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Biotechnology > Biomimicry > Flashcards

Biomimicry Flashcards

1
Q

What is biomimicry?

A

Addresses bioengineering, to develop new devices and biomaterials
Essentially machines, materials, fabrics or robots that emulate certain features of living creatures
Purpose is to learn optimal designs from evolutionary selection for incorporation into new devices or materials
Old practices with new names and applications

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2
Q

What does inspiration from living organisms aim to do for new ideas?

A

Aim to improve efficiency, performance and economy of vehicles, tools or materials, and also for novel inventions
Derived from industrial biotechnology, but novel developments applied to other areas such as medical or environmental

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3
Q

What are the main areas of biomimicry?

A

Robotics: Movement and sensing- flexibility, hovering etc
Fabrics and materials- strength, flexibility, camouflage etc

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4
Q

Why do we want more robots?

A

Humans always want better, faster, stronger, bigger/smaller, more efficient
Danger- disaster zones need robust devices capable of moving over inaccessible terrain
Logistics- autonomous vehicles needed for defence/humanitarian purposes
Environmental solutions- quieter/more efficient renewables, detection, bioremediation

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5
Q

What is an example of biomimicry?

A

Invertebrate diggers
Jack knife clam: an expert burrower
Energy efficiency: expended energy
1 clam could travel >0.5km through soil on energy stored in 1 AA battery
Mechanical diggers modelled on Jack knife clam

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6
Q

What are the key elements of the Jack knife clam?

A

Burrowing movement: animal initially extends foot before raising valves
Shell valves contract shell rapidly, inflating foot with haemolymph from body, before clam pulls on anchored foot to drag body into soil, although burrowing distance is still greater than expected
Crucial part of technique: substrate liquidization

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7
Q

Why is substrate liquidization a crucial part of the Jack knife clams burrowing movement?

A

Shell contraction relieves substrate pressure, water moves towards body, which fluidizes substrate particles
Fluidization reduces drag, clam moves downwards after which surrounding particles revert into place and resolidify. Movement through fluidized particles takes minimal energy compared with static particulate substrates

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8
Q

What are badgers and anteaters?

A

Expert excavators
Problem: construction devices need better efficiency and resilience to wear and tear

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9
Q

How are badgers and anteaters used for biomimicry?

A

Claws subjected to 3D scanning to create a point cloud model, which establishes shapes and allows curves to be copied for design
Paw and claw curves of the two species can be integrated to maximise design features

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10
Q

What are the claws from badgers and anteaters?

A

Comparisons made of criteria including the stress and total deformation formed on the bucket itself, the excavation equipment and the excavated soil
Bucket tooth model identified showing 40% less stress on bucket itself, 17% greater stress on the soil

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11
Q

Why build a robofish?

A

The fish use micro-electrode arrays to sense contaminants
Can detect contaminants
Has changeable chemical sensor for other contaminants
Uses AI to identify source of pollution
A useful tool in shallow waters with high level of toxic contaminants

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12
Q

How can different fish species be used for biomimicry?

A

Improved maneuverability
Stealth
Power and stability- highly flexible pectoral fins give upward and forward force
Prevents yawning and twisting by working in concert with caudal and anal fins
Robotic mimicry to improve submarine efficiency in water

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13
Q

How can a real ray be used for biomimicry?

A

Cyborg ray
Stealth (undulating motion)
Cyborg ray gold skeleton overlaid with a flexible polymer

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14
Q

What are the properties of an artificial ray?

A

Muscle constitutes genetically engineered at cardiomyocytes, electrically coupled with gap junctions
Monocytes express light-sensitive ion channel ChR2
Light stimulus directed at the front of the cyborg triggers propagation of an action potential modulated by the gap junctions between muscle cells

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15
Q

What is the robojelly?

A

Runs on hydrogen-oxygen energy source
Framework made from multi-walled C nanotubes on surface of Ni-Ti shape memory alloy
Sensitive pressure sensors inform on depth
Has light sensors to detect location of obstacles, inclu. other robo-jellies

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16
Q

What is the robolob?

