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Journal of Bionic Engineering

ISSN 1672-6529

CN 22-1355/TB

Editor-in-Chief : Luquan Ren Published by Science Press and Springer

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10 November 2022, Volume 19 Issue 6
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Bionic Artificial Self-Recovery Enables Autonomous Health of Machine

Gao Jinji
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2022, 19 (6):  1545-1561.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00261-6
Abstract ( 185 )  
This paper explores Engineering self-recoveries theory, which emerged from the research of Bionics to meet the great demand of modern high-risk process manufacturing and the development of aerospace vehicles. Bionics opens a new era in which artefact s learn from natural objects. With the rapid development of the industrial Internet and Artificial intelligence technology, we have gained a deep understanding of the law of fault generation and development, which provides an opportunity for the emergence of Engineering self-recoveries theory. Engineering self-recoveries expands the research field of Cybernetics and Engineering cybernetics, endows machines with the self-recovery mechanism, which is unique to humans and animals, and enables machines to store, supplement and activate self-recovery power to maintain body health. Bionics research on Artificial intelligence has greatly enhanced the function of imitating the human brain, but has ignored the important system and function of humans and animals to maintain their own health—the self-recovery system and self-recovery function. Artificial intelligence imitates the conscious thinking control behaviour of the human brain to realize automation and intellectualization, making machines smarter. Artificial self-recovery can imitate the self-recovery mechanism of human unconscious thinking, and prevent and suppress faults in operation to realize self-recovery, possibly making machines healthier. Artificial self-recovery technology includes self-repair, compensation, self-protection and self-recovery regulation. Engineering self-recoveries is the basis of the autonomous health of machines and even artificial systems, and a new research field of Bionics. This has broad application prospects in engineering.
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Biopolymers and Biomimetic Materials in Medical and Electronic-Related Applications for Environment–Health–Development Nexus: Systematic Review

Faris Mohammed AL-Oqla, Mohammed Hassouna Alaaeddin, Muhammad Enamul Hoque & Vijay Kumar Thakur
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2022, 19 (6):  1562-1577.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00240-x
Abstract ( 119 )  
Biocomposites as bio-inspired materials are produced from renewable resources that are organic and ecofriendly alternative materials. To improve the lifestyle of human beings as well as enhancing the environmental indices, functional bio-materials are now implemented in various promising industries. This work has systematically discussed and highlighted the implementations and trends of functional bionic materials in high tech industries, which are necessary for developing modern societies. Various medical, electronic, food and pharmaceutical applications have been considered. Bio-inspired materials are used to develop more sustainable possibilities to increase environmental conservation while maintaining customer satisfaction. Biopolymers were found employed in several sectors for various functional bio-products including organic thin-film transistors, organic phototransistor, emitting diodes, photodiodes, photovoltaic solar cells, hybrid dental resins, sustainable pharmaceuticals, and food packaging. They are used to create sustainable bio-products for energy storage and harvesting, bone regeneration, nerve damage repair, drug applications and various other industrial subcategories.
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Bioinspired Multi-Metal Structures Produced via Direct Ink Writing

Chao Xu, Xiang Chen, Wenzheng Wu, Qingping Liu & Luquan Ren
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2022, 19 (6):  1578-1588.  DOI: doi.org/10.1007/s42235-022-00240-x
Abstract ( 99 )  
Bioinspired Multi-Metal Structures (MMSs) combine distinct properties of multiple materials, benefiting from improved properties and providing superior designs. Additive Manufacturing (AM) exhibits enormous advantages in applying different materials and geometries according to the desired functions at specific locations of the structure, having great potential in fabricating multi-materials structures. However, current AM techniques have difficulty manufacturing 3D MMSs without material cross-contamination flexibly and reliably. This study demonstrates a reliable, fast, and flexible direct ink writing method to fabricate 3D MMSs. The in-situ material-switching system enables the deposition of multiple metallic materials across different layers and within the same layer. 3D Fe–Cu MMSs with complex geometries and fine details are fabricated as proof of concept. The microstructures, chemical and phase compositions, and tensile fracture surfaces of the Fe–Cu interfaces indicate a well-bonded interface without cracks, delamination, or material cross-contamination. We envision this novel method making other metallic combinations and even metal-ceramic components. It paves the way for manufacturing 3D MMSs using AM and establishes the possibilities of numerous MMSs applications in engineering fields.
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A Robust Superhydrophobic Smart Coating with Reversible Thermochromic and Photochromic Property

