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Electromechanical enhancement of live jellyfish for ocean exploration Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2024-02-28 Simon R Anuszczyk, John O Dabiri
The vast majority of the ocean’s volume remains unexplored, in part because of limitations on the vertical range and measurement duration of existing robotic platforms. In light of the accelerating rate of climate change impacts on the physics and biogeochemistry of the ocean, the need for new tools that can measure more of the ocean on faster timescales is becoming pressing. Robotic platforms inspired
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The generalized spring-loaded inverted pendulum model for analysis of various planar reduced-order models and for optimal robot leg design Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2024-02-28 Wei-Chun Lu, Pei-Chun Lin
This paper proposes a generalized spring-loaded inverted pendulum (G-SLIP) model to explore various popular reduced-order dynamic models’ characteristics and suggest a better robot leg design under specified performance indices. The G-SLIP model’s composition can be varied by changing the model’s parameters, such as ground contacting type and spring property. It can be transformed into four widely
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Soft robotics for farm to fork: applications in agriculture & farming Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2024-02-27 Costanza Armanini, Kai Junge, Philip Johnson, Charles Whitfield, Federico Renda, Marcello Calisti, Josie Hughes
Agricultural tasks and environments range from harsh field conditions with semi-structured produce or animals, through to post-processing tasks in food-processing environments. From farm to fork, the development and application of soft robotics offers a plethora of potential uses. Robust yet compliant interactions between farm produce and machines will enable new capabilities and optimize existing
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Analyzing the kinematics and longitudinal aerodynamics of a four-wing bionic aircraft Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2024-02-22 Lishuang Wang, Zhiwei Shi, Xi Geng, Shengxiang Tong, Zhen Chen
This paper designs a bionic aircraft model equipped with multiple degrees of freedom to study the inertial force equation and the aerodynamic interaction between its forewings and hindwings. Each wing’s phase difference angle (PDA) and stroke plane angle (SPA) are independently adjustable. Employing the kinematic equation of a single wing, we establish a model for the inertial force of the four-wing
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Design and verification of a parallel elastic robotic leg Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2024-02-21 Emre Tanfener, Osman Kaan Karagöz, Sinan Şahin Candan, Ali Emre Turgut, Yiğit Yazıcıoğlu, Mustafa Mert Ankaralı, Uluç Saranlı
This paper presents the design and experimental verification of a parallel elastic robotic leg mechanism that aims to capture the dynamics of the linear mass-spring-damper model. The mechanism utilizes a wrapping cam mechanism to linearize the non-linear force resulting from the elongation of the parallel elastic element. Firstly, we explain the desired dynamics of the mass-spring-damper model, including
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A bat biomimetic model for scenario recognition using echo Doppler information Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2024-02-21 Wang Feng, Pang Chunyang, Lu Yuqing, Wang Hao
The flying bat can detect the difference in Doppler frequency between its echolocation transmission signal and the echoes in its surroundings, enabling it to distinguish between various scenarios effectively. By examining the bio-sonar biomimetic model of a flying bat that uses echo Doppler information for environmental recognition, it may enhance the scene recognition capability of human ultrasound
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Journey from human hands to robot hands: biological inspiration of anthropomorphic robotic manipulators Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2024-02-19 Michael Seokyoung Han, Cindy K Harnett
The development of robotic hands that can replicate the complex movements and dexterity of the human hand has been a longstanding challenge for scientists and engineers. A human hand is capable of not only delicate operation but also crushing with power. For performing tasks alongside and in place of humans, an anthropomorphic manipulator design is considered the most advanced implementation, because
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A numerical study on the aerodynamic effects of dynamic twisting on forward flight flapping wings Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2024-02-14 Yuanbo Dong, Bifeng Song, Wenqing Yang, Dong Xue
To better understand the secret of natural flying vertebrates such as how humming-birds twist their wings to achieve superb flight ability, we presented a numerical investigation of dynamic twisting based on a hummingbird-like flapping wing model. Computational fluid dynamic simulations were performed to examine the effects of dynamic twisting on the unsteady flow field, the generation of instantaneous
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Mechanical modeling of mechanosensitive insect strain sensors as a tool to investigate exoskeletal interfaces Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2024-02-07 Gesa F Dinges, William P Zyhowski, Anastasia Lucci, Jordan Friend, Nicholas S Szczecinski
