Field Of Bionics Research Articles

Skin-like n-type stretchable synaptic transistors with low energy consumption and highly reliable plasticity for brain-inspired computing

Artificial synaptic devices with high transconductance, low energy consumption and good stretchability are important for efficient and energy-friendly neuromorphic computations in the field of bionics. Here, we propose a stretchable substrate inspired by wrinkled surface of human skin, and achieve a low energy operation stretchable synaptic transistor (SST) based on n-type oxide semiconductor. The SSTs exhibit excellent performance, including high mobility (4.08 cm2V−1s−1) and high transconductance (over 12 mS) under ultra-low operation voltage of 0.1 V. They can stand against multi-directional stretching of 10 % and up to 400 stretch/release cycles. In addition, the n-type SSTs achieve synaptic performance at ultra-low energy consumption (0.36 fJ) with dual-mode operation characteristics of excitatory and inhibitory behaviors. Under tensile strain, they exhibit typical synaptic behavior, including short-term/long-term plasticity, pair pulse facilitation, spike voltage/frequency/duration/number-dependent plasticity. More importantly, the SSTs exhibit excellent “learning-forgetting-relearning” feature and good stability under potentiation-depression cycle test, showcasing tremendous potential in brain-inspired computation. Finally, a high recognition accuracy (89.6 %) is attained simulated by handwritten digital datasets. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first stretchable synaptic transistor with oxide semiconductors, and it is also a major breakthrough in n-type stretchable synaptic transistors for high-speed and low-energy calculation and storage for brain-inspired computing.

Light-Responsive Soft Robot Integrating Actuation and Function Based on Laser Cutting.

Soft robots with good deformability and adaptability have important prospects in the bionics and intelligence field. However, current research into soft robots is primarily limited to the study of actuators and ignores the integrated use of functional devices and actuators. To enrich the functions of soft robots and expand their application fields, it is necessary to integrate various functional electronic devices into soft robots to perform diverse functions during dynamic deformation. Therefore, this paper discusses methods and strategies to manufacture optical stimuli-responsive soft actuators and integrate them into functional devices for soft robots. Specifically, laser cutting allows us to fabricate an optically responsive actuator structure, e.g., the curling direction can be controlled by adjusting the direction of the cutting line. Actuators with different bending curvatures, including nonbending, can be obtained by adjusting the cutting depth, cutting width, and the spacing of the cutting line, which makes it easy to obtain a folded structure. Thus, various actuators with complex shape patterns can be obtained. In addition, we demonstrate a fabrication scheme for a worm-like soft robot integrated with functional devices (LEDs are used in this paper). The local nonbending design provides an asymmetric structure that provides driving power and avoids damage to the functional circuit caused by the large deformation during movement. The integration of drive and function provides a new path for the application of soft robots in the intelligence and bionics field.

A lightweight contour detection network inspired by biology

In recent years, the field of bionics has attracted the attention of numerous scholars. Some models combined with biological vision have achieved excellent performance in computer vision and image processing tasks. In this paper, we propose a new bio-inspired lightweight contour detection network (BLCDNet) by combining parallel processing mechanisms of bio-visual information with convolutional neural networks. The backbone network of BLCDNet simulates the parallel pathways of ganglion cell–lateral geniculate nucleus and primary visual cortex (V1) area, realizing parallel processing and step-by-step extraction of input information, effectively extracting local features and detailed features in images, and thus improving the overall performance of the model. In addition, we design a depth feature extraction module combining depth separable convolution and residual connection in the decoding network to integrate the output of the backbone network, which further improves the performance of the model. We conducted a large number of experiments on BSDS500 and NYUD datasets, and the experimental results show that the BLCDNet proposed in this paper achieves the best performance compared with traditional methods and previous biologically inspired contour detection methods. In addition, BLCDNet still outperforms some VGG-based contour detection methods without pre-training and with fewer parameters, and it is competitive among all of them. The research in this paper also provides a new idea for the combination of biological vision and convolutional neural networks.

