26-03-2011, 03:57 PM
[attachment=11092]
1. Introduction
One thing I have learned in a long life—that all our science,
measured against reality, is primitive and childlike.
-ALBERT EINSTEIN
As we all know that Engineers, scientists and business men are increasingly turning towards nature for design inspiration. The field of Biomimetics, the application of methods and systems found in nature to the engineering and technology, has spawned a number of innovations far superior to what the human mind alone could have devised. The reason is simple. Humans, through billions of years of trial and error, have produced effective solutions to innumerable complex real-world problems. For example, gas-powered cars are only about 20 percent efficient, that is, only 20 percent of the thermal-energy content of the gasoline is converted into mechanical work.
Today, it is hard for a human to imitate nature. The machines mirror living beings. Biomimetic is the science of copying the technology present in nature and emerging it for our better life style and living. Due to our want of luxuries we have exploited the nature to its maximum that humans try developing new technologies to replicate what is present in nature to our labs. There are various kinds of technologies which man has hackneyed from nature. When designers first made robotic arms, they had to unlearn what they knew about their own arms. The movement of machine joints needn't be limited the way our elbows and knees are. With the combination of man’s skill and nature we have industrialized magnificent technologies called hi-fi technologies; this includes running cars by the help of water. Bridge technologies are a technology that has been copied from the attachment of muscles in our body. We've also failed to make submarines that swim like fish, vehicles that move like animals, or computers that think like humans. The reason is that nature does these things in ways that are multifarious to copy. Someday, we might yet learn to fly with the grace and delicacy of a bird, or swim like a fish. It's much harder than it looks to copy nature, but perhaps, someday, we shall...
2. Mimicking Nature
Bio mimesis: to mimic life, to imitate biological systems
Biomimetic as a science is growing leaps and crossing every boundary existed. We have developed cars by seeing the speed in which an animal like cheetah can go. And even better we have made cars that run on water rather than diesel and petrol this is also a part that we have inherited from nature. All this is because of the research which has gone into the field of Biomimetic.
3. Technology from natural world
3.1. Terrestrial
Engineers are in the business of solving problems. It's their job to find ways to achieve certain outcomes. The problem might involve finding a way to build a skyscraper that can withstand hurricane-force winds. Or it might be to discover a method to deliver a specific dosage of drugs to a single cell in the human body.
Engineers often look to nature to see if there's already a solution to the problem they currently face. Not only must we recognize the solution, but also be able to study, copy and enhance that solution so that we can take advantage of it. There's a special word for this approach: Biomimetics. Ultimately, the engineer's creation mimics the structure or function of a biological entity.
The results can be awe-inspiring or something people routinely take for granted. But even the basic inventions wouldn't have been possible if engineers hadn't paid close attention to the way things work in nature. We'll take a look at four ways nature has inspired the technology we rely upon, listed in no particular order.
These Four are:
3.1.1. Developing Artificial Intelligence
3.1.2. Invading Cancer Cells
3.1.3. Sticking to Walls
3.1.4. Navigating Autonomously
3.1.1. Developing Artificial Intelligence
The brain is so complex that even the fastest supercomputer can't simulate it in real time.
Artificial intelligence is a term that has been thrown around for decades. In the past, computers were just powerful machines that could crunch enormous numbers. A computer could only follow explicit instructions.
Today, engineers and computer scientists are trying to make the leap from computation to thinking. They've met with some progress. In 2008, scientists used the Blue Gene L supercomputer to simulate a mouse's brain. That might sound simple, but a brain -- even one belonging to a virtual mouse -- is incredibly complex. So complex, in fact, that the powerful computer could only run the simulation in bursts of 10 seconds.
The program took a series of measurements and used a genetic algorithm to extrapolate the basic laws of physics. In the future, we may see machines capable of solving complex engineering problems. We may even reach the point where computers design even more powerful machines.