During walking, sensory information is measured and monitored by sensory organs that can be found on and within various limb segments. Strain can be monitored by insect load sensors, campaniform sensilla (CS), which have components embedded within the exoskeleton. CS vary in eccentricity, size, and orientation, which can affect their sensitivity to specific strains. Directly investigating the mechanical
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Bionic study of distance-azimuth discrimination of multi-scattered point objects in bat bio-sonar Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2024-02-06 Feng Wang, Ming Chen
This paper presents a novel approach to enhance the discrimination capacity of multi-scattered point objects in bat bio-sonar. A broadband interferometer mathematical model is developed, incorporating both distance and azimuth information, to simulate the transmitted and received signals of bats. The Fourier transform is employed to simulate the preprocessing step of bat information for feature extraction
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Enhancement of aerodynamic performance of a bristled wing by elliptic cylinders Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2024-02-05 Wanqiu Zhang, Daxing Liang, Dongwen Tan, Yaochen Mei, Xinping Zhou
Enhancing the aerodynamic performance of bristled wings is an important topic for small flying robotics. This paper numerically investigates this situation at very low Reynolds numbers by using elliptic cylinders as the bristles instead of circular cylinders. Optimal configuration of the bristled wing with five elliptic cylinders is obtained, which corresponds to the maximum lift. The results show
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Touchless underwater wall-distance sensing via active proprioception of a robotic flapper Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2024-02-02 Kundan Panta, Hankun Deng, Zhiyu Zhang, Daning Huang, Azar Panah, Bo Cheng
In this work, we explored a bioinspired method for underwater object sensing based on active proprioception. We investigated whether the fluid flows generated by a robotic flapper, while interacting with an underwater wall, can encode the distance information between the wall and the flapper, and how to decode this information using the proprioception within the flapper. Such touchless wall-distance
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Animal–robot interaction—an emerging field at the intersection of biology and robotics Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2024-02-02 Donato Romano, Maurizio Porfiri, Payam Zahadat, Thomas Schmickl
The field of animal–robot and organism–robot interaction systems (ARIS, ORIS) is a currently rapidly emerging field in biorobotics. In this special issue we aim for providing a comprehensive overview of the cutting-edge advancements and pioneering breakthroughs within this scientific and engineering discipline. Therefore, we collected scientific articles that delineate and expound upon the complexity
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Influence of posture during gliding flight in the flying lizard Draco volans Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2024-01-30 Valentin Buffa, William Salaün, Paola Cinnella
The agamid lizards of the genus Draco are undoubtedly the most renown reptilian gliders, using their rib-supported patagial wings as lifting surfaces while airborne. Recent investigations into these reptiles highlighted the role of body posture during gliding, however, the aerodynamics of postural changes in Draco remain unclear. Here, we examine the aerodynamics and gliding performances of Draco volans
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Controlling a bio-inspired miniature blimp using a depth sensing neural-network camera Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2024-01-29 Huy Q Pham, Shreyansh Singh, Matthew Garratt, Sridhar Ravi
Miniature blimps are lighter-than-air vehicles which have become an increasingly common unmanned aerial system research platform due to their extended endurance and collision tolerant design. The UNSW-C bio-inspired miniature blimp consists of a 0.5 m spherical mylar envelope filled with helium. Four fins placed along the equator provide control over the three translatory axes and yaw rotations. A
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Architectural gear ratio depends on actuator spacing in a physical model of pennate muscle Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2024-01-24 David A Sleboda, Thomas J Roberts, Emanuel Azizi
Pennate muscles are defined by the architectural arrangement of their muscle fibers, which run at an angle to the primary axis of muscle shortening. Pennation angles can vary dynamically over the course of individual contractions, influencing the speed and distance of muscle shortening. Despite their relevance to muscle performance, the physical mechanisms that drive dynamic changes in pennation angle
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Fish robotics: multi-fin propulsion and the coupling of fin phase, spacing, and compliance Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2024-01-24 Anthony P Mignano, Shraman Kadapa, Anthony C Drago, George V Lauder, Harry G Kwatny, James L Tangorra
Fish coordinate the motion of their fins and body to create the time-varying forces required for swimming and agile maneuvers. To effectively adapt this biological strategy for underwater robots, it is necessary to understand how the location and coordination of interacting fish-like fins affect the production of propulsive forces. In this study, the impact that phase difference, horizontal and vertical