Peng Wang, Xuesong Zhang, Zhihao Wang, Tao Chen, Honglian Zhang, Wei Duan & Huilong Han
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2022, 19 (6):  1589-1600.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00224-x
Abstract ( 115 )  
Both thermochromic and photochromic coating have attracted many attentions due to their widely applications, but the low stability is a big obstacle. Inspired by the lotus leaf, to endow the chromic coating with superhydrophobicity is a possible solution. In this research, a dual response coating was prepared by adding photochromic and thermochromic particles simultaneously. The prepared sample demonstrated at least four-state color switching, which can be successfully used in tactile imaging, multi-color fabric, erasable record, and security labels. The superhydrophobicity was achieved by introducing vinyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane, which not only offers low surface energy but also can cross-link with the particles to increase the adhesion. Thus, the prepared sample maintained superhydrophobicity after various kinds of destruction (such as sandpaper abrasion, corrosive liquid attack, ultrasonic treatment, UV irradiation, and high-speed drops/turbulent jets impact). Even though the superhydrophobicity can be destroyed by plasma etching, it can be recovered after 12 h at room temperature.
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Spontaneous Self-healing Bio-inspired Lubricant-infused Coating on Pipeline Steel Substrate with Reinforcing Anti-corrosion, Anti-fouling, and Anti-scaling Properties

Hao Li, Yujie Peng, Kai Zhang, Pengchang Li, Lei Xin, Xiaoli Yin & Sirong Yu
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2022, 19 (6):  1601-1614.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00220-1
Abstract ( 112 )  
Superhydrophobic surfaces (SHS) and slippery lubricant-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS) attract great attention due to their multiple properties in both industries and our daily lives. Here, we first fabricated the SHS with micro-scale flower-like structures composed of nano-sheets on pipeline steel substrate. Then, we obtained the SLIPS by spin-coating lubricant into gaps of micro-scale flower-like structures, with the air still trapped among gaps of nano-sheets. The SLIPS shows excellent liquid repellency as the SHS. The SLIPS also shows stability after the scour of flowing water. These results of polarization curves (Tafel) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopies deduced the SLIPS with better and more stable anti-corrosion property than the SHS. Compared with the SHS, the lack of attachment and CaCO3 on the SLIPS indicates that the SLIPS demonstrates better anti-fouling and anti-scaling properties than the SHS. Moreover, the SLIPS shows promising wear resistance under the abrasion simulated by sandpaper compared with the SHS. Notably, the air trapped among nano-sheets is conducive to the lubricant flowing to the surface quickly, exhibiting spontaneous self-healing in atmosphere, even if part flower-like structures of the SLIPS subject to damage with the lubricant consumed after scratched.
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Fabrication of Durable Superhydrophobic Stainless Steel Mesh with Nano/Micro Flower-Like Morphologies for Self-Cleaning and Efficient Oil/Water Separation

Changlian Xu, Yitong Luo, Lu Zhou, Yiwen Bi & Hao Sun
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2022, 19 (6):  1615-1624.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00231-y
Abstract ( 113 )  
How to fabricate durable superhydrophobic materials for cyclic oil/water separation to solve oil-induced pollutions is still a problem. Herein, we fabricated a durable Superhydrophobic Stainless Steel Mesh (SH-SSM) with nano/micro flower-like sheets by self-assembly of zinc stearate for the cyclic separation of various oil/water mixtures. The SH-SSM exhibits durable superhydrophobicity against static or dynamic treatments. In virtue of durable superhydrophobicity of the SH-SSM, the dusts on surface of SH-SSM can be removed completely by running water immediately showing excellent self-cleaning performance. Moreover, the SH-SSM can be used to perform gravity-driven separation of heavy oil/water and light oil/water mixtures by utilizing its superhydrophobicity that oil phase penetrates the mesh and water phase is restricted. Separation efficiencies of the SH-SSM can reach 99.99%. After 20 cycles of separation, the separation efficiencies for are?>?97.00% and?>?98.25% for heavy oil/water and light oil/water mixtures, respectively. Flux values of dichloromethane, hexane and petroleum ether are 2.5?×?105 L m?2 h?1, 1.7?×?105 L m?2 h?1, and 1.8?×?105 L m?2 h?1, respectively. This study proposes a facial approach to prepare durable superhydrophobic and self-cleaning material for cyclic and fast separation of oil/water.
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Regulation of the Macrophage Phenotype on Titanium Metal by Surface Modification

