and pioneers a novel solution for enhanced water resource management in smart cities.

Bionic Strategies for Pump Anti-Cavitation: A Comprehensive Review

The cavitation phenomenon presents a significant challenge in pump operation since the losses incurred by cavitation adversely impact pump performance. The many constraints of conventional anti-cavitation techniques have compelled researchers to explore biological processes for innovative alternatives. Consequently, the use of bionanotechnology for anti-cavitation pumping has emerged as a prominent study domain. Despite the extensive publication of publications on biomimetic technology, research concerning the use of anti-cavitation in pumps remains scarce. This review comprehensively summarizes, for the first time, the advancements and applications of bionic structures, bionic surface texture design, and bionic materials in pump anti-cavitation, addressing critical aspects such as blade leading-edge bionic structures, bionic worm shells, microscopic bionic textures, and innovative bionic coatings. Bionic technology may significantly reduce cavitation erosion and improve pump performance by emulating natural biological structures. This research elucidates the creative contributions of biomimetic designs and their anti-cavitation effects, hence boosting the anti-cavitation performance of pumps. This work integrates practical requirements and anticipates future applications of bionic technology in pump anti-cavitation, offering a significant research direction and reference for scholars in this domain.

Bionic microstructure design of cross flow fan for high aerodynamic and low noise performances

In this paper, a novel approach was introduced for cross flow fan design by incorporating bionic microstructures on the blade surface. Two types of bionic microstructures, riblet and convex hull, were constructed and studied to achieve high aerodynamic efficiency and low noise design. Numerical simulations were conducted to understand the influence of bionic microstructures on the fan’s aerodynamic and acoustic performance, and the impact of design parameters on these performances was investigated. After printing the bionic microstructure fan samples, the experimental tests were carried out. The flow field and sound field data of the fans with bionic microstructures and the original fan were compared. The results demonstrated that both riblet and convex hull microstructures effectively improved the fan’s aerodynamic performance by reducing turbulent kinetic energy on the blade surface. Additionally, the microstructures inhibited boundary layer separation on the suction surface of adjacent blades, which contributed to reducing vortex noise. However, the pressure gradient formed near the convex hull and the edge of the small-diameter riblet resulted in deterioration in the noise of the corresponding fan. By optimizing the diameter and spacing of the riblet microstructure, the best noise reduction performance was achieved for the riblet fan. The optimized fan showed a 5.3% increase in maximum air volume flow rate and a 2.4 dB(A) reduction in noise. Overall, the cross flow fan design method based on bionic microstructures has valuable application potential in improving the aerodynamic and acoustic performance of various rotating machinery.

Bionic Design and Adsorption Performance Analysis of Vacuum Suckers.

This study addresses the problem that the traditional method is not effective in improving the adsorption performance of vacuum suckers. From the perspective of bionics, the adsorption performance of bionic suckers based on the excellent adsorption of the abalone abdominal foot was studied. A bionic sucker was designed by extracting the sealing ring structure of the abdominal foot tentacle. The bionic sucker was subjected to tensile experiments using an orthogonal experimental design, and the adsorption of the bionic sucker was simulated and analyzed to explore its adsorption mechanism. The results show that the primary and secondary factors affecting the adsorption of the sucker are the number of sealing rings, the width of sealing rings and the spacing of sealing rings. At 60% vacuum, the bionic sucker with two sealing rings, a 1.5 mm sealing ring width and 3 mm sealing ring spacing has the largest adsorption force, and its maximum adsorption force is 15.8% higher than that of the standard sucker. This study shows that the bionic sucker design can effectively improve the adsorption performance of the sucker. The bionic sucker had a different stress distribution on the sucker bottom, which resulted in greater Mises stress in the sealing ring and the surrounding area, while the Mises stress in the central area of the sucker was smaller.