Sodium lignosulfonate doped polyvinyl alcohol-based hydrogel conductive composites based on ion-specific effects with continuously tunable mechanical properties and excellent conductive sensing properties

Hydrogels have great application prospects in the fields of bionics, soft tissue probes, and motion detection, etc. However, the high water content and loose cross-linker structure of hydrogels lead to weak mechanical properties, which limits their application and development. Therefore, in this study, sodium lignosulfonate doped polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels (PVA/LS) were constructed using polyvinyl alcohol as the matrix and sodium lignosulfonate as the filler; the hydrogels were also treated with different ionic solutions to construct ion-responsive hydrogels (PVA/LS/ION); and ion-conducting hydrogels (PVA/LS/CL) were constructed by the change of the concentration of sodium chloride (NaCl) solution. The hydrophilicity of the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) molecular chain was changed by different ions, resulting in either water absorption (salting in) or dehydration (salting out), and the hydrogel mechanical properties could be adjusted over a wide range (tensile strength: 77 kPa ∼ 3.26 MPa; elongation at break: 290 ∼ 870%; modulus: 24 ∼ 563 kPa; toughness: 96 kJ/m3 ∼ 14.1 MJ/m3). In addition, the hydrogels have good conductivity regulation (1.09 ∼ 2.72 S/m) and sensing properties, with GF values up to 1.23, and sensitive and stable strain sensing properties. This work provides useful insights into the application of ion-specific effects to the field of hydrogels.

Recent advances in bioinspired vision sensor arrays based on advanced optoelectronic materials

Animals can learn about the outside world in many ways, and the visual organ is a key organ for acquiring information about the outside world. With the continuous development of intelligent technology, artificial vision techniques are becoming easier and more automated; however, the rigidity, process complexity, and complicated optical components of traditional commercial photodetectors have hindered their development in bionic vision. In recent years, a new generation of optoelectronic materials has attracted extensive research due to their simple preparation process, continuously tunable bandgap, and excellent optoelectronic properties. Two-dimensional optoelectronic materials and perovskites have become the most promising and effective optoelectronic materials for next-generation optoelectronic devices. Based on the excellent properties of next-generation optoelectronic materials, they have also triggered intensive exploration by researchers in the field of visual bionics. This paper highlights a review of the latest research progress of next-generation optoelectronic materials, including their preparation methods, working mechanisms, structural designs, and advances in the field of imaging. The applications of new generation optoelectronic materials in visual bionics by simulating biological visual structures are also described. Finally, the prospects and challenges for the development of next-generation optoelectronic materials in the emerging field of bionic vision are discussed.

A Review of Bionic Structures in Control of Aerodynamic Noise of Centrifugal Fans

Due to the complexity of the working conditions and the diversity of application scenarios, the normal operation of a fan, whether volute tongue, volute shell surface, or blade, often encounters some unavoidable problems, such as flow separation, wear, vibration, etc.; the aerodynamic noise caused by these problems has a significant impact on the normal operation of the fan. However, despite the use of aerodynamic acoustics to design low-noise fans or the use of sound absorption, sound insulation, and sound dissipation as the main traditional noise control techniques, they are in a state of technical bottleneck. Thus, the search for more efficient methods of noise reduction is looking toward the field of bionics. For this purpose, this paper first analyzes the mechanism of fan noise in the volute tongue and blades, and then, this paper reviews the noise control mechanism and improvement research using the bionic structures in the volute tongue structure, the contact surface of the volute shell, and the leading and trailing edges of the blade in the centrifugal fan. Finally, the current challenges and prospects of bionic structures for aerodynamic noise control of centrifugal fans are discussed.

Electrically induced anisotropic assembly of chitosan with different molecular weights

Anisotropic hydrogel is emerging as an important soft matter in the field of bionics and bioactuators, owing to its outstanding mechanical toughness and strength. Understanding the dynamic construction process of anisotropic hydrogel is beneficial for matching subsequent application. In this work, we establish an electrical field in microfluidics for the in-situ real time visualization of anisotropic assembly of chitosan, an amino polysaccharide. Polarized light microscopy is adopted to observe the dynamic growth of chitosan with different molecular weights. The results demonstrate that electrical signal has a profound influence on anisotropic assembly process of chitosan. It is interesting to notice that high oriented structure can be found in chitosan hydrogel with large molecular weight, which exhibits a dense and compact structure. This work provides a new perspective for predicting and controlling the formation of different molecular weights anisotropic chitosan hydrogels, which permit the rational design of chitosan hydrogels with excellent mechanical properties and specific functions.

Silicon Distribution-Induced Actuation Film with Bidirectional Bending Deformation and Versatile Bionic Applications.