Shibing Xiong, Xugang Lu, Rui Zuo, Ping Huang & Bangcheng Yang
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2022, 19 (6):  1625-1636.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00242-9
Abstract ( 93 )  
The regulation of macrophage phenotype (M1/M2) is very important for tissue repair. The macrophage phenotypes could be affected by the physical and chemical parameters of implant surface. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of surface modifications of titanium metals on macrophage phenotype. The medical pure titanium metals (PT-Ti) subjected to Anodic Oxidation (AO-Ti), Sand Blasting/acid etching (SLA-Ti) and Plasma-sprayed HA coating (HA coating-Ti) were used for regulating the phenotype of macrophage. The results showed that the Raw264.7 cells of AO-Ti groups had no obvious pseudopodia and could spread evenly in all directions. The levels of IL-1β and TNF-α, which belong to pro-inflammatory genes, expressed by the cells on AO-Ti groups were the lowest among all of the modified titanium groups. But, the levels of IL-10 and TGF-β, which belong to anti-inflammatory genes, expressed on AO-Ti groups were much higher than those on the other groups. Furthermore, the AO-Ti could regulate the expression of SOCS-1 and SOCS-3 to affect the active of NF-κB signaling. The gene expression results of macrophages showed that the AO-Ti was more conductive to inhibit the expression of M1-related genes and promote the expression of M2-related genes in an inflammatory environment. The AO-Ti was more beneficial to tissue repair than other modified titanium metals. The results showed that the anodic oxidation is an effective method to regulate the phenotype of macrophages.
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Surface Bioactive Modification of Alumina Ceramic by Mineralization in Modified SBF

Wenmin Zhang, Caixia Liang, Qixuan He, Xiaoyan Cao, Fangli Yuan & Jiandong Ye
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2022, 19 (6):  1637-1644.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00237-6
Abstract ( 120 )  
In the present study, it is found that the prepared alumina ceramics has better mineralization ability in a newly revised simulated body fluid. With the extension of mineralization time, the amount of hydroxyapatite (HA) crystals deposited on the surface of alumina ceramics also increased gradually. The results of cell biological experiments of alumina ceramics with hydroxyapatite surface layer demonstrate that the mineralized materials have better biological activity and osteogenesis properties in vitro. In the meanwhile, the ALP activity and expression of osteogenesis-related genes (OPN, ALP, Col-I, and OCN) of mouse bone marrow stromal stem cells on the samples were significantly promoted by increasing the formation of HA on the surface of alumina ceramics. Our research concluded that alumina ceramics with HA phase on surface had great potential to be developed as a sort of bioactive material in the bone repair field.
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Construction and Properties of Simvastatin and Calcium Phosphate Dual-Loaded Coaxial Fibrous Membranes with Osteogenic and Angiogenic Functions

Chang Liu, Dan Deng, Jing Gao, Shue Jin, Yi Zuo, Yubao Li & Jidong Li
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2022, 19 (6):  1645-1657.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00233-w
Abstract ( 90 )  
The ideal Guided Bone Regeneration (GBR) membrane is required to have good biocompatibility, space maintenance ability, appropriate degradation rate, and preferably can guide the regeneration of vascularized bone tissue. In this study, Simvastatin (SIM) and calcium Phosphate (CaP) were encapsulated in a Polycaprolactone (PCL)/Chitosan (CS) core–shell structural fibrous membranes via coaxial electrospinning technology. The results showed that loaded SIM in the core of the core–shell structure fibrous membranes could sustainably release the drug for more than two months and upregulate the angiogenic marker of Bone Mesenchymal Stem Cells (BMSCs). Adding a certain amount of CaP to the shell layer provided more sites for the mineralization and synergistic with SIM to promote osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs in vitro. The intramuscular implantation experiments in rabbits suggested a normal early inflammation and enhanced vascularization induced by the SIM-loaded fibrous membranes. This study proposed an effective strategy to prepare a dual-loaded core–shell fibrous membrane for guided vascularized bone tissue regeneration.
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3D-printed Mechanically Strong Calcium Phosphate Cement Scaffold with Metformin/Stem Cell-encapsulating Alginate Microbeads for Bone Tissue Engineering

