In the “modified quasi-steady” approach, two-dimensional (2D) aerodynamic models of flapping wing motions are analyzed with focus on different types of wing rotation and different positions of rotation axis to explain the force peak at the end of each half stroke. In this model, an additional velocity of the mid chord position due to rotation is superimposed on the translational relative velocity of air with respect to the wing. This modification produces augmented forces around the end of each stroke. For each case of the flapping wing motions with various combination of controlled translational and rotational velocities of the wing along inclined stroke planes with thin figure-of-eight trajectory, discussions focus on lift-drag evolution during one stroke cycle and efficiency of types of wing rotation. This “modified quasi-steady” approach provides a systematic analysis of various parameters and their effects on efficiency of flapping wing mechanism. Flapping mechanism with delayed rotation around quarter-chord axis is an efficient one and can be made simple by a passive rotation mechanism so that it can be useful for robotic application.

Fishes are famous for their ability to position themselves accurately even in turbulent flows. This ability is the result of the coordinated movement of fins which extend from the body. We have embarked on a research program designed to develop an agile and high efficient biologically inspired robotic fish based on the performance of hybrid mechanical fins. To accomplish this goal, a mechanical ray-like fin actuated by Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) is developed, which can realize both oscillatory locomotion and undulatory locomotion. We first give a brief introduction on the mechanical structure of our fin and then carry out theoretic analysis on force generation. Detailed information of these theoretical results is later revealed by Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD), and is final validated by experiments. This robotic fin has potential application as a propulsor for future underwater vehicles in addition to being a valuable scientific instrument.

Cellular metabolism is a very complex process. The biochemical pathways are fundamental structures of biology. These pathways possess a number of regeneration steps which facilitate energy shuttling on a massive scale. This facilitates the biochemical pathways to sustain the energy currency of the cells. This concept has been mimicked using electronic circuit components and it has been used to increase the efficiency of bio-energy generation. Six of the carbohydrate biochemical pathways have been chosen in which glycolysis is the principle pathway. All the six pathways are interrelated and coordinated in a complex manner. Mimic circuits have been designed for all the six biochemical pathways. The components of the metabolic pathways such as enzymes, cofactors etc., are substituted by appropriate electronic circuit components. Enzymes are related to the gain of transistors by the bond dissociation energies of enzyme-substrate molecules under consideration. Cofactors and coenzymes are represented by switches and capacitors respectively. Resistors are used for proper orientation of the circuits. The energy obtained from the current methods employed for the decomposition of organic matter is used to trigger the mimic circuits. A similar energy shuttle is observed in the mimic circuits and the percentage rise for each cycle of circuit functioning is found to be 78.90. The theoretical calculations have been made using a sample of domestic waste weighing 1.182 kg. The calculations arrived at finally speak of the efficiency of the novel methodology employed.

The study of frictional properties of human skin is important for medical research, skin care products and textile exploitation. In order to investigate the influence of normal load and sliding speed on the frictional properties of skin and its possible mechanism, tests were carried out on a multi-specimen friction tester. When the normal load increases from 0.1 N to 0.9 N, normal displacement and the friction coefficient of skin increase. The friction coefficient is dependent on the load, indicating that both adhesion and deformation contribute to the friction behaviour. The deformation friction was interpreted using the plough model of friction. When sliding speed increases from 0.5 mm·s^-1 to 4 mm·s^-1, the friction coefficient increases and “stick-slip” phenomena increase, indicating that hysteretic friction contributes to the friction. The hysteretic friction was interpreted using schematic of energy translation during the rigid spherical probe sliding on the soft skin surface, which provides an explanation for the influence of the sliding speed on the frictional characteristics of the skin.