As an important branch of intelligent materials, the research and development of stimulus-responsive flexible intelligent actuation materials is of great significance to promote the industrialization of intelligent materials. In this study, the asymmetric PVA-co-PE/silicon nanoparticle (PPSN) composite films and PVA-co-PE/silicon sol (PPSS) composite film with different silicon distributions were prepared by a simple spraying method. The silicon nanoparticle layer in the PPSN composite film was similar to the sand-like water-absorbing layer, which can quickly absorb water and permeate it into the interior region, leading to the hygroscopic expansion behavior on one side of the nanofiber film. Then, the PPSN composite film would quickly bend and deform to the silicon nanoparticle side. However, in the PPSS composite film, due to the excellent hygroscopicity and swelling characteristics of the silica sol layer, the composite film can be rapidly deformed to the PVA-co-PE nanofiber film side under moisture stimulation. The above results subvert the traditional asymmetric actuation film, which mainly depends on the hydrophilicity difference to determine the hygroscopic responsiveness and deformation direction, and ignore that the swelling degree is the main factor determining the bending direction of actuator. In addition, both the composite films can quickly respond to moisture stimulation (<1 s) and produce large-scale bending deformation (180°). Furthermore, due to the excellent interface adhesion formed by the continuity structure in the PPSS composite film, it has better actuation stability than the PPSN composite film. The excellent actuation characteristics and different bending directions of the PPSN and PPSS composite films make it a great application prospect in the field of bionics in the future.

Recent progress of dielectric polymer composites for bionics

Natural structures, natural phenomena, animal and plant forms, and human behavior always provide us with inspiration and stimulate more creativity. The design and application of dielectric polymer composites that can be utilized to fabricate artificial muscles show great potential in the field of bionics. However, great challenges still exist, which severely prevent the development of dielectric polymer composites. In this review, we systematically surveyed recent advancements in nature-inspired monolayer and multilayer dielectric polymer composites with excellent properties, as well as the description of their structures and characteristics. In addition, we further discussed the applications of such composites in integrated systems for the development of bionic robotics, healthcare and biomedical applications. Moreover, an in-depth analysis of challenges and prospects in this field was also provided. Mimicking nature has become essential for the design and application of dielectric polymer composites, and we believe this approach will drive continued advances in the intelligent and medical industries.

Bionic Artificial Self-Recovery Enables Autonomous Health of Machine

This paper explores Engineering self-recoveries theory, which emerged from the research of Bionics to meet the great demand of modern high-risk process manufacturing and the development of aerospace vehicles. Bionics opens a new era in which artefact s learn from natural objects. With the rapid development of the industrial Internet and Artificial intelligence technology, we have gained a deep understanding of the law of fault generation and development, which provides an opportunity for the emergence of Engineering self-recoveries theory. Engineering self-recoveries expands the research field of Cybernetics and Engineering cybernetics, endows machines with the self-recovery mechanism, which is unique to humans and animals, and enables machines to store, supplement and activate self-recovery power to maintain body health. Bionics research on Artificial intelligence has greatly enhanced the function of imitating the human brain, but has ignored the important system and function of humans and animals to maintain their own health—the self-recovery system and self-recovery function. Artificial intelligence imitates the conscious thinking control behaviour of the human brain to realize automation and intellectualization, making machines smarter. Artificial self-recovery can imitate the self-recovery mechanism of human unconscious thinking, and prevent and suppress faults in operation to realize self-recovery, possibly making machines healthier. Artificial self-recovery technology includes self-repair, compensation, self-protection and self-recovery regulation. Engineering self-recoveries is the basis of the autonomous health of machines and even artificial systems, and a new research field of Bionics. This has broad application prospects in engineering.

Bionic arm: Mapping of elbow and wrist flexion using neural network and fuzzy logic

Cases on limb amputation necessitate the use of Transhumeral bionic for artificial limb rehabilitation, which is controlled using Electromyographic (EMG) signals from the muscles. Before the implementation of EMG control, a mapping between the movements of an arm to the angle formed at the corresponding joints is essential to be made. Most of the works in the field of Bionics use Supervised Machine Learning models, chiefly Classification, to map muscle flexion signals to joint actuations in the bionic arm. Ample literature is also there, which uses fuzzy logic for mapping. However, there are very few literatures that compare these two methods of mapping. In this article, 2 models have been discussed regarding the mapping, and their effectiveness is compared. The first model captures elbow and wrist flexion and maps them to their respective angular displacements of joints using a fuzzy logic model. In the second model, a Pattern Recognition Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model under Supervised Machine Learning is incorporated to map elbow and wrist flexion to the corresponding joint angular displacement. The ANN is trained with elbow and wrist joint flexion values and its corresponding joint angles data, optimized, and tested in real-time. This model is verified by comparing the joint angles of a test person (measured using Goniometers) with the joint angles of Bionic models made (using a 360° protractor sheet). The second model gave the insight that supervised machine learning models provide an accurate mapping to the joint flexion in the field of bionics.