Xiong Xiong, Yuanyuan Chen, Rupan Yuan, Gengtao Qiu, Michael D. Weir, Hockin H. K. Xu, Jin Liu, Jianping Ruan, Xiaofeng Chang & Shuxin Qu
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2022, 19 (6):  1658-1670.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00241-w
Abstract ( 288 )  
The utilization of Calcium Phosphate Cement (CPC) is limited due to its low mechanical strength and difficulty to seed cells deep into the scaffold. The objectives of this study were to: (1) develop a 3D-printed CPC-dopamine-metformin scaffold encapsulating human periodontal ligament stem cells (hPDLSCs), (2) investigate the effect of dopamine on the performance of CPC, and (3) evaluate the effect of microbead degradation and metformin release on the osteogenic differentiation of the released hPDLSCs. The mechanical property of the CPC scaffolds was elevated by adding dopamine, and the CPC scaffold with 7 wt.% dopamine had the highest compressive strength (7.35 MPa). Four types of microbeads with different content of alginate (oxidized alginate), hPDLSCs, and 2% metformin were fabricated. Morphological and cell counting kit tests confirm that the hPDLSCs are protected by microbeads encapsulation during the CPC setting process. The alkaline phosphatase test indicates that the osteogenic differentiation of hPDLSCs was enhanced by the fast release of cells and metformin. The microbeads consisting of 2% oxidized alginate and 2% metformin were optimal for cell delivery due to favorable cell release and osteogenic differentiation. This CPC scaffold is promising used for bone regeneration in dental, craniofacial, and orthopedic applications.
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A Bioinspired Adhesive Sucker with Both Suction and Adhesion Mechanisms for Three-Dimensional Surfaces

Jing Li, Zhenzhen Song, Chuandong Ma, Tonghang Sui, Peng Yi & Jianlin Liu
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2022, 19 (6):  1671-1683.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00238-5
Abstract ( 101 )  
There are significant advantages to investigate underwater attachments, which would be valuable in providing inspirations and design strategies for multi-functional surfaces and underwater robots. Here, an abalone-inspired sucker integrating an elastic body and a membrane structure is proposed and fabricated filled with rigid quartz particles to adjust the backing stiffness of the contact like abalone. The membrane is used to conform and contact surfaces well, the center area of which can be pulled in exposed to a negative pressure differential, to create a suction cavity. The pulling experiments indicate that the sucker can adhere to three-dimensional surfaces with both suction and adhesion mechanisms in both dry and liquid environments. The switching between soft/hard contact states leads to the change of adhesive strength over 30 times. Furthermore, we provide theoretical analysis on how the sucker work well in both dry and liquid environments. Finally, the developed sucker can easily lift up smooth planar objects and 3D objects, and can grip objects both smaller and larger than the size of the sucker, which have a difficulty for conventional suckers or friction-based grippers. The potential application of the sucker in flexible transfer robot is demonstrated on various surfaces and environments, paving the way for further bio-inspired adhesive designs for both dry and wet scenarios.
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Shock-Resistant and Energy-Absorbing Properties of Bionic NiTi Lattice Structure Manufactured by SLM

Zhenglei Yu, Renlong Xin, Zezhou Xu, Luming Sha, Lixin Chen, Yining Zhu, Ping Liang, Zhihui Zhang, Zhenze Liu & Qing Cao
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2022, 19 (6):  1684-1698.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00221-0
Abstract ( 110 )  
Each specific structure of organisms is the best choice under specific circumstances. The excellent characteristic structures of these organisms have great application potential in the design and multi-functional optimization of energy-absorbing structures such as vehicle collisions, satellite landings, and military equipment. In this paper, using the principle of structural bionics, using the advantages of the honeycomb structure and the light weight and high strength of beetle elytra, four bionic lattice structures are studied: CH, ZPRH, SCH and IBE. Using NiTi shape memory alloy, a unique material as the base material, samples are prepared using selective laser melting (SLM) technology. By comparing the test results of the quasi-static compression test with the results of the numerical simulation, it is found that compared with the other three bionic lattice structures, the SCH structure has the best energy absorption effect in the effective stroke in the test, and the specific energy absorption can reach 6.32 J/g. ZPRH, SCH, and IBE structures not only have good and stable deformation behavior, but also have excellent impact resistance and shape memory properties. The design of these structures provides a reference for the design of anti-shock cushioning structures with self-recovery functions in the future.
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Modeling and Analysis of Soft Bionic Fingers for Contact State Estimation