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Turning kinematics of the scyphomedusa Aurelia aurita Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2024-01-23 J H Costello, S P Colin, B J Gemmell, J O Dabiri, E A Kanso
Scyphomedusae are widespread in the oceans and their swimming has provided valuable insights into the hydrodynamics of animal propulsion. Most of this research has focused on symmetrical, linear swimming. However, in nature, medusae typically swim circuitous, nonlinear paths involving frequent turns. Here we describe swimming turns by the scyphomedusa Aurelia aurita during which asymmetric bell margin
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Hydrodynamic analysis of fin–fin interactions in two-manta-ray schooling in the vertical plane Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2024-01-23 Zihao Huang, Alec Menzer, Jiacheng Guo, Haibo Dong
This study investigates the interaction of a two-manta-ray school using computational fluid dynamics simulations. The baseline case consists of two in-phase undulating three-dimensional manta models arranged in a stacked configuration. Various vertical stacked and streamwise staggered configurations are studied by altering the locations of the top manta in the upstream and downstream directions. Additionally
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Kinematics, dynamics and control of stiffness-tunable soft robots Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2024-01-19 Zhipeng Liu, Linsen Xu, Xiang Sui, Tao Wu, Gen Chen
Modeling and control methods for stiffness-tunable soft robots (STSRs) have received less attention compared to standard soft robots. A major challenge in controlling STSRs is their infinite degrees of freedom, similar to standard soft robots. In this paper, demonstrate a novel STSR by combing a soft-rigid hybrid spine-mimicking actuator with a stiffness-tunable module. Additionally, we introduce a
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Effect of stroke plane inclination on the hovering aerodynamic performance of tandem flapping foils Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2024-01-18 Shubham Tiwari, Sunil Chandel
The four-winged form of dragonfly and damselfly allows them to fly with great agility and endurance, which are accomplished by independently controlling the kinematics of each wing. In this study, we performed numerical simulations of two tandem airfoils oscillating along an inclined stroke plane at Re=157 . We investigated the effects of the stroke plane angle ( β) of forefoil and hindfoil on the
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Experimental study and geometrical method to design bio-inspired robotic kinematic chains of inching-locomotion caterpillars Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2024-01-17 José Cornejo, J Enrique Sierra-Garcia, Francisco Javier Gomez-Gil, Juan Grados, Ricardo Palomares, Alfredo Weitzenfeld
Inching-locomotion caterpillars (ILAR) show impressive environmental adaptation, having high dexterity and flexibility. To design robots that mimic these abilities, a novel bioinspired robotic design (BIROD) method is presented. The method is composed by an algorithm for geometrical kinematic analysis (GEKINS) to standardize the proportional dimensions according to the insect’s anatomy and obtain the
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From biomimicry to robotic co-creation: rethinking the boundaries between nature and technology Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2024-01-16 Marco Tamborini
This paper is an invitation to an interdisciplinary dialogue on new possibilities for integrating robotics, design, and nature. I ask: how can new cross-movements between bio-inspired science and design be fostered? How might we envision the future possible intersection between technology and nature? First, I recall key aspects of classical bioinspired engineering and highlight the role of nature in
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A comprehensive review of hydrodynamic studies on fish schooling Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-12-22 Montana Ligman, Joshua Lund, Mirjam Fürth
Collective motion of organisms is a widespread phenomenon exhibited by many species, most commonly associated with colonial birds and schools of fish. The benefits of schooling behavior vary from defense against predators, increased feeding efficiency, and improved endurance. Schooling motions can be energetically beneficial as schools allow for channeling and vortex-based interactions, creating a
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Hingeless arm for space robotics actuated through shape memory alloys Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-12-18 Tiziana Biasutti, Daniela Rigamonti, Emanuele Casciaro, Antonio Mattia Grande, Paolo Bettini
Operating outside the spacecraft via remotely controlled structures is an important opportunity in different space applications. The research in this area is focused on designing robots that are sufficiently flexible to allow inspection in locations where access is difficult or impossible for astronauts, while minimizing weight and bulk. The purpose of the research is to design a borescope for space
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DROD: bio-robotic drill/sampler for planetary subterranean exploration: experiments and challenges Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-12-15 Mohamed Alkalla, Craig Pitcher