Morphogenesis – “The Riddles of Form” in Twenty-First Century Science

Morphogenesis – “The Riddles of Form” in Twenty-First Century Science

Volver a las metáforas Darwinianas: la evolución de los artefactos Back to Darwinian metaphors: The evolution of artefacts

Evolutionary concepts may have great appeal when studying material culture and its designed objects. As a matter of fact, there is robust tradition in using biological analogies to understand designs, as it occurs in the field of bionics, where the simulation of vital processes advocates not only an approach of a purely cognitive nature but, rather, an operative programme allowing the translation of isomorphisms between living organisms and technology into effective design solutions. More generally, natural sciences offer an uncommonly rich apparatus for analogies to be applied to the domains of the sciences of the artificial. But how widely applicable are Darwinian metaphors? To which extent do the Darwinian concepts of variation and selection provide meaningful theoretical tools across product innovation? What can they add to the analysis of product designs? To this end, this study takes the form of a literature review about evolutionary approaches to the analysis of technological change, along with a number of interpretations about the analogies between natural evolution and the dynamics of product variety generation.

Preparation and performance analysis of Pt-IPMC for driving bionic tulip

Based on the biological characteristics of tulip, the low driving voltage and fast response of ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC), we analyzed the fabrication, morphology and performance of the platinum IPMC (Pt-IPMC) and selected the right IPMC for driving bionic tulip. The preparation and performance of IPMC was analyzed first in this paper such as blocking force, output displacement and bending angle of IPMC under the different directed current voltage (DC). The optimal IPMC sample size and driving voltage were selected based on tulip blooming angles and the strain energy density of IPMC, which completed the blooming process of bionic tulip. The feasibility of IPMC used in driving bionic field was fully proved in this paper, which laid a foundation for the application of IPMC in driving biomimetic biological robots.

Cellular Interactions with Lubricin and Hyaluronic Acid-Lubricin Composite Coatings on Gold Electrodes in Passive and Electrically Stimulated Environments.

In the field of bionics, the long-term effectiveness of implantable bionic interfaces depends upon maintaining a "clean" and unfouled electrical interface with biological tissues. Lubricin (LUB) is an innately biocompatible glycoprotein with impressive antifouling properties. Unlike traditional antiadhesive coatings, LUB coatings do not passivate electrode surfaces, giving LUB coatings great potential for controlling surface fouling of implantable electrode interfaces. This study characterizes the antifouling properties of bovine native LUB (N-LUB), recombinant human LUB (R-LUB), hyaluronic acid (HA), and composite coatings of HA and R-LUB (HA/R-LUB) on gold electrodes against human primary fibroblasts and chondrocytes in passive and electrically stimulated environments for up to 96 h. R-LUB coatings demonstrated highly effective antifouling properties, preventing nearly all adhesion and proliferation of fibroblasts and chondrocytes even under biphasic electrical stimulation. N-LUB coatings, while showing efficacy in the short term, failed to produce sustained antifouling properties against fibroblasts or chondrocytes over longer periods of time. HA/R-LUB composite films also demonstrated highly effective antifouling performance equal to the R-LUB coatings in both passive and electrically stimulated environments. The high electrochemical stability and long-lasting antifouling properties of R-LUB and HA/R-LUB coatings in electrically stimulating environments reveal the potential of these coatings for controlling unwanted cell adhesion in implantable bionic applications.

Recent Progress in 3D Printing of Smart Structures: Classification, Challenges, and Trends

Recently, considerable achievements have been made with the advancements of smart structures, which are known for their controlled deformation, self‐repair, and sensing characteristics. Such capabilities have significant potential in the field of bionics. 3D printing methods have revolutionized the high‐resolution integrated manufacturing of complex smart structures, resulting in new types of soft robots, actuators, wearable flexible electronics, and biomedical equipment. There is therefore a need for academia and industry to receive an update on the status of these tools. For this reason, herein, a comprehensive overview of the latest progress in printing methods, materials, and applications of various smart structures is provided. Temperature‐ and electromagnetic‐responsive smart structures are highlighted, in addition to self‐healing and smart‐sensing devices. Current exigencies and future development trends of 3D printing methods and smart structures are also summarized.