Yongyao Li, Ming Cong, Dong Liu & Yu Du
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2022, 19 (6):  1699-1711.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00222-z
Abstract ( 102 )  
Contact state estimation is significant for evaluating grasp stability of bionic hands, especially in unknown environments or without visual/tactile feedback. It still remains challenging, particularly for soft bionic hands without integrating complicated external sensors on soft fingers. Focusing on this issue, a proprioceptive-sensing-based systematic solution is proposed to estimate the contact state of soft bionic fingers in a single grasp. A kinematic model for soft fingers is first developed to capture the joint rotation angles and tendon displacement. A kinetostatic model is further built to estimate the contact force when soft fingers come in contact with objects. On this basis, a system stiffness model for soft fingers during preshaping and initial contact with objects is proposed to perceive the contact state. Moreover, an instantaneous stiffness model for soft fingers when initial contact occurs is developed for estimating the contact position on certain phalanges, especially the contact position along the distal phalange. The proposed proprioceptive-sensing-based approach is the first application in soft fingers without integrating complicated external sensors, which makes them concise and practical. Experiments are carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of our proposal.
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Human-Exoskeleton Joint Coordination Assessment: A Case Study on the Shoulder and Elbow Joints

Pablo Delgado, Clarissa Rincon & Yimesker Yihun
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2022, 19 (6):  1712-1721.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00226-9
Abstract ( 122 )  
This study is aimed at developing a methodology to assess and quantify the human limb motions and interactions with the exoskeleton in relation to alignment. Three different basic and common upper arm joint movements and their interaction with a joint-based exoskeleton are considered: shoulder vertical and horizontal abduction–adduction, and elbow flexion–extension. The exoskeleton and the human model are aligned to the respective joints inside a Musculoskeletal Modeling software. Within the range of motion, the linear and angular displacement errors were analyzed, and the effect of those errors on the length of the associated tendons was studied. Results have shown a noticeable variation of the muscle-tendon lengths up to 65.7 mm and a change in the pattern on different muscle groups of the shoulder. Similarly, about 4 mm muscle-tendon length changes observed particularly at the elbow anconeus muscle-tendon. These changes of length could cause unwanted stresses at the joints, specially for people with disabilities due to stroke that might not have the flexibility to accommodate those extra pose variations imposed by the exoskeleton.
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More Detailed Disturbance Measurement and Active Disturbance Rejection Altitude Control for a Flapping Wing Robot Under Internal and External Disturbances

Jiawang Mou, Weiping Zhang, Kexin Zheng, Yao Wang & Chaofeng Wu
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2022, 19 (6):  1722-1735.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00236-7
Abstract ( 93 )  
With the goal of designing a biologically inspired robot that can hold a stable hover under internal and external disturbances. We designed a tailless Flapping-wing Micro Aerial Vehicle (FMAV) with onboard 3D velocity perception. In this way, the wind disturbance caused by the relative motion of the FMAV can be quantified in real time based on the established altitudinal dynamics model. For the rest of the total disturbance, an active disturbance rejection controller is proposed to estimate and suppress those disturbances. In comparison with the traditional PID controller, this proposed approach has been validated. The results show that, in the hovering flight with the internal unmodeled dynamics, the root-mean-square of height controlled is only 2.53 cm. Even with the different weights of loads mounting on the FMAV, the ascending trajectory of flights remains impressively consistent. In the forward flight with the external disturbance, the root-mean-square error of height controlled is 2.78 cm. When the FMAV flies over a ladder introducing an abrupt external disturbance, the maximum overshoot is only half of that controlled by the PID controller. To our best knowledge, this is the first demonstration of FMAVs with the capability of sensing motion-generated wind disturbance onboard and handling the internal and external disturbances in hover flight.
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Design, Implementation and Control of an Amphibious Spherical Robot