Key features for space exploration equipment, and in particular drills and sampling mechanisms, are low weight, small size, and energy efficiency. These characteristics are substantially required not only in reducing the spaceship flight cost, but also in extending the exploration time on the extraterrestrial bodies. This article experimentally investigates the feasibility of a novel drill bioinspired
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Aerodynamic performance of flapping wing with alula under different kinematics of complex flapping motion Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-12-14 Han Bao, Bifeng Song, Dongfu Ma, Dong Xue
The flight of birds is a remarkable feat, and their remarkable ability to fly derives from complex multi-degree-of-freedom flapping motions and small-scale feather structures that have evolved over millions of years. One of these feather structures is the alula, which can enhance the birds’ flight performance at low speeds and large angles of attack. Previous studies on the alula have focused on the
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Comprehensive stiffness regulation on multi-section snake robot with considering the parasite motion and friction effects Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-12-07 Nan Ma, Haiqin Zhou, Jujie Yuan, Guangping He
Snake robots have been widely used in challenging environments, such as confined spaces. However, most existing snake robots with large length/diameter ratios have low stiffness, and this limits their accuracy and utility. To remedy this, a novel ‘macro-micro’ structure aided by a new comprehensive stiffness regulation strategy is proposed in this paper. This improves the positional accuracy when operating
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High-resolution measurements of swordfish skin surface roughness Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-12-06 M Stewart, S Cameron, M Thunert, A Zampiron, D Wainwright, V Nikora
The three-dimensional morphology of swordfish skin roughness remains poorly understood. Subsequently, its importance to the overall physiology and hydrodynamic performance of the swordfish is yet to be determined. This is at least partly attributable to the inherent difficulty in making the required measurements of these complex biological surfaces. To address this, here two sets of novel high-resolution
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Capillary efficiency study in leaf vein morphology inspired channels Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-11-29 Jingyu Shen, Ce Guo, Yaopeng Ma, Ao Dong
Inspired by the capillary transport function of plant leaf veins, this study proposes three typical leaf vein features by observing a large number of leaves, including wedge shape, branch asymmetry, as well as hierarchical arrangement, and investigates their capillary transport mechanism. Not only a preliminary theoretical analysis of capillary flow in the bio-inspired channels was carried out, but
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A two-dimensional hydrodynamics prediction framework for mantle-undulated propulsion robot using multiple proper orthogonal decomposition and long short term memory neural network Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-11-29 Zixiang Ying, Haozhi Zhang, Linxiang Wang, Roderick Melnik
In this paper, a deep learning based framework has been developed to predict hydrodynamic forces on a mantle-undulated propulsion robot (MUPRo). A multiple proper orthogonal decomposition (MPOD) algorithm has been proposed to efficiently identify fluid features near the undulating mantle of the MUPRo globally and locally. The results indicate that the L2 error of the solution states near the undulating
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Organisms as sensors in biohybrid entities as a novel tool for in-field aquatic monitoring Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-11-22 Wiktoria Rajewicz, Chao Wu, Donato Romano, Alexandre Campo, Farshad Arvin, Alexander J Casson, Godfried Jansen van Vuuren, Cesare Stefanini, Joshua Cherian Varughese, Barry Lennox, Sarah Schönwetter-Fuchs, Thomas Schmickl, Ronald Thenius
Rapidly intensifying global warming and water pollution calls for more efficient and continuous environmental monitoring methods. Biohybrid systems connect mechatronic components to living organisms and this approach can be used to extract data from the organisms. Compared to conventional monitoring methods, they allow for a broader data collection over long periods, minimizing the need for sampling
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Variable stiffness soft robotic gripper: design, development, and prospects Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-11-22 Yu Shan, Yanzhi Zhao, Haobo Wang, Liming Dong, Changlei Pei, Zhaopeng Jin, Yue Sun, Tao Liu
The advent of variable stiffness soft robotic grippers furnishes a conduit for exploration and manipulation within uncharted, non-structured environments. The paper provides a comprehensive review of the necessary technologies for the configuration design of soft robotic grippers with variable stiffness, serving as a reference for innovative gripper design. The design of variable stiffness soft robotic
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Environmental force sensing helps robots traverse cluttered large obstacles Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-11-17 Qihan Xuan, Chen Li
Robots can traverse sparse obstacles by sensing environmental geometry and avoiding contact with obstacles. However, for search and rescue in rubble, environmental monitoring through dense vegetation, and planetary exploration over Martian and lunar rocks, robots must traverse cluttered obstacles as large as themselves by physically interacting with them. Previous work discovered that the forest floor-dwelling