A

The mechanical lobster
Lobster body is adept at scrambling over rocks, through crevices in coastal shallows
Robust to damage and has neural network which allows it to sense prey
Robolob is legged ambulatory vehicle intended for autonomous remote sensing operations in rivers and/or or the littoral zone ocean bottom, especially for detecting mines

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17
Q

What is the octobot?

A

1st entirely soft material autonomous robot
Inspired by octopus movements (no skeleton)
Made from silicone polymers and 3D printing
2cm length: driven by H2O2 for fuel, energy generated when exposed to platinum
Self controlled arm movements: runs for 8 mins on 1ml of fuel
Potential for development of soft mini-robots without mechanical or electronic joints

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18
Q

How can the artificial octopus arm be described?

A

Octopus arms soft and deformable, bending is omni-directional at any point along the arm
Arms can stiffen when needed, can grasp and pull objects with considerable strength
Potential application: Medical, underwater rescue, salvage of delicate submerged artifacts

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19
Q

How else can artificial octopus arms be used?

A

Surgical manipulators
Organ retraction: manipulator grabbing and lifting an organ
In tiny spaces: Shifting an organ down and reaching the surgical target

20
Q

What’s the problems with wind power?

A

Low reliability, noise (especially at blade tips when stalling), poor performance during turbulence

21
Q

What’s the solution to the problems occuring with wind power?

A

Increase operating angle of turbine blades, however aerodynamic limits affect possible angles with conventional designs, which can increase stalling and drag, thus reducing efficiency
Biomimetic solution proposed based on observations of whale flukes/flippers

22
Q

What is the whalepower corporation?

A

Humpback-whale movement exceptional compared with other species, as angle of flippers up to 40% steeper than for other species, without stalling
Humpbacks capable of extremely tight circling in water, as well as maintaining speed without stalling
Conventional science dictates that turbines, wings or fins with smooth, stream-lined edges are least likely to stall

23
Q

What’s the difference between humpback flipper and other ones?

A

Humpback flipper not smooth, front edge carries bumps, known as tubercles
Tubercles change pressure distribution on the flipper, resulting in only some parts experiencing, thus abrupt stalling avoided
Instead of blocking flow, tubercles channel flow between bumps

24
Q

Can robotics help in pest control?

A

Yes- the COTSbot
Vision-based underwater robotic system for the identification/control if crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS)
Pests that periodically kill large swathes of coral
Control traditionally done by divers injecting individual starfish with ox-bile or vinegar by hand
A robotic injector was developed to improve eradication efficiency, diver safety and to reach inaccessible COTS
The robot is trained to recognize COTS on reefs based on colour and shape

25
Q

How does the COTSbot work?

A

Follows pre-programmed path, moving via 5 thrusters
Navigates reef with multiple cameras
Trained by starfish printed by 3D printers software programmed to recognize COTS wrapped around/under rocks
On robotic identification of COTS, 10ml injected via pneumatic arm
Injected starfish die

26
Q

How can biomimicry be used in fabrics/materials?

A

Armour, textiles: seahorses, sharks and squid
Biomimicry to develop properties of strength, flexibility, camouflage, refractive or voltaic properties

27
Q

What are the important protein polymers in biomimicry?

A

Collagen
Elastin
Silks

28
Q

What are the SRT proteins?

A

Squid ring teeth (SRT) proteins:
Films, shapes, and gels
Predatory appendages inside suction cups
Composed of protein complex
Physico-chemical properties controlled by:
i. amino-acid composition
ii. 2 degree structure
iii. overall network morphology
iv. quantity of histidine
Adhesion properties change as function of temperature

29
Q

How are SRT’s controlled?