Liwei Shi, Zhongyin Zhang, Zhengyu Li, Shuxiang Guo, Shaowu Pan, Pengxiao Bao & Lijie Duan
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2022, 19 (6):  1736-1757.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00229-6
Abstract ( 129 )  
We proposed and implemented a leg-vector water-jet actuated spherical robot and an underwater adaptive motion control system so that the proposed robot could perform exploration tasks in complex environments. Our aim was to improve the kinematic performance of spherical robots. We developed mechanical and dynamic models so that we could analyze the motions of the robot on land and in water. The robot was equipped with an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) that provided inclination and motion information. We designed three types of walking gait for the robot, with different stabilities and speeds. Furthermore, we proposed an online adjustment mechanism to adjust the gaits so that the robot could climb up slopes in a stable manner. As the system function changed continuously as the robot moved underwater, we implemented an online motion recognition system with a forgetting factor least squares algorithm. We proposed a generalized prediction control algorithm to achieve robust underwater motion control. To ensure real-time performance and reduce power consumption, the robot motion control system was implemented on a Zynq-7000 System-on-Chip (SoC). Our experimental results show that the robot’s motion remains stable at different speeds in a variety of amphibious environments, which meets the requirements for applications in a range of terrains.
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Mantis Shrimp-Inspired Underwater Striking Device Generates Cavitation

Xinxin Li, Xiaosong Li, Xin Hou, Yuanzhe Li, Yonggang Meng, Liran Ma & Yu Tian
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2022, 19 (6):  1758-1770.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00227-8
Abstract ( 119 )  
Different from direct impact damage exerted by limbs of most organisms, mantis shrimps’ appendages can carry out ultra-fast, powerful underwater strikes with cavitation superimposed damage to harvest hard-shelled prey. The power amplification systems and cavitation generation of mantis shrimp have attracted vast attention of researchers. Much effort has been paid to developing mantis shrimp-inspired striking robots; however, none of them are capable of generating cavitation during impacting hard objects yet. In this paper, an underwater striking robot named Shrimpbot was developed to reproduce the cavitation phenomenon when striking hard objects. Shrimpbot incorporates a Latch-Mediated Spring Actuation (LaMSA) to slowly store energy and release it instantaneously. A Diamond-Shaped Four-bar Linkage (DSFL) stretches springs to more effectively store elastic energy by reducing the maximum torque requirement of the motor. This design promised an average power amplification of over 30 times of the motor. Shape optimization and hydrophobic coating on the hammerhead and hand of Shrimpbot helped to reduce the water drag. The accomplished Shrimpbot reached an impact speed of over 12 m/s, at an acceleration of 2?×?103 m/s2, an impact force of more than 1200 N in water, very close to the performance of mantis shrimp. More importantly, cavitation bubbles accompanied with the impacts were observed for the first time in mantis shrimp-inspired robots. Shrimpbot ingeniously employs only one motor to accomplish the striking automatically and repeatedly for practical purposes. Shrimpbot mimics the cavitation generation skills of mantis shrimp, which could facilitate the understanding of its mechanical principles and fluid dynamics of ultra-fast power-amplified systems of mantis shrimp and even those energy storage mechanisms of jumping robots or exoskeleton robots.
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Control of Antagonistic McKibben Muscles via a Bio-inspired Approach

Xinyi Chen, Wenxin Zhu, Wenyu Liang, Yilin Lang & Qinyuan Ren
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2022, 19 (6):  1771-1789.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00225-w
Abstract ( 115 )  
McKibben muscles are increasingly used in many robotic applications due to their advantages of lightweight, compliant, and skeletal muscles-like behaviours. However, there are still huge challenges in the motion control of McKibben muscles due to the system nonlinearity (e.g., hysteresis) and model uncertainties. To investigate the control issues, a soft artificial arm actuated by an antagonistic pair of McKibben muscles, mimicking the biological structure of skeleton-muscle systems, is developed. Inspired by the biological motor control capability that humans can control and coordinate a group of muscles to achieve complex motions, a cerebellum-like controller based on Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs) is employed for the motion control of the developed artificial arm. Benefit from the employment of the SNN-based cerebellar model, the proposed control scheme provides online adaptive learning capability, good computational efficiency, fast response, and strong robustness. Finally, several simulations and experiments are conducted subject to different environmental disturbances. Both simulation and experimental results verify that the proposed method can achieve good tracking performance, adaptability, and strong robustness.
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Study of the Climbing Behavior of the Flagella of Calamus Simplicifolius Based on Micro-CT and Nanoindentation