Numerical simulation of friction characteristics of bionic flexible contact surface of front axle rocker arm sleeve of car

Based on the finite element software ABAQUS, the friction process of the flexible friction pair of the front axle rocker bushing of a car with a convex structure similar to the mantis head is established.The finite element model of the process is constructed and its friction characteristics are verified. By selecting a suitable hyperelastic constitutive model and changing the size of the convex structure on the surface of the sleeve,The simulation analysis of the mechanical characteristics of the flexible friction pair in radial and torsional directions shows that the bionic convex hull design changes the maximum stress of the bushing when it is subjected to force.The force and strain position are adjusted to reduce the possibility of cracking of the rubber bushing; the contact friction force and friction coefficient of the bionic bushing surface are significantly reduced, and the type 2 modelThe drag reduction and wear resistance of the profiled surface are the best.

Current status and challenges of lightweight design and manufacturing technology for aerospace structures

Lightweight technology refers to the technology of reducing the structural mass by optimizing materials, structures and manufacturing processes while meeting the requirements of structural performance. It has become one of the key technologies for the development of the new generation of aerospace equipment. This paper first analyzes the development history of lightweight technology. Secondly, from the perspectives of design principles, composition methods and optimization methods, three types of lightweight design methods are introduced: bionic structure design, cellular structure design and efficient topology optimization design. Then, from the perspective of lightweight manufacturing processes and modes, the application of additive manufacturing, collaborative manufacturing and composite material manufacturing in lightweight manufacturing of aerospace structures is explained. Finally, the challenges and future development of lightweight technology are discussed.

Mechanical properties of lander bionic buffer structure based on additive manufacturing

In order to meet the energy absorption requirements of the landing buffer, this paper starts with the buffer filling material of the buffer, draws on the Kelvin structure and spiral structure, and applies the engineering bionics principle to design and establish two structural models: a soccerball-like bionic structure and a multi-spiral bionic structure. Considering the energy absorption and reusability requirements of the lander buffer structure, the bionic structure sample is prepared by additive manufacturing technology and NiTi alloy with shape memory effect. The mechanical properties, energy absorption and recoverability of the sample are analyzed and verified by simulation and experiment. The results show that the accuracy of the numerical simulation is verified by comparing the force-displacement curves of the simulation test and the isometric static pressure test; the multi-spiral bionic structure has better mechanical properties, and its maximum energy absorption is 3096.23 J; the recovery rates of the two structures are as high as 98.02%and respectively 97.12%, and the recovery rate of the soccerball-like bionic structure is slightly higher. This study uses additive manufacturing to prepare the leg-type lander buffer bionic structure, which provides a reference for the bionic design of the lander buffer structure.

Bionic Optimization Design and Fatigue Life Prediction of a Honeycomb-Structured Wheel Hub.

The wheel hub is an important component of the wheel, and a good hub design can significantly improve vehicle handling, stability, and braking performance, ensuring safe driving. This article optimized the hub structure through morphological aspects, where reducing the hub weight contributed to enhanced fuel efficiency and overall vehicle performance. By referencing honeycombed structures, a bionic hub design is numerically simulated using finite element analysis and response surface optimization. The results showed that under the optimization of the response surface analytical model, the maximum stress of the optimized bionic hub was 109.34 MPa, compared to 119.77 MPa for the standard hub, representing an 8.7% reduction in maximum stress. The standard hub weighs 34.02 kg, while the optimized hub weight was reduced to 29.89 kg, a decrease of 12.13%. A fatigue analysis on the optimized hub indicated that at a stress of 109.34 MPa, the minimum load cycles were 4.217 × 105 at the connection point with the half-shaft, meeting the fatigue life requirements for commercial vehicle hubs outlined in the national standard GB/T 5334-2021.

Bionic Design of High-Performance Joints: Differences in Failure Mechanisms Caused by the Different Structures of Beetle Femur-Tibial Joints.