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Multicolor dye-based flow structure visualization for seal-whisker geometry characterized by computer vision Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-11-17 Ondřej Ferčák, Kathleen M Lyons, Christin T Murphy, Kristina M Kamensky, Raúl Bayoán Cal, Jennifer A Franck
Pinniped vibrissae possess a unique and complex three-dimensional topography, which has beneficial fluid flow characteristics such as substantial reductions in drag, lift, and vortex induced vibration. To understand and leverage these effects, the downstream vortex dynamics must be studied. Dye visualization is a traditional qualitative method of capturing these downstream effects, specifically in
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Trailing-edge fringes enable robust aerodynamic force production and noise suppression in an owl wing model Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-11-17 Jiaxin Rong, Yajun Jiang, Yuta Murayama, Ryoto Ishibashi, Masashi Murakami, Hao Liu
As one of the unique owl-wing morphologies, trailing-edge (TE) fringes are believed to play a critical role in the silent flight of owls and have been widely investigated using idealized single/tandem airfoils. However, the effect of TE fringes and associated mechanisms on the aeroacoustics of owl wings, which feature curved leading edges, wavy TEs, and several feather slots at the wingtips, have not
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Multimodal steerable earthworm-inspired soft robot based on vacuum and positive pressure powered pneumatic actuators Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-11-13 Pengcheng Li, Baojun Chen, Jianbin Liu
This article presents a multimodal steerable earthworm-inspired soft robot based on vacuum and positive pressure powered pneumatic actuators capable of crawling both inside pipelines and on planar surfaces. The optimized modular vacuum pressure-driven actuator can generate deformation and anchoring motion through a unified structure under low vacuum pressure, giving it significant speed advantages
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Mechanisms of octopus arm search behavior without visual feedback Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-10-30 Dominic M Sivitilli, Terrell Strong, Willem Weertman, Joseph Ullmann, Joshua R Smith, David H Gire
The octopus coordinates multiple, highly flexible arms with the support of a complex distributed nervous system. The octopus’s suckers, staggered along each arm, are employed in a wide range of behaviors. Many of these behaviors, such as foraging in visually occluded spaces, are executed under conditions of limited or absent visual feedback. In coordinating unseen limbs with seemingly infinite degrees
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Bioinspired flatfish detection using electrical impedance measurements Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-10-30 Lukasz J Nowak, Martin J Lankheet
Bottom trawling for flatfish by means of tickler chains has a high ecological impact due to the continuous seabed disturbance, low selectivity and high fuel costs. This issue could be significantly mitigated by using localized startle stimuli, triggered by a detection system that selectively targets flatfishes of landable size. Flatfish, however, constitute a significant challenge for remote detection
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Exploring storm petrel pattering and sea-anchoring using deep reinforcement learning Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-10-30 Jiaqi Xue, Fei Han, Brett Klaassen van Oorschot, Glenna Clifton, Dixia Fan
Developing hybrid aerial-aquatic vehicles that can interact with water surfaces while remaining aloft is valuable for various tasks, including ecological monitoring, water quality sampling, and search and rescue operations. Storm petrels are a group of pelagic seabirds that exhibit a unique locomotion pattern known as ‘pattering’ or ‘sea-anchoring,’ which is hypothesized to support forward locomotion
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A decoupled Bayesian method for snake robot control in unstructured environment Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-10-24 Yuanyuan Jia, Shugen Ma
This paper presents a method which avoids the common practice of using a complex coupled snake robot model and performing kinematic analysis for control in cluttered environments. Instead, we introduce a completely decoupled dynamical Bayesian formulation with respect to interacted snake robot links and environmental objects, which requires much lower complexity for efficient and robust control. When
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Investigations into 3D-printed nautiloid-inspired pressure housings Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-10-24 Madeline A Karp, Brennan Phillips, Stewart M Edie
The shell of the chambered nautilus is one of the few examples in nature of a biologically derived one-atmosphere pressure housing, which the animal uses to maintain neutral buoyancy via a series of sealed chambers. Extant species such as Nautilus pompilius live at depths from 200 to 800 m, and similar depth ranges have been hypothesized for their hyper diverse but extinct relatives, the ammonoids
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Biologically inspired virtual aperture extension method of small aperture HFSWR multielement array Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-10-17 Hongbo Li, Aijun Liu, Qiang Yang, Changjun Yu, Xuguang Yang