We describe the design of four ornithopters ranging in wing span from 10 cm to 40 cm, and in weight from 5 g to 45 g. The controllability and power supply are two major considerations, so we compare the efficiency and characteristics between different types of subsystems such as gearbox and tail shape. Our current ornithopter is radio-controlled with inbuilt visual sensing and capable of takeoff and landing. We also concentrate on its wing efficiency based on design inspired by a real insect wing and consider that aspects of insect flight such as delayed stall and wake capture are essential at such small size. Most importantly, the advance ratio, controlled either by enlarging the wing beat amplitude or raising the wing beat frequency, is the most significant factor in an ornithopter which mimics an insect.

We compute the wake of a two-dimensional and three-dimensional flexible fin in an unsteady flow field with heaving and pitching motions using FLUENT. Deflexion mode is used for a non-uniform cantilever beam with non-uniformly distributed load. The effect of chordwise deflexion length on the characteristics of propulsion is discussed for two-dimensional flexible fin. The thrust coefficient decreases, propulsive efficiency increases and the intensity of turbulence attenuates gradually as the deflexion length increases. For a three-dimensional flexible fin, the intensity of the vortex in the plane of symmetry is higher than that in the plane at 3/4 span length of the caudal fin. But the propulsive performance achieved is not what we expected with the given deflexion mode.

This paper demonstrates the application of a design tool called BioTRIZ. Its developers claim that it can be used to access biological strategies for solving engineering problems. Our aim is to design a roof for hot climates that gets free cooling through radiant coupling with the sky. The insulation in a standard roof stops the sun and convection from warming the thermal mass. But it also restricts the mass’s longwave view of the cool sky. Different solutions to this conflict are offered by BioTRIZ. The chosen solution is to replace the standard insulation component with an open cell honeycomb. The vertical cells would allow longwave radiation to pass, while arresting convection. The solutions offered by BioTRIZ’s technological counterpart include no such changes in structure. It is estimated that the thermal mass in the biomimetic roof would remain on average 4.5?C cooler than in a standard roof over a year in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

China is one of the largest meat producing countries in the world. With the growing concern for food safety more attention has been paid to meat quality. The application of conventional test methods for meat quality is limited by many factors, and subjectiveness, such as longer time to prepare samples and to test. A sensor matrix was constructed with several separate air sensors, and tests were conducted to detect the freshness of the beef. The results show that the air sensors TGS2610, TGS2600, TGS2611, TGS2620 and TGS2602 made by Tianjin Figaro Electronic Co, Ltd could be used to determine the degree of freshness but TGS2442 is not suitable. This study provides a foundation for designing and making an economical and practical detector for beef freshness.

Nature is an information sourcebook of behaviour, function, colour and shape which can inspire visual design and invention. Studying the form and functional characteristics of a natural object can provide inspiration for product design and help to improve the marketability of manufactured products. The inspiration can be triggered either by direct observation or captured by three-dimensional (3D) digitising techniques to obtain superficial information (geometry and colour). An art designer often creates a concept in the form of a two-dimensional (2D) sketch while engineering methods lead to a point cloud in 3D. Each has its limitations in that the art designer commonly lacks the knowledge to build a final product from a 2D sketch and the engineering designer’s 3D point clouds may not be very beautiful. We propose a method for Product Design from Nature (PDN), coupling aesthetic intent and geometrical characteristics, exploring the interactions between designers and nature’s systems in PDN. We believe that this approach would considerably reduce the lead time and cost of product design from nature.

In this paper, a wild boar head was taken as the bionic research object for the development of new ridgers, a kind of plough. The reverse engineering technology was adopted to obtain the surface geometrical information of the head. Several three-dimensional (3D) point clouds of the head were captured first using a non-touch laser scanner, and an integrated point cloud was generated by aligning these point clouds using UG/Imageware. Then, the digital surface model of the head was rebuilt by means of CATIA. The characteristic curves of the surface model were analyzed. The results show that the average error between the rebuilt surface and the point cloud is -0.431 mm. The max curvature of the ridge on the neb of the head is
0.187 mm^-1, and the max and min Gauss curvatures on the surface are 0.008 mm^-2 and -0.002 mm^-2. These geometrical information are the essential parameters for biomimetics study of the ridger.