Beetle femur-tibial joints can bear large loads, and the joint structure plays a crucial role. Differences in living habits will lead to differences in femur-tibial joint structure, resulting in different mechanical properties. Here, we determined the structural characteristics of the femur-tibial joints of three species of beetles with different living habits. The tibia of Scarabaeidae Protaetia brevitarsis and Cetoniidae Torynorrhina fulvopilosa slide through cashew-shaped bumps on both sides of the femur in a guide rail consisting of a ring and a cone bump. The femur-tibial joint of Buprestidae Chrysodema radians is composed of a conical convex tibia and a circular concave femur. A bionic structure design was developed out based on the characteristics of the structure of the femur-tibial joints. Differences in the failure of different joint models were obtained through experiments and finite element analysis. The experimental results show that although the spherical connection model can bear low loads, it can maintain partial integrity of the structure and avoid complete failure. The cuboid connection model shows a higher load-bearing capacity, but its failure mode is irreversible deformation. As key parts of rotatable mechanisms, the bionic models have the potential for wide application in the high-load engineering field.

Chaotic self-beating of left ventricle modeled by liquid crystal elastomer

Self-vibration systems using active materials generate sustained vibrations spontaneously through synergistic actions between internal structure and external environment. Therefore, the self-vibration systems have a wide application prospect in bionic design and soft robots. Inspired by the human left ventricle, a novel chaotic self-beating system modeled by an electrothermal responsive liquid crystal elastomer balloon is proposed. To study the self-beating characteristics of the liquid crystal elastomer left ventricle, a simplified theoretical framework is formed by combining the electric joule heat conduction model, the left ventricle circulatory system model and the dynamic principle. The numerical results show that the left ventricle has two typical self-beating modes: periodic beating and chaotic beating. The mechanisms of periodic beating and chaotic beating are elucidated by analyzing the balance between the work done by each force on the left ventricle. In addition, the effects of key system parameters on self-beating behavior are investigated in detail. This research will promote the application of chaotic dynamics in artificial hearts and medical devices, while providing a new perspective for the study of chaotic behavior and mechanism in biology.

Study on Bionic Design and Tissue Manipulation of Breast Interventional Robot.

Minimally invasive interventional surgery is commonly used for diagnosing and treating breast cancer, but the high fluidity and deformability of breast tissue reduce intervention accuracy. This study proposes a bionic breast interventional robot that mimics the scorpion's predation process, actively manipulating tissue deformation to control target displacement and enhance accuracy. The robot's structure is designed using a modular method, and its kinematics and workspace are analyzed and solved. To address the nonlinear breast tissue deformation problem, a hierarchical tissue method is proposed to simplify the three-dimensional problem into a two-dimensional one. A two-dimensional tissue deformation solver is established based on the minimum energy method for quick resolution. The problem is treated as quasi-static, deriving the displacement relationship between external manipulation points and internal tissue targets. The method of active manipulation of tissue deformation is simulated using MATLAB (2019-b) software to verify the feasibility of the method. Results show maximum errors of 1.7 mm for prostheses and 2.5 mm for in vitro tissues in the X and Y directions. This method improves intervention accuracy in breast surgery and offers a new solution for breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.

3D-printed biomimetic bone scaffold loaded with lyophilized concentrated growth factors promotes bone defect repair by regulation the VEGFR2/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway

This study investigates the effects of concentrated growth factors (CGF) and bone substitutes on the proliferation and differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), as well as the development of a novel 3D-printed biomimetic bone scaffold. Based on the structure of cancellous bone, 3D-printed bionic bone with sustainable release of growth factors and Ca2+ was prepared. Using BMSCs and EA.hy926 in co-culture with the bionic bone scaffold, experimental results demonstrate that this bionic structural design enhances cell proliferation and adhesion, and that the bionic bone possesses the ability to promote bone and vascular regeneration directly. Transcriptomics, western blot analysis, and flow cytometry are employed to investigate the effects of CGF and Ca2+ on the signaling pathways of BMSCs. The study reports that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) released by CGF activated VEGFR2 on BMSCs, leading to Ca2+ influx and activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, thereby influencing osteogenesis. Animal experiments confirm the ability of the bionic bone to promote osteogenesis in vivo, and its unique degradation pattern accelerates the in vivo repair of bone defects. In conclusion, this study presents a novel biomimetic strategy and, for the first time, explores the potential mechanism by which VEGF and Ca2+ regulate BMSCs differentiation through the VEGFR2/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. These insights offer a new perspective for the development of innovative bone substitute materials.