We propose a method for extending the virtual aperture of the small aperture high-frequency surface wave radar multielement array inspired by a fly named Ormia ochracea. Despite the tremendous incompatibility between its ear and the incoming wavelength, Ormia can accurately local the sound of its host cricket. This ability benefits from the coupled structure of Ormia’s ears which have been modelled
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Locomotion performance of an axisymmetric ‘flapping fin’ Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-10-11 Qiang Zhu
Inspired by the jet-propulsion mechanism of aquatic creatures such as sea salps, a novel locomotion system based on an axisymmetric body design is proposed. This system consists of an empty tube with two ends open. When the diameters of the front and back openings are changed periodically, the forward-backward symmetry is broken so that the system starts swimming. Viewed within a cross section, this
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Fully 3D-printed tortoise-like soft mobile robot with muti-scenario adaptability Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-10-09 Lechen Sun, Jingjing Wan, Tianhao Du
Soft robotic systems are well suited to unstructured, dynamic tasks and environments, owing to their ability to adapt and conform without damaging themselves or their surroundings. These abilities are crucial in areas such as human-robot interaction, simplification of control system and weight reduction. At present, the existing soft mobile robots still have the disadvantages of single motion mode
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Feather-inspired flow control device across flight regimes Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-10-04 Ahmed K Othman, Nirmal J Nair, Andres Goza, Aimy Wissa
Bio-inspired flow control strategies can provide a new paradigm of efficiency and adaptability to overcome the operational limitations of traditional flow control. This is particularly useful to small-scale uncrewed aerial vehicles since their mission requirements are rapidly expanding, but they are still limited in terms of agility and adaptability when compared to their biological counterparts, birds
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Coordinating upper limbs for octave playing on the piano via neuro-musculoskeletal modeling Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-10-03 Huijiang Wang, Tetsushi Nonaka, Arsen Abdulali, Fumiya Iida
Understanding the coordination of multiple biomechanical degrees of freedom in biological organisms is crucial for unraveling the neurophysiological control of sophisticated motor tasks. This study focuses on the cooperative behavior of upper-limb motor movements in the context of octave playing on the piano. While the vertebrate locomotor system has been extensively investigated, the coherence and
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An experimental study on the mechanics and control of SMA-actuated bioinspired needle Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-09-28 Sharad Raj Acharya, Parsaoran Hutapea
Active needles demonstrate improved accuracy and tip deflection compared to their passive needle counterparts, a crucial advantage in percutaneous procedures. However, the ability of these needles to effectively navigate through tissues is governed by needle-tissue interaction, which depends on the tip shape, the cannula surface geometry, and the needle insertion method. In this research, we evaluated
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Fish-inspired robotic algorithm: mimicking behaviour and communication of schooling fish Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-09-27 Jack Connor, Matthew Joordens, Benjamin Champion
This study aims to present a novel flocking algorithm for robotic fish that will aid the study of fish in their natural environment. The algorithm, fish-inspired robotic algorithm (FIRA), amalgamates the standard flocking behaviors of attraction, alignment, and repulsion, together with predator avoidance, foraging, general obstacle avoidance, and wandering. The novelty of the FIRA algorithm is the
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Biomimetic intruder tip design for horizontal penetration into a granular pile Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-09-26 C S Sandeep, T Matthew Evans
In nature, woodpeckers peck trees with no reported brain injury. A highly functional system comprising a hyoid bone, smooth skull, straight pointed beak with varying lengths of upper and lower beak bones, and rhamphotheca is one of the adaptations that enable efficient pecking. Soil penetration is an energy-intensive procedure used in civil infrastructure applications and is often followed by pushing
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Stochastic stability analysis of legged locomotion using unscented transformation Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-09-25 Güner Dilsad Er, Mustafa Mert Ankarali
In this manuscript, we present a novel method for estimating the stochastic stability characteristics of metastable legged systems using the unscented transformation. Prior methods for stability analysis in such systems often required high-dimensional state space discretization and a broad set of initial conditions, resulting in significant computational complexity. Our approach aims to alleviate this
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Plant-inspired rearrangement of liquid in a porous structure for controlled swelling Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-09-21 Yauheni Sarokin, Alvo Aabloo, Indrek Must