Improving the torsion performance of IPMC by changing the electrode separation

Ionic polymer metal composites (IPMCs) are widely studied as actuators and sensors, due to their large bending motion, flexibility and being light-weight. Nowadays, IPMCs are used in the bionic field, for example, to achieve bending and twisting movements of wings and fins. In this paper, a method is proposed to optimize the torsion performance of IPMCs by changing the electrode separation. The IPMCs with patterned electrode fabricated by masking technique are proposed to accomplish twisting motion. The result indicates that the torsion performance is improved as the electrode separation increased. Thereby it provides a new strategy for the bionic field with twisting behavior.

Bioinspired soft caterpillar robot with ultra-stretchable bionic sensors based on functional liquid metal

Soft robots have significant advantages in terms of flexibility and adaptability, leading to potential applications in the bionics field. Inspired by the caterpillars in nature, this work proposed a soft caterpillar robot (SCR) by integrating two types of ultra-stretchable bionic sensors on a dual air-chamber pneumatic network structure. In order to realize self-powered tactile sensing, four triboelectric nanogenerator tactile sensors (TTSs) based on functional liquid metal (FLM) with thorny-structured bionic whiskers are developed and attached on the SCR. Meanwhile, two ultra-stretchable resistive strain sensors (RSSs) by using FLM are covered as the bionic skin to sense self-body deformation of the SCR. The TTS has a fast response time of 0.03 s and a minimum perception of 0.05 kPa, which can be very sensitive to the unknown stimulus of various materials. The RSS with a relatively high sensitivity of 2.94 and small hysteresis of 1.42% possess the ultra-stretchable ability of 180% strain, which helps to adapt and adjust its own body bending and crawling. The biological perception capabilities of the SCR play a crucial role in mimicking bionic actions and response in an unknown environment, such as escaping from unexpected attacks as well as adaptive crawling through an unknown tunnel environment. Soft robots have significant advantages in terms of flexibility and adaptability, leading to potential applications in the bionics field. Inspired by the caterpillars in nature, this work proposed a soft caterpillar robot (SCR) by integrating two types of ultra-stretchable bionic sensors on a dual air-chambers of pneumatic network structure. In order to sense self-body deformation of the SCR, two ultra-stretchable resistive strain sensors (RSSs) by using functional liquid metal (FLM) are covered as the bionic skin. Meanwhile, four triboelectric tactile sensors (TTSs) based on FLM with thorny-structured bionic whiskers are developed and attached on the head, tail and body of the soft caterpillar, respectively, to realize self-powered tactile sensing. The biological perception capabilities of the SCR play a crucial role to mimic bionic actions and response in an unknown environment, such as escaping from unexpected attacks as well as adaptive crawling through an unknown tunnel environment. • The ultra-stretchable bionic sensors based on FLM were integrated on a SCR to realize bionic sensing. • The TTS was sensitive to the unknown stimulus of various materials. The RSS was sensitive to the bending of SCR. • Closed-loop control enabled SCR to achieve intelligent sensing and automatic motion.

Design and analysis of wireless power transmission devices for multi-degree-of-freedom actuator applications

ABSTRACT The multi-degree-of-freedom actuator is commonly used in the field of bionics, and a wireless transmission device with visual image acquisition devices is the best choice for the power transmission. For the wireless power transmission system, to offset the problem of reduced power and efficiency at the receiving end, this paper designs a wireless charging device for this kind of multi-degree-of-freedom actuator application. The S 21 parameters, magnetic flux density, and efficiency of the wireless charging device under different rotation angles are calculated and simulated by finite element analysis. Finally, the accuracy of the simulation and the effectiveness of power transmission are verified by experiments.

Interest in Biology: Grade-dependent Differences and Benefits of Participating in Out-of-school Interventions

Many studies have shown a decrease in scientific interest with an increase in age. Since interest is linked to a high degree of deep-level learning, it is of great relevance to foster interest in science. This study investigates interest in biology from 7th, 9th, and 12th grade students in Germany (N=257). Results show a significantly lower interest in 9th grade in comparison to 7th grade, but a significantly higher level of interest in 12th grade compared to 9th grade. This increase could potentially be linked to the fact that students can chose to continue taking biology in upper secondary education, which leads them to be more interested in the subject. In order to increase interest in 9th grade students, a one-day intervention in an out-of-school student laboratory was developed. During the intervention, students conducted hands-on experiments to investigate the field of bionics. Students in 7th and 9th grade (N=121) participated in the intervention. An increase in interest in biology was observed in both grades. This highlights the potential of out-of-school laboratories to foster and develop interest. Future studies should investigate if the same effect is achieved using in-school interventions as well as looking at possible long-term effects.