A self-damping triboelectric tactile patch for self-powered wearable electronics

Wearable tactile sensing systems with bionic designs holds significant promise for environmental interactions and human–machine communication. Triboelectric sensing technology plays a vital role in acquiring and quantifying tactile signals. Conventional elastic sensing materials, however, lack damping performance and are easily damaged by vibrations, leading to sensor failure. To address this challenge, our study proposes a highly damping triboelectric gel based on a hydrogen bonding assisted microphase separation strategy. In microphase separation, the soft phase provides the viscoelasticity needed for the gel, while the hard phase dissipates shock energy. This energy dissipation mechanism enables the gel to achieve excellent damping performance (tan δ = 0.68 at 1Hz), skin-like softness (Young’s modulus of 130 kPa), and stretchability (> 900%). The resulting self-damping tactile patch effectively absorbs and dissipates external vibrations, ensuring a stable and reliable wearable tactile sensing device. This work provides new insights into the application of triboelectric gels in wearable electronics.

Artificial olfactory memory system based on conductive metal-organic frameworks

The olfactory system can generate unique sensory memories of various odorous molecules, guiding emotional and cognitive decisions. However, most existing electronic noses remain constrained to momentary concentration, failing to trigger specific memories for different smells. Here, we report an artificial olfactory memory system utilizing conductive metal-organic frameworks (Ce-HHTP) that integrates sensing and memory and exhibits short- and long-term memory responses to alcohols and aldehydes. Experiments and theoretical calculations show that distinct memories are derived from the specific combinations of Ce-HHTP with O atoms in different guest. An unmanned aircraft equipped with this system realized the sensory memories in established areas. Moreover, the fusion of portable detection boxes and wearable flexible electrodes demonstrated the immense potential in off-site pollution monitoring and health management. This work represents an artificial olfactory memory system with two specific sensory memories under simultaneous conditions, laying the foundation for bionic design with qualities of human olfactory memory.

基于弓背蚁上颚切-锯运动机理的农业仿生刀开发研究

Aiming at issues such as low instantaneous grasping ability, unsatisfactory cutting quality, and proneness to damage of the blades for existing harvesters, by observing the physiological structure and movement characteristics of the ant's mandible and by bionic design theory, a bionic blade was designed to optimize its performance. In this paper, Camponotus was selected as the research object to observe the movement of the right mandibular teeth. It was concluded that the movement of the ant's mandibular teeth was a cutting-sawing motion. A comparative analysis was carried out using the flat blade and the mandibular teeth blade, uncovering that the mandibular teeth movement formed a sliding cut with a variable sliding cutting angle. The mandibular teeth were beneficial for clamping the target and boosting the instantaneous grasping force. The fourth tooth of the mandible was selected as the bionic prototype. from which the contour curve was extracted and analyzed, followed by the design of the bionic blade. Through the finite element method, the influence laws of parameters such as the tooth pitch, structural angle, and blade inclination angle on the stress field and deformation of the bionic blade were analyzed under two force application circumstances: along the inclination direction of the tooth edge and the blade face direction. The results showed that when the applied force was along the tooth edge inclination, the total deformation of the bionic blade initially decreased and then increased with the tooth pitch increase. The maximum equivalent stress of the bionic blade rose gradually with the tooth pitch increase, and the total deformation decreased with the increase of the inclination angle of the tooth. The equivalent stress diminished with the rise in the inclination angle. With the increase of the structural edge angle, the total deformation of the bionic blade rose gradually. When the force was applied along the blade face direction, the deformation and stress values of the blade were significantly lower than those when the force was along the tooth edge inclination. The research findings can offer theoretical references for the design of bionic blades for harvesters.