3.1.2. Invading Cancer Cells
Nanotechnology scientists study viruses in the hopes of developing new treatments for diseases like cancer. There are teams of engineers, computer scientists and doctors who are working on methods to cure cancer and other diseases on a cell-by-cell basis. One solution they're working on involves designing delivery technologies on the nano scale. They're building medical nano particles -- objects that are smaller than 100 nanometres in diameter. A nanometre is one-billionth of a meter. In fact, the nano scale is so small that it's impossible to view nanoparticles even with the aid of a light microscope. (Fig – 2)
Creating a drug-delivery particle that can seek out a cancer cell, infiltrate it and deliver medication exactly where it needs to go. By targeting just the cancer cells, doctors hope to eliminate the disease while minimizing any side effects. Healthy cells would remain unaffected.
3.1.3. Sticking to Walls
Since the dawn of time, man has searched for the ideal way to stick something to something else. In ancient times, this may have involved hammering a large spike through the hide of a mammoth to make the cave dwelling a little less draft. These days, engineers look to plants with burrs or creatures like the gecko for inspiration. Back in 1941, Swiss engineer Georges de Mestral was picking out burrs that had caught on his clothing and in his dog's fur. He placed a burr under a microscope and noticed that it had tiny barbs that allowed it to attach to passing creatures. The engineer came up with a brilliant plan -- create a material that used these tiny barbs as a fastening device. That material is what we now call Velcro.
Then there's Gecko Tape, a material that uses nanoscopic hairs to cling to sheer surfaces. The hairs mimic the ones you'd find on the feet of geckos. One day, scientists might be able to create an entire suit using this material. That suit would allow the wearer to scale walls and perhaps even walk across ceilings. Before long, we may be able to put in a call to our friendly neighbourhood Spider-man. (Fig – 3)
3.1.4. Navigating Autonomously
In the future, there will be robots. Whether they will cater to our every need or hunt us down in packs. It remains to be seen. Either way, one feature robots will need to achieve their true potential is autonomous navigation.
Most robots either require a pre-programmed route or simply react to the environment whenever they encounter an obstacle. Very few can find their way from one point to another on their own. Some engineers are trying to overcome this problem by studying ants. The Cataglyphis is an ant found in the Sahara Desert. Unlike other ants, the Cataglyphis doesn't rely on pheromone trails to navigate through its environment. Scientists believe that the ants use a combination of visual piloting, path integration and systematic search. Engineers hope that by gaining a deeper understanding of how creatures like the Cataglyphis navigate, they can build robots with similar capabilities.
1. Introduction
One thing I have learned in a long life—that all our science,
measured against reality, is primitive and childlike.
-ALBERT EINSTEIN
As we all know that Engineers, scientists and business men are increasingly turning towards nature for design inspiration. The field of Biomimetics, the application of methods and systems found in nature to the engineering and technology, has spawned a number of innovations far superior to what the human mind alone could have devised. The reason is simple. Humans, through billions of years of trial and error, have produced effective solutions to innumerable complex real-world problems. For example, gas-powered cars are only about 20 percent efficient, that is, only 20 percent of the thermal-energy content of the gasoline is converted into mechanical work.
Today, it is hard for a human to imitate nature. The machines mirror living beings. Biomimetic is the science of copying the technology present in nature and emerging it for our better life style and living. Due to our want of luxuries we have exploited the nature to its maximum that humans try developing new technologies to replicate what is present in nature to our labs. There are various kinds of technologies which man has hackneyed from nature. When designers first made robotic arms, they had to unlearn what they knew about their own arms. The movement of machine joints needn't be limited the way our elbows and knees are. With the combination of man’s skill and nature we have industrialized magnificent technologies called hi-fi technologies; this includes running cars by the help of water. Bridge technologies are a technology that has been copied from the attachment of muscles in our body. We've also failed to make submarines that swim like fish, vehicles that move like animals, or computers that think like humans. The reason is that nature does these things in ways that are multifarious to copy. Someday, we might yet learn to fly with the grace and delicacy of a bird, or swim like a fish. It's much harder than it looks to copy nature, but perhaps, someday, we shall...
2. Mimicking Nature
Bio mimesis: to mimic life, to imitate biological systems
Biomimetic as a science is growing leaps and crossing every boundary existed. We have developed cars by seeing the speed in which an animal like cheetah can go. And even better we have made cars that run on water rather than diesel and petrol this is also a part that we have inherited from nature. All this is because of the research which has gone into the field of Biomimetic.