A

Native protein non-adhesive in either wet or dry conditions
Non-adhesive below glass transition temperature
Becomes adhesive when processed above glass transition temperature
Important polymer property
Temperature region where polymer transitions from hard, glassy material to soft, rubbery form
Joints bonded with SRT protein

30
Q

How can SRT proteins be processed?

A

By using methods common in the polymer industry
Solution based processing: H bond disruption
Thermoplastic processing: heating above glass transition temperature

31
Q

What are the multi functional structures of SRTs?

A

Clear, free standing, flexible film
Complex 3D shapes
Incorporation of light sensors for photonics
Insect wing biomimicry

32
Q

What is an example of a SRT protein?

A

Abrasion-resistant SRT protein coatings for textiles

33
Q

What does fish skin confer?

A

Fish skin un-keratinised and living, but covered with overlapping mineralized scales
Confer mechanical protection, flexibility, hydration, regeneration, repair and camouflage
Scale shape and arrangement varies across body

34
Q

How can fish skin be recreated artificially?

A

Designs can be re-created artificially with polymers, silicone or other materials

35
Q

How do fish scales respond to deformation by indentation, shearing and other forces?

A

By using macroscale synthetic prototypes, scales are tested by how their affected
High scale overlap resists penentration by load distribution over larger area
Authors considered that scale plates distribute the load of a predatory attack over a large area, thus mitigating stress
Concluded that mechanical characterization of such layered, segmented structures fundamental for developing engineered protective systems/composites for other uses

36
Q

What can shark skin be used for?

A

Drag reduction and flow separation
Drag on a submerged, swimming body:
i. Form drag- difference in pressure around body
ii. drag due to lift
iii. skin friction due to boundary layer formation

37
Q

How does biofouling start?

A

Free fouling larvae transition to their attached forms, but early transition stage weak and reversible
Irreversible attachment occurs by chemical binding via adhesive proteins, therefore one strategy is to block early attachment

38
Q

How can shark skin be anti-fouling?

A

As shark skin minimizes drag close to the body, this also reduces biofouling, as settlement time window reduced and faster-flowing water at skin surfaces deters settlement
Furthermore, fouling organisms have preferred settlement structures in terms of optimal groove width/depth. Hypothesized that shark skin provides sub-optimal surface

39
Q

So what is shark skin used to develop?

A

Uses surface properties alone to develop anti-fouling and antibacterial films

40
Q

How do seahorses avoid being crushed?

A

Seahorses: segmented array of bony plates functioning as flexible, sub-dermal armour
Seahorse predators: capture strategy is to crush
Upon compression, overlapping bony plates slide past each other
Compression of tail up to 50% it’s original length without permanent damage

41
Q

How can seahorses be applied to biomimicry?

A

Potential application for steerable catheters, earthquake resistant structures, flexible body armour, controlled anchors, prehensile robotics

42
Q

How is the seahorse skeleton structured?

A

Micro-hardness tests: show distribution of hardness over single bony plate
Harder on outer surface for protection but softer at overlapping joints for mobility
Seahorse bony plates compress without damage

43
Q

How do sea horse bony plates compress without damage?

A

because of their structure as they are designed to slide past each other and buckle when compressed

44
Q

How can a glass oyster be used in biomimicry?

A

Windowpane oyster, unusually translucent (80% total transmission of visible light)
Translucency may act as camouflage against predation
Shell traditionally used as ‘glass’
Shell > 3000x tougher than the mineral
Formation creates fissures which bend/deform, thus not transmitting cracks
Nano-structure composed of tiled elongated diamond shaped calcitic laths (300nm thick)

45
Q

How can Bioceramic oyster shells be used?

A

Indentation of the shell surface causes particles on the leading edge of the dent to break into two identical blocks
Break occurs all round the dent, forming boundary preventing damage from spreading
Offers potential for building transparent energy-dissipating (impact resistant) armoured plates for military or other applications
Currently engineered ceramics are prone to cracking and fracture, which could be mitigated by copying shell design

Biotechnology (12 decks)

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