Insect inspired vision-based velocity estimation through spatial pooling of optic flow during linear
motion
Insects rely on the perception of image motion, or optic flow, to estimate their velocity relative
to nearby objects. This information provides important sensory input for avoiding obstacles.
However, certain behaviors, such as estimating the absolute distance to a landing target, accurately
measuring absolute distance traveled, and estimating the ambient wind speed require decoupling optic
flow into its component parts: absolute ground velocity and distance to nearby objects. Behavioral
experiments suggest that insects perform these calculations, but their mechanism for doing so
remains unknown. Here we present a no...
Source: Bioinspiration and Biomimetics - September 8, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Bryson Lingenfelter, Arunava Nag and Floris van Breugel Source Type: research
Fin –fin interactions during locomotion in a simplified biomimetic fish model
We present a flexible fish-like robotic model that better represents the kinematics of
swimming fishes while still being simple enough to examine a range of morphologies and motion
patterns. We then create statistical models that predict the individual effects of each kinematic
and morphological variable. Our results d... (Source: Bioinspiration and Biomimetics)
Source: Bioinspiration and Biomimetics - September 7, 2021 Category: Science Authors: David G Matthews and George V Lauder Source Type: research
A computational model of insect campaniform sensilla predicts encoding of forces during walking
Control of forces is essential in both animals and walking machines. Insects measure forces as
strains in their exoskeletons via campaniform sensilla (CS). Deformations of cuticular caps embedded
in the exoskeleton excite afferents that project to the central nervous system. CS afferent firing
frequency (i.e. ‘discharge’) is highly dynamic, correlating with the rate of change of the force.
Discharges adapt over time to tonic forces and exhibit hysteresis during cyclic loading. In this
study we characterized a phenomenological model that predicts CS discharge, in which discharge is
proportional to the instantaneou...
Source: Bioinspiration and Biomimetics - September 6, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Nicholas S Szczecinski, Chris J Dallmann, Roger D Quinn and Sasha N Zill Source Type: research
Fluid –structure interaction analysis on motion control of a self-propelled flexible plate near a
rigid body utilizing PD control
Inspired by a previous experimental study of fish swimming near a cylinder, we numerically
investigate the swimming and station-holding behavior of a flexible plate ahead of a circular
cylinder whose motion is controlled by a proportional –derivative (PD) controller. Specifically, the
deformation of this two-dimensional plate is actuated by a periodically varying external force
applied on the body surface, which mimics the fish muscle force to produce propulsive thrust. The
actuation force amplitude is dynamically adjusted by a feedback controller to instruct the plate to
swim the desired distance from an initial p...
Source: Bioinspiration and Biomimetics - September 2, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Yang Luo, Marvin Wright, Qing Xiao, Hong Yue and Guang Pan Source Type: research
A minimal robophysical model of quadriflagellate self-propulsion
Locomotion at the microscale is remarkably sophisticated. Microorganisms have evolved diverse
strategies to move within highly viscous environments, using deformable, propulsion-generating
appendages such as cilia and flagella to drive helical or undulatory motion. In single-celled algae,
these appendages can be arranged in different ways around an approximately10 μ m long cell body, and
coordinated in distinct temporal patterns. Inspired by the observation that some quadriflagellates
(bearing four flagella) have an outwardly similar morphology and flagellar beat pattern, yet swim at
different speeds, this study s...
Source: Bioinspiration and Biomimetics - August 31, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Kelimar Diaz, Tommie L Robinson, Yasemin Ozkan Aydin, Enes Aydin, Daniel I Goldman and Kirsty Y Wan Source Type: research
Elytra coupling of the ladybird Coccinella septempunctata functions as an energy absorber in
intentional falls
Some insects, such as bees, wasps, and bugs, have specialized coupling structures to synchronize the
wing motions in flight. Some others, such as ladybirds, are equipped with coupling structures that
work only at rest. By locking elytra into each other, such structures provide hindwings with a
protective cover to prevent contamination. Here, we show that the coupling may play another
significant role: contributing to energy absorption in falls, thereby protecting the abdomen against
mechanical damage. In this combined experimental, numerical and theoretical study, we investigated
free falls of ladybirds ( Coccinella ...
Source: Bioinspiration and Biomimetics - August 30, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Jie Zhang, Qiufeng Yuan, Yiling Jiang, Hong Pang, Hamed Rajabi, Zhigang Wu and Jianing Wu Source Type: research
Maneuverable gait selection for a novel fish-inspired robot using a CMA-ES-assisted workflow
Among underwater vehicles, fish-inspired designs are often selected for their efficient gaits; these
designs, however, remain limited in their maneuverability, especially in confined spaces. This paper
presents a new design for a fish-inspired robot with two degree-of-freedom pectoral fins and a
single degree-of-freedom caudal fin. This robot has been designed to operate in open-channel canals
in the presence of external disturbances. With the complex interactions of water in mind, the
composition of goal-specific swimming gaits is trained via a machine learning workflow in which
automated trials in the lab are used ...
Source: Bioinspiration and Biomimetics - August 25, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Mohammad Sharifzadeh, Yuhao Jiang, Amir Salimi Lafmejani, Kevin Nichols and Daniel Aukes Source Type: research
Streamwise and lateral maneuvers of a fish-inspired hydrofoil
Fish are highly maneuverable compared to human-made underwater vehicles. Maneuvers are inherently
transient, so they are often studied via observations of fish and fish-like robots, where their
dynamics cannot be recorded directly. To study maneuvers in isolation, we designed a new kind of
wireless carriage whose air bushings allow a hydrofoil to maneuver semi-autonomously in a water
channel. We show that modulating the hydrofoil's frequency, amplitude, pitch bias, and stroke speed
ratio (pitching speed of left vs right stroke) produces streamwise and lateral maneuvers with mixed
effectiveness. Modulating pitch bias,...