Soft robots can adapt to dynamic environments without prior knowledge of their properties. Plants inspire mechanisms for counterbalancing dynamic loads by locally modulating compliance through anisotropic humidity-responsive materials and structures. In addition to well-known passive bilayers, plants may also actively control swelling. The combination of robust hygroscopic material-level response and
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Controlling jumps through latches in small jumping robots Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-09-19 Sathvik Divi, Ryan St. Pierre, Hui Min Foong, Sarah Bergbreiter
Small jumping robots can use springs to maximize jump performance, but they are typically not able to control the height of each jump owing to design constraints. This study explores the use of the jumper’s latch, the component that mediates the release of energy stored in the spring, as a tool for controlling jumps. A reduced-order model that considers the dynamics of the actuator pulling the latch
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BECS-II: an updated bio-inspired electrocommunication system for small underwater robots Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-09-19 Tansheng Chen, Hongjie He, Guangming Xie
Some weakly electric fish can use electric signals to interact and communicate with each other in dark and complex underwater environments where traditional underwater communication fails. In our previous work, we developed a bio-inspired electrocommunication system (BECS) that serves as an effective alternative to traditional methods in this challenging underwater scenario performing communication
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Development of an impulsive motion generator inspired by cocking slip joint of snapping shrimp Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-09-13 Kiichi Tajima, Keisuke Yagi, Yoshikazu Mori
We propose an impulsive motion generator inspired by snapping shrimp. The proposed device mimics the geometrical arrangement of a unique claw joint called cocking slip joint and integrates it with an artificial rack-pinion actuator mechanism rather than adopting the musculoskeletal system as it is. The design approach allows the proposed device to reproduce the impulsive slip motion through the torque
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The role of leading-edge serrations in controlling the flow over owls’ wing Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-09-12 Tanner Saussaman, Asif Nafi, David Charland, Hadar Ben-Gida, Roi Gurka
We studied the effects of leading-edge serrations on the flow dynamics developed over an owl wing model. Owls are predatory birds. Most owl species are nocturnal, with some active during the day. The nocturnal ones feature stealth capabilities that are partially attributed to their wing microfeatures. One of these microfeatures is small rigid combs (i.e. serrations) aligned at an angle with respect
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Multi-constraint spatial coupling for the body joint quadruped robot and the CPG control method on rough terrain Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-09-04 Guozheng Song, Qinglin Ai, Hangsheng Tong, Jian Xu, Shaoxuan Zhu
Quadruped robots have frequently appeared in various situations, including wilderness rescue, planetary exploration, and nuclear power facility maintenance. The quadruped robot with an active body joint has better environmental adaptability than one without body joints. However, it is difficult to guarantee the stability of the body joint quadruped robot when walking on rough terrain. Given the above
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Biomimetic models of fish gill rakers as lateral displacement arrays for particle separation Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-08-31 Erin M Witkop, Sam Van Wassenbergh, Paul D Heideman, S Laurie Sanderson
Ram suspension-feeding fish, such as herring, use gill rakers to separate small food particles from large water volumes while swimming forward with an open mouth. The fish gill raker function was tested using 3D-printed conical models and computational fluid dynamics simulations over a range of slot aspect ratios. Our hypothesis predicting the exit of particles based on mass flow rates, dividing streamlines
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On the influence of head motion on the swimming kinematics of robotic fish Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-08-29 Shokoofeh Abbaszadeh, Yanneck Kiiski, Roberto Leidhold, Stefan Hoerner
Up to now bio-inspired fish-mimicking robots fail when competing with the swimming performance of real fish. While tail motion has been studied extensively, the influence of the head motion is still not fully understood and its active control is challenging. In this experimental study, we show that head yawing strongly impacts on the propulsion force and determines the optimal fin actuation amplitude
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Active wing-pitching mechanism in hummingbird escape maneuvers Bioinspir. Biomim. (IF 3.4) Pub Date : 2023-08-29 Mohammad Nasirul Haque, Bo Cheng, Bret W Tobalske, Haoxiang Luo
Previous studies suggested that wing pitching, i.e. the wing rotation around its long axis, of insects and hummingbirds is primarily driven by an inertial effect associated with stroke deceleration and acceleration of the wings and is thus passive. Here we considered the rapid escape maneuver of hummingbirds who were initially hovering but then startled by the frontal approach of a looming object.