3. Technology from natural world
3.1. Terrestrial
Engineers are in the business of solving problems. It's their job to find ways to achieve certain outcomes. The problem might involve finding a way to build a skyscraper that can withstand hurricane-force winds. Or it might be to discover a method to deliver a specific dosage of drugs to a single cell in the human body.
Engineers often look to nature to see if there's already a solution to the problem they currently face. Not only must we recognize the solution, but also be able to study, copy and enhance that solution so that we can take advantage of it. There's a special word for this approach: Biomimetics. Ultimately, the engineer's creation mimics the structure or function of a biological entity.
The results can be awe-inspiring or something people routinely take for granted. But even the basic inventions wouldn't have been possible if engineers hadn't paid close attention to the way things work in nature. We'll take a look at four ways nature has inspired the technology we rely upon, listed in no particular order.
These Four are:
3.1.1. Developing Artificial Intelligence
3.1.2. Invading Cancer Cells
3.1.3. Sticking to Walls
3.1.4. Navigating Autonomously
3.1.1. Developing Artificial Intelligence
The brain is so complex that even the fastest supercomputer can't simulate it in real time.
Artificial intelligence is a term that has been thrown around for decades. In the past, computers were just powerful machines that could crunch enormous numbers. A computer could only follow explicit instructions.
Today, engineers and computer scientists are trying to make the leap from computation to thinking. They've met with some progress. In 2008, scientists used the Blue Gene L supercomputer to simulate a mouse's brain. That might sound simple, but a brain -- even one belonging to a virtual mouse -- is incredibly complex. So complex, in fact, that the powerful computer could only run the simulation in bursts of 10 seconds.
The program took a series of measurements and used a genetic algorithm to extrapolate the basic laws of physics. In the future, we may see machines capable of solving complex engineering problems. We may even reach the point where computers design even more powerful machines.
3.1.2. Invading Cancer Cells
Nanotechnology scientists study viruses in the hopes of developing new treatments for diseases like cancer. There are teams of engineers, computer scientists and doctors who are working on methods to cure cancer and other diseases on a cell-by-cell basis. One solution they're working on involves designing delivery technologies on the nano scale. They're building medical nano particles -- objects that are smaller than 100 nanometres in diameter. A nanometre is one-billionth of a meter. In fact, the nano scale is so small that it's impossible to view nanoparticles even with the aid of a light microscope. (Fig – 2)
Creating a drug-delivery particle that can seek out a cancer cell, infiltrate it and deliver medication exactly where it needs to go. By targeting just the cancer cells, doctors hope to eliminate the disease while minimizing any side effects. Healthy cells would remain unaffected.
3.1.3. Sticking to Walls
Since the dawn of time, man has searched for the ideal way to stick something to something else. In ancient times, this may have involved hammering a large spike through the hide of a mammoth to make the cave dwelling a little less draft. These days, engineers look to plants with burrs or creatures like the gecko for inspiration. Back in 1941, Swiss engineer Georges de Mestral was picking out burrs that had caught on his clothing and in his dog's fur. He placed a burr under a microscope and noticed that it had tiny barbs that allowed it to attach to passing creatures. The engineer came up with a brilliant plan -- create a material that used these tiny barbs as a fastening device. That material is what we now call Velcro.
Then there's Gecko Tape, a material that uses nanoscopic hairs to cling to sheer surfaces. The hairs mimic the ones you'd find on the feet of geckos. One day, scientists might be able to create an entire suit using this material. That suit would allow the wearer to scale walls and perhaps even walk across ceilings. Before long, we may be able to put in a call to our friendly neighbourhood Spider-man. (Fig – 3)
3.1.4. Navigating Autonomously
In the future, there will be robots. Whether they will cater to our every need or hunt us down in packs. It remains to be seen. Either way, one feature robots will need to achieve their true potential is autonomous navigation.
Most robots either require a pre-programmed route or simply react to the environment whenever they encounter an obstacle. Very few can find their way from one point to another on their own. Some engineers are trying to overcome this problem by studying ants. The Cataglyphis is an ant found in the Sahara Desert. Unlike other ants, the Cataglyphis doesn't rely on pheromone trails to navigate through its environment. Scientists believe that the ants use a combination of visual piloting, path integration and systematic search. Engineers hope that by gaining a deeper understanding of how creatures like the Cataglyphis navigate, they can build robots with similar capabilities.