Source: Bioinspiration and Biomimetics - August 24, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Qiang Zhong and Daniel B Quinn Source Type: research
Tool changing 3D printer for rapid prototyping of advanced soft robotic elements
In the field of soft robotics, pneumatic elements play an important role due to their sensitive and
adaptive behavior. Nevertheless, the rapid prototyping of such actuators is still challenging since
conventional 3D printers are not designed to fabricate airtight objects or to specify their bending
behavior by combining materials of different stiffness. In order to address this challenge, a tool
changing multi-material 3D printer has been constructed, which can be equipped with various
print-heads fitted to the specific application. By alternately processing filaments with varying
mechanical properties, a series of p...
Source: Bioinspiration and Biomimetics - August 24, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Stefan Conrad, Thomas Speck and Falk J Tauber Source Type: research
Human inspired fall arrest strategy for humanoid robots based on stiffness ellipsoid optimisation
Falls are a common risk and impose severe threats to both humans and humanoid robots as a product of
bipedal locomotion. Inspired by human fall arrest, we present a novel humanoid robot fall prevention
strategy by using arms to make contact with environmental objects. Firstly, the capture point method
is used to detect falling. Once the fall is inevitable, the arm of the robot will be actuated to
gain contact with an environmental object to prevent falling. We propose a hypothesis that humans
naturally favour to select a pose that can generate a suitable Cartesian stiffness of the arm
end-effector. Based on this prin...
Source: Bioinspiration and Biomimetics - August 22, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Da Cui, Christopher Peers, Guoqiang Wang, Zeren Chen, Robert Richardson and Chengxu Zhou Source Type: research
Cantilever-based differential pressure sensor with a bio-inspired bristled configuration
Inspired by the bristled wing configuration of tiny insects, we proposed a novel polyimide (PI)
cantilever-based differential pressure (DP) sensor. This bristled PI cantilever with a thin metallic
piezoresistor was designed to detect the pressure difference that induced the aerodynamic loading on
the surface of the cantilever. Owing to the aerodynamic characteristics of the bristled cantilever,
the DP-sensor with the bristled cantilever could not only retain a comparable sensitivity with that
of the paddle cantilever under low differential pressures but also achieve a higher theoretical
upper detection limit due to t...
Source: Bioinspiration and Biomimetics - August 17, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Peng zhao, Peng Wu, Deyuan Zhang, Xilun Ding and Yonggang Jiang Source Type: research
Simulating the evolution of bipedalism and the absence of static bipedal hexapods
In nature, very few animals locomote on two legs. Static bipedalism can be found in four limbed and
five limbed animals like dogs, cats, birds, monkeys and kangaroos, but it cannot be seen in hexapods
or other multi-limbed animals. In this paper, we present a simulation with a novel perspective on
the evolution of static bipedalism, with a virtual creature evolving its body and controllers, and
we apply an evolutionary algorithm to explore the locomotion transition from octapods to bipods. We
find that the presence of four limbs in the evolutionary trajectory of the creature scaffolds a
parametric jump that enables b...
Source: Bioinspiration and Biomimetics - August 15, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Chunyan Rong, Jiahui Zhu, Fabio Giardina and Andre Rosendo Source Type: research
Biohybrid generators based on living plants and artificial leaves: influence of leaf motion and real
wind outdoor energy harvesting
Plants translate wind energy into leaf fluttering and branch motion by reversible tissue
deformation. Simultaneously, the outermost structure of the plant, i.e. the dielectric cuticula, and
the inner ion-conductive tissue can be used to convert mechanical vibration energy, such as that
produced during fluttering in the wind, into electricity by surface contact electrification and
electrostatic induction. Constraining a tailored artificial leaf to a plant leaf can enhance
oscillations and transient mechanical contacts and thereby increase the electricity outcome. We have
studied the effects of wind-induced mechanical ...
Source: Bioinspiration and Biomimetics - August 15, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Fabian Meder, Serena Armiento, Giovanna Adele Naselli, Marc Thielen, Thomas Speck and Barbara Mazzolai Source Type: research
Fish can save energy via proprioceptive sensing
Fish have evolved diverse and robust locomotive strategies to swim efficiently in complex fluid
environments. However, we know little, if anything, about how these strategies can be achieved.
Although most studies suggest that fish rely on the lateral line system to sense local flow and
optimise body undulation, recent work has shown that fish are still able to gain benefits from the
local flow even with the lateral line impaired. In this paper, we hypothesise that fish can save
energy by extracting vortices shed from their neighbours using only simple proprioceptive sensing
with the caudal fin. We tested this hypoth...
Source: Bioinspiration and Biomimetics - August 15, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Liang Li, Danshi Liu, Jian Deng, Matthew J Lutz and Guangming Xie Source Type: research
Efficient bipedal locomotion on rough terrain via compliant ankle actuation with energy regulation
Legged locomotion enables robotic platforms to traverse on rough terrain, which is quite challenging
for other locomotion types, such as in wheeled and tracked systems. However, this benefit —moving
robustly on rough terrain —comes with an inherent drawback due to the higher cost of transport in
legged robots. The ultimate need for energy efficiency motivated the utilization of passive dynamics
in legged locomotion. Nevertheless, a handicap in passive dynamic walking is the fragile basin of
attraction that limits the locomotion capabilities of such systems. There have been various
extensions to overcome such limi...
Source: Bioinspiration and Biomimetics - August 11, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Deniz Kerimoglu, Mansour Karkoub, Uyanik Ismail, Omer Morgul and Uluc Saranli Source Type: research
