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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 January 2023, Volume 20 Issue 1
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Robot Navigation Strategy in Complex Environment Based on Episode Cognition

Jinsheng Yuan, Wei Guo, Zhiyuan Hou, Fusheng Zha, Mantian Li, Lining Sun & Pengfei Wang
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2023, 20 (1):  1-15.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00265-2
Abstract ( 117 )  
The hippocampal formation of the brain contains a series of nerve cells related to environmental cognition and navigation. These cells can integrate their moment information and external perceptual information and acquire episodic cognitive memory. Through episodic cognition and memory, organisms can achieve autonomous navigation in complex environments. This paper mainly studies the strategy of robot episode navigation in complex environments. After exploring the environment, the robot obtains subjective environmental cognition and forms a cognition map. The grid cells information contained in the cognitive map can obtain the direction and distance of the target through vector calculation, which can get a shortcut through the inexperienced area. The synaptic connection of place cells in the cognitive map can be used as the topological relationship between episode nodes. When the target-oriented vector navigation encounters obstacles, the obstacles can be realized by setting closer sub-targets. Based on the known obstacle information obtained from boundary cells in the cognitive map, topological paths can be divided into multi-segment vector navigation to avoid encountering obstacles. This paper combines vector and topological navigation to achieve goal-oriented and robust navigation capability in a complex environment.
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Fabrication and Characterization of Willemite Scaffolds Using Corn Stalk as a Novel Bio Template for Bone Tissue Engineering Applications

Zahra Yahay, Seyed Mehdi Mirhadi & Fariborz Tavangarian
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2023, 20 (1):  16-29.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00259-0
Abstract ( 102 )  
In this paper, we used Corn Stalk (CS) as a renewable and economical bio template to fabricate willemite scaffolds with the potential application in skull bone repair. CS was used as a sacrificial template to synthesize the scaffolds. Willemite scaffolds with the chemical formula of Zn2SiO4 and pore size in the range of 3 to 10 μm could be successfully synthesized by soaking CS in the willemite solution for 24 h and sintering at 950 °C for 5 h. The porosity of the samples was controlled by the soaking time (between 12 and 48 h) in the willemite solution from 5 to 35%, respectively. The properties of these scaffolds showed a good approximation with cranial bone tissue. In addition, cytotoxicity assays (MTT) were performed on Human Bone Marrow Stromal cells (HBMSc) and A172 human glioblastoma cell lines by direct and indirect culture methods to estimate their toxicity for bone and nerve cells, respectively. Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) activity and DAPI/Phalloidin cell staining were also performed to investigate the efficiency of the scaffolds for bone tissue engineering applications. The results showed that the scaffolds had good biocompatibility with both HBMSC and A172 cells, noticeable improvement on ALP activity, and great apatite formation ability in Simulated Body Fluid (SBF). All the evidence ascertained that willemite scaffolds made by corn stalks could be a useful candidate for bone tissue engineering applications.
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A Novel Approach for Mitigating Power Quality Issues in a PV Integrated Microgrid System Using an Improved Jelly Fish Algorithm

Swati Suman, Debashis Chatterjee & Rupali Mohanty
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2023, 20 (1):  30-46.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00252-7
Abstract ( 96 )  
A two-step methodology was used to address and improve the power quality concerns for the PV-integrated microgrid system. First, partial shading was included to deal with the real-time issues. The Improved Jelly Fish Algorithm integrated Perturb and Obserb (IJFA-PO) has been proposed to track the Global Maximum Power Point (GMPP). Second, the main unit-powered via DC–AC converter is synchronised with the grid. To cope with the wide voltage variation and harmonic mitigation, an auxiliary unit undergoes a novel series compensation technique. Out of various switching approaches, IJFA-based Selective Harmonic Elimination (SHE) in 120° conduction gives the optimal solution. Three switching angles were obtained using IJFA, whose performance was equivalent to that of nine switching angles. Thus, the system is efficient with minimised higher-order harmonics and lower switching losses. The proposed system outperformed in terms of efficiency, metaheuristics, and convergence. The Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) obtained was 1.32%, which is within the IEEE 1547 and IEC tolerable limits. The model was developed in MATLAB/Simulink 2016b and verified with an experimental prototype of grid-synchronised PV capacity of 260 W tested under various loading conditions. The present model is reliable and features a simple controller that provides more convenient and adequate performance.
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Fabrication of Biomimetic Transparent and Flexible Pectin/PEG Composite Film for Temperature Sensing Applications

M. E. Harikumar & Sudip K. Batabyal
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2023, 20 (1):  47-56.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00243-8
Abstract ( 71 )  
In the field of robotics to enhance the interaction with humans in real-time and in the bioengineering field to develop prosthetic devices, the need for artificial skin is in high demand. In this work, the hydrogen-bonded complex network structure of the Pectin/PEG composite has been designed, resulting in the free-standing film functioning as a temperature-sensing device. With the gelation technique and the addition of PEG, the film’s flexibility and conductivity were enhanced. The fabricated device worked at a low voltage of 1 V supply with high throughput. With different dimensions, three devices were fabricated, and the maximum-induced ionic current was 34 μA?±?5%. The device has an average sensitivity of 1.3–2.7 μA/°C over the range of 30 °C to 42 °C. The device's fastest response time to sense the temperature change was 2 s?±?5%. The present device exhibits good stability for a long duration of time. These pectin/PEG films can be used as biomimetic skin to improve the efficiency in sensing the temperature.
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Limb Stiffness Improvement of the Robot WAREC-1R for a Faster and Stable New Ladder Climbing Gait