Fukuan Dai, Ziwei Wang, Tuhua Zhong, Hankun Wang & Genlin Tian
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2022, 19 (6):  1790-1796.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00235-8
Abstract ( 91 )  
Rattan is a typical tropical climbing plant that uses flagella to climb supports to grow. A comprehensive understanding of the anatomic structure and micromechanics of rattan flagella might inspire more research on biomimetic climbing materials. Here, the structure and micromechanical properties of flagella in calamus simplicifolius were examined by Micro-Computed Tomography (Micro-CT) and nanoindentation techniques, respectively. The results showed that the rachis of the flagella mainly comprised vascular bundles surrounded by basic tissues, which had a gradient density decreasing from outsides to insides. The prickles are derived from the epidermis or the epidermis and cortical tissue of the flagellum, which do not possess vascular tissue. The entire tip of the prickle was composed almost of fibrous cells. The indentation modulus of elasticity of the prickle was 17.03 GPa, which was 17.93% higher in comparison with the rachis. The hardness of the prickle was 539.27 MPa and was slightly higher than that of the rachis. The results indicated that the discrepancy of micromechanical strengths in different parts of flagella reflects on their unique roles in the process of climbing.
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Data Processing Methods of Flow Field Based on Artificial Lateral Line Pressure Sensors

Bing Sun, Yi Xu, Shuhang Xie, Dong Xu & Yupu Liang
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2022, 19 (6):  1797-1815.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00232-x
Abstract ( 99 )  
The estimation of the type and parameter of flow field is important for robotic fish. Recent estimation methods cannot meet the requirements of the robotic fish due to the lack of prior knowledge or the under-fitting of the model. A processing method including data preprocessing, feature extraction, feature selection, flow type classification and flow field parameters estimation, is proposed based on the data of the pressure sensors in an artificial lateral line. Probabilistic Neural Network (PNN) is used to classify the flow field type and the Generalized Regressive Neural Network (GRNN) is the best choice for estimating the flow field parameters. Also, a few filtering methods for data preprocessing, three methods for feature selection and nine parameters estimation methods are analysis for choosing better method. The proposed method is verified by the experiments with both simulation and real data.
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Osteoporotic Vertebral Fracture Classification in X-rays Based on a Multi-modal Semantic Consistency Network

Yuzhao Wang, Tian Bai, Tong Li & Lan Huang
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2022, 19 (6):  1816-1829.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00234-9
Abstract ( 123 )  
Osteoporotic Vertebral Fracture (OVFs) is a common lumbar spine disorder that severely affects the health of patients. With a clear bone blocks boundary, CT images have gained obvious advantages in OVFs diagnosis. Compared with CT images, X-rays are faster and more inexpensive but often leads to misdiagnosis and miss-diagnosis because of the overlapping shadows. Considering how to transfer CT imaging advantages to achieve OVFs classification in X-rays is meaningful. For this purpose, we propose a multi-modal semantic consistency network which could do well X-ray OVFs classification by transferring CT semantic consistency features. Different from existing methods, we introduce a feature-level mix-up module to get the domain soft labels which helps the network reduce the domain offsets between CT and X-ray. In the meanwhile, the network uses a self-rotation pretext task on both CT and X-ray domains to enhance learning the high-level semantic invariant features. We employ five evaluation metrics to compare the proposed method with the state-of-the-art methods. The final results show that our method improves the best value of AUC from 86.32 to 92.16%. The results indicate that multi-modal semantic consistency method could use CT imaging features to improve osteoporotic vertebral fracture classification in X-rays effectively.
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Multi-strategies Boosted Mutative Crow Search Algorithm for Global Tasks: Cases of Continuous and Discrete Optimization

