Clippings

Technology Review: Clog-busters

Link: Technology Review: Clog-busters.

A Washington University team led by biomedical engineer Donald Elbert is developing a coating for artificial blood vessels that inhibit clotting.  Polyethylene glycol is combined with a protein fragment that binds endothelial cells and an enzyme that metabolizes a blood lipid to sphingosine-1-phosphate, which in turn controls growth and survival of the endothelial cells.  The resulting gel is expected to fight initial clot development and eventually lead to growth of the same cell lining that is found in human blood vessels. 

Other researchers have tried to grow 'natural' blood vessels or create artificial blood vessels from clot-resistant materials.  Neither approach has been fully successful.  Although Elbert's idea has not progressed outside the lab, it looks promising by harnessing the repair and growth capabilities of the human body.

Smarthouse - Phonak and Digital Bionics

Link: Smarthouse - Phonak and Digital Bionics.

The article describes how Phonak applies lessons from nature to develop better hearing aids.  The Phonak Digital Bionics site gives an overview of bionics and describes various applications.  Specifically to hearing aids, it mentions "researching the unique capabilities of biological systems related to hearing—specifically, the inner and outer ear and the brain."  The Innovative Hearing Solutions page mentions research on how the human outer ear localizes sound, as well as how the human hearing system selectively amplifies sounds depending on the specific environment.  The hearing aid also appears to incorporate feedback and adaptation systems.

The Raw Story | Audi R8 super sports car available next year

Link: The Raw Story | Audi R8 super sports car available next year.

LED lights will be available as a feature on the Audi R8 cars. The press release mentions the influence of bionics on the headlight design.  "The light unit has a design reminiscent of an open pine cone. Reflector shells arranged concentrically behind the other, in conjunction with a powerful LED projection system, concentrate the light from one multi-chip LED, producing a high-luminosity, even form of driving light."

I have not come across any pictures, nor any statements of what led the designers to use the pine cone as a model.

RightNow Applies Cutting-Edge Artificial Intelligence Research to Real-World Business Challenges

Link: RightNow Applies Cutting-Edge Artificial Intelligence Research to Real-World Business Challenges.

RightNow Labs is using biomimicry to help develop improved Customer Relationship Management software.  "Swarm Intelligence" has been applied to developing search algorithms based on weighting of different pathways that users navigate through the knowledgebase.   "Adaptive clustering" relates elements spatially or logically - relating words with information provides easier access to unstructured information.  Other areas of research include fuzzy logic, natural language processing and genetic algorithms. 

The RightNow Tecnologies website has the original article, republished in EARTHtimes.org.  The site search engine did not reveal anything interesting.  However, using Google to search on "adaptive site:rrightnow.com" and "swarm site:rightnow.com" uncovered a number of papers. 

Micro-optical artificial compound eyes

Link: Micro-optical artificial compound eyes.

This article explores how principles from compound eyes or cluster eyes could be applied to creating " very compact, robust and cheap vision systems.

From the abstract:

" Two different artificial compound eye concepts for compact vision systems have been investigated in detail: the artificial apposition compound eye and the cluster eye. Novel optical design methods and characterization tools were developed to allow the layout and experimental testing of the planar micro-optical imaging systems, which were fabricated for the first time by micro-optics technology. The artificial apposition compound eye can be considered as a simple imaging optical sensor while the cluster eye is capable of becoming a valid alternative to classical bulk objectives but is much more complex than the first system."

Cooperative optimal control: broadening the reach of bio-inspiration

Link: Cooperative optimal control: broadening the reach of bio-inspiration.

This paper investigates "cooperative control and optimization", as seen in schools of fish, honey bees, ants and other social organisms. 

Abstract.

"Inspired by the process by which ants gradually optimize their foraging trails, this paper investigates the cooperative solution of a class of free final time, partially constrained final state optimal control problems by a group of dynamical systems. We propose an iterative, pursuit-based algorithm which generalizes previously proposed models and converges to an optimal solution by iteratively optimizing an initial feasible trajectory/control pair. The proposed algorithm requires only short-range, limited interactions between group members, avoids the need for a 'global map' of the environment in which the group evolves, and solves an optimal control problem in 'small' pieces, in a manner which will be made precise. The performance of the algorithm is illustrated in a series of simulations and laboratory experiments."

Japan for Sustainability - 'Smart Glass' Technology Moving toward Commercialization

Link: Japan for Sustainability - 'Smart Glass' Technology Moving toward Commercialization.

The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in conjunction with Nippon Glass has developed a glass with a multilayer thin-film structure that controls infrared light transmission based on the outside temperature.  This feature will enhance the energy-efficiency of modern insulating windows.  A commercial product competitive with existing energy-saving glass is expected to be available by 2008.

Commentary:

This is a good example of 'smart materials' that use structure to allow adaptation under environmental changes.

Flies provide aerodynamic model for tiny flying vehicles

Link: Flies provide aerodynamic model for tiny flying vehicles.

Studying how flies can hover, make sharp turns and target prey has proven difficult in the natural environment.  Understanding the principles will aid the design of micro air vehicles (MAVs) which require "power-efficient, highly-manoeuvrable, low-speed flight with stable hover."   Researchers Rafal Zbikowski, Salman Ansari and Kevin Knowles have developed mathematical models that capture the key attributes of  figure-eight path of insect wings, which request in complex, non-linear wing aerodynamics. 

The full article can be found at  On mathematical modelling of insect flight dynamics in the context of micro air vehicles  in "Bioinspiration & Biomimetics".  Also see Journal of Aerospace Engineering - Non-linear unsteady aerodynamic model for insect-like flapping wings in the hover.

Journal of Aerospace Engineering - Non-linear unsteady aerodynamic model for insect-like flapping wings in the hover.

Link: Journal of Aerospace Engineering - Non-linear unsteady aerodynamic model for insect-like flapping wings in the hover.

This paper describes modelling of insect-like flapping wings in microair vehicles, which rely on a complex interaction between a leading-edge vortex and the trailing edge wakes to allow hovering.  Good agreement was found between the model and experimental data.

The link above points to the first part, covering method and analysis.  Also see Part 2: implementation and validation.

Thanks to John Summerscales and the Biomimetics listserver for the pointer!

SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Science -- Imitation of life

Link: SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Science -- Imitation of life.

The article describes how Marc Meyers, a materials scientist at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), became interested in how the toucan beak combines strength with light weight.  He later discovered that the exterior of the beak is made of overlapping 'tiles' of keratin bonded by an organic glue, absorbing energy and preventing crack propagation (a property shared with the abalone shell).  The inside of the beak is a matrix of bone fibers connected by membranes, creating a honeycomb pattern. 

Whereas materials engineering and design engineering are separate disciplines, nature creates innovative designs by tightly integrating materials with structure.  For example, tendons are made from a relatively weak substance called collagen, structured in a hierarchical fashion to create a strong and stretchable tissue. 

The article also describes the concept of 'tensegrity', a way of combining tension and compression to maintain stability.  Many structures in nature rely on tensegrity, including spider webs and blood vessels.  Robert Skelton, an engineer at UCSD, is working on designs for aircraft wings that can adapt their shape, and buildings that are not affected by earthquakes. 

Rather than creating new materials requiring ever more complex manufacturing (often involving toxic by-products), Meyers and Skelton see tremendous potential in learning  how nature combines simple materials  with clever geometry to solve design problems. 

Thanks to John Summerscales and the Biomimetics listserver for the pointer!