Xiao Sun, Akira Ito, Takashi Matsuzawa & Atsuo Takanishi
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2023, 20 (1):  57-68.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00245-6
Abstract ( 75 )  
Ladder climbing is a relatively new but practical locomotion style for robots. Unfortunately, due to their size and weight, ladder climbing by human-sized robots developed so far is struggling with the speedup of ladder climbing motion itself. Therefore, in this paper, a new ladder climbing gait for the robot WAREC-1R is proposed by the authors, which is both faster than the former ones and stable. However, to realize such a gait, a point that has to be taken into consideration is the deformation caused by the self-weight of the robot. To deal with this issue, extra hardware (sensor) and software (position and force control) systems and extra time for sensing and calculation were required. For a complete solution without any complicated systems and time only for deformation compensation, limb stiffness improvement plan by the minimal design change of mechanical parts of the robot is also proposed by the authors, with a thorough study about deformation distribution in the robot. With redesigned parts, ladder climbing experiments by WAREC-1R proved that both the new ladder climbing gait and the limb stiffness improvement are successful, and the reduced deformation is very close to the estimated value as well.
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Design, Mobility Analysis and Gait Planning of a Leech-like Soft Crawling Robot with Stretching and Bending Deformation

Manjia Su, Rongzhen Xie, Yu Qiu & Yisheng Guan
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2023, 20 (1):  69-80.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00256-3
Abstract ( 120 )  
Soft climbing/crawling robots have been attracting increasing attention in the soft robotics community, and many prototypes with basic locomotion have been implemented. Most existing soft robots achieve locomotion by planar bending deformation and lack sufficient mobility. Enhancing the mobility of soft climbing/crawling robots is still an open and challenging issue. To this end, we present a novel pneumatic leech-like soft robot, Leechbot, with both bending and stretching deformation for locomotion. With a morphological structure, the robot consists of a three-chambered actuator in the middle for the main motion, two chamber-net actuators that act as ankles, and two suckers at the ends for anchoring on surfaces. The peristaltic motion for locomotion is implemented by body stretching, and direction changing is achieved by body bending. Due to the novel design and two deformation modes, the robot can make turns and transit between different surfaces; the robot, hence, has excellent mobility. The development of the robot prototype is presented in detail in this paper. To control its motion, tests were carried out to determine the relationship between step length and air pressure as well as the relationship between motion speed and periodic delay time. A kinematic model was established, and the kinematic mobility and surface transitionability were analyzed. Gait planning based on the inflating sequence of the actuating chambers is presented for straight crawling, turn making, and transiting between surfaces and was verified by a series of experiments with the prototype. The results show that a high mobility in soft climbing/crawling robots can be achieved by a novel design and by proper gait planning.
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A Hybrid Marine Predator Algorithm for Thermal-aware Routing Scheme in Wireless Body Area Networks

Tao Hai, Jincheng Zhou, Mohammad Masdari, Haydar Abdulameer Marhoon,
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2023, 20 (1):  81-104.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00263-4
Abstract ( 161 )  
Thermal-aware routing protocols in WBANs consider temperature factors in the routing process for preventing overheating of the tissues surrounding the sensor nodes. However, providing an energy-efficient and thermal-aware routing in WBANs is a challenging issue. To deal with this problem, this article presents a novel temperature-aware routing protocol that applies Mamdani-based Fuzzy Logic Controllers (FLCs) for selecting the next forwarding node in routing data packets. These FLCs apply five important input factors such as the priority of the packet, and sensor node's remaining energy, temperature, distance, and link path loss. Also, a new hybrid version of the Marine Predator Algorithm (MPA), named MPAOA is presented by combining the exploration and exploitation phases of the MPA and Arithmetic Optimization Algorithm (AOA). This algorithm is effectively applied for selecting the best possible set of fuzzy rules for FLCs and tuning their fuzzy sets. Extensive experiments conducted in the Castalia simulator exhibit that the proposed temperature and priority-aware routing scheme can outperform other well-known routing schemes such as LATOR, TTRP, TAEO, ATAR, and EOCC-TARA in terms of metrics such as sensor nodes lifetime, the average temperature of the sensor nodes, and the percentage of the packets routed through non-overheated paths. Besides, it is shown that the MPAOA outperforms other algorithms such as Bat Algorithm (BA), Genetic Algorithm (GA), AOA, and MPA regarding the specified metrics.
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Properties of Collagen/Sodium Alginate Hydrogels for Bioprinting of Skin Models

Tian Jiao, Qin Lian, Weilong Lian, Yonghui Wang, Dichen Li, Rui L. Reis & Joaquim Miguel Oliveira
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2023, 20 (1):  105-118.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00251-8
Abstract ( 82 )  
3D printing technology has great potential for the reconstruction of human skin. However, the reconstructed skin has some differences from natural skin, largely because the hydrogel used does not have the appropriate biological and physical properties to allow healing and regeneration. This study examines the swelling, degradability, microstructure and biological properties of Collagen/Sodium Alginate (Col/SA) hydrogels of differing compositions for the purposes of skin printing. Increasing the content of sodium alginate causes the hydrogel to exhibit stronger mechanical and swelling properties, a faster degradation ratio, smaller pore size, and less favorable biological properties. An optimal 1% collagen hydrogel was used to print bi-layer skin in which fibroblasts and keratinocytes showed improved spreading and proliferation as compared to other developed formulations. The Col/SA hydrogels presented suitable tunability and properties to be