Weifeng Shan, Hanyu Hu, Zhennao Cai, Huiling Chen, Haijun Liu, Maofa Wang & Yuntian Teng
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2022, 19 (6):  1830-1849.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00228-7
Abstract ( 111 )  
Crow Search Algorithm (CSA) is a swarm-based single-objective optimizer proposed in recent years, which tried to inspire the behavior of crows that hide foods in different locations and retrieve them when needed. The original version of the CSA has simple parameters and moderate performance. However, it often tends to converge slowly or get stuck in a locally optimal region due to a missed harmonizing strategy during the exploitation and exploration phases. Therefore, strategies of mutation and crisscross are combined into CSA (CCMSCSA) in this paper to improve the performance and provide an efficient optimizer for various optimization problems. To verify the superiority of CCMSCSA, a set of comparisons has been performed reasonably with some well-established metaheuristics and advanced metaheuristics on 15 benchmark functions. The experimental results expose and verify that the proposed CCMSCSA has meaningfully improved the convergence speed and the ability to jump out of the local optimum. In addition, the scalability of CCMSCSA is analyzed, and the algorithm is applied to several engineering problems in a constrained space and feature selection problems. Experimental results show that the scalability of CCMSCSA has been significantly improved and can find better solutions than its competitors when dealing with combinatorial optimization problems. The proposed CCMSCSA performs well in almost all experimental results. Therefore, we hope the researchers can see it as an effective method for solving constrained and unconstrained optimization problems.
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Differential Evolution-Boosted Sine Cosine Golden Eagle Optimizer with Lévy Flight

Gang Hu, Liuxin Chen, Xupeng Wang & Guo Wei
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2022, 19 (6):  1850-1885.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00223-y
Abstract ( 97 )  
Golden eagle optimizer (GEO) is a recently introduced nature-inspired metaheuristic algorithm, which simulates the spiral hunting behavior of golden eagles in nature. Regrettably, the GEO suffers from the challenges of low diversity, slow iteration speed, and stagnation in local optimization when dealing with complicated optimization problems. To ameliorate these deficiencies, an improved hybrid GEO called IGEO, combined with Lévy flight, sine cosine algorithm and differential evolution (DE) strategy, is developed in this paper. The Lévy flight strategy is introduced into the initial stage to increase the diversity of the golden eagle population and make the initial population more abundant; meanwhile, the sine–cosine function can enhance the exploration ability of GEO and decrease the possibility of GEO falling into the local optima. Furthermore, the DE strategy is used in the exploration and exploitation stage to improve accuracy and convergence speed of GEO. Finally, the superiority of the presented IGEO are comprehensively verified by comparing GEO and several state-of-the-art algorithms using (1) the CEC 2017 and CEC 2019 benchmark functions and (2) 5 real-world engineering problems respectively. The comparison results demonstrate that the proposed IGEO is a powerful and attractive alternative for solving engineering optimization problems.
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Effect of Filler Content on Flexural and Viscoelastic Properties of Coir Fibers and Argania Nut-shells Reinforced Phenolic Resin Composites

Hala Bensalah, Marya Raji, Kamal Gueraoui, Abdelazziz Khtira, Hamid Essabir, Rachid Bouhfid & Abou el kacem Qaiss
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2022, 19 (6):  1886-1898.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00239-4
Abstract ( 124 )  
The characteristics of two different kinds of lignocellulosic materials (vegetable fillers) with two morphologies as Argania nut-shells (ANS) particles and Coir Fibers (CF) were used as reinforcement for phenolic resin (Bakelite) in this work, and the composite are studied as a function of filler types, shape, content (10, 20, and 30% wt. percent) and manufacturing loading force (1500 and 3000 LBs). Compression molding was used to create the composites, which were then evaluated using Scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), bending, dynamic-mechanical-thermal and rheological studies. The morphology of broken samples demonstrates that both fillers are well dispersed and distributed. When fillers are added to the matrix, the flexural characteristics improve, and the optimal values are attained in the case of Argania nut-shells. The results showed that the kind and shape of the fillers had a direct influence on the dynamic mechanical characteristics of the composites due to the reinforcement's modulus augmentation. It was noticed that, the increment of manufacturing loading force decreased the mechanical and dynamical properties of composites. The optimum properties obtained indicate that the composites can only be manufactured at low manufacturing loading force (1500 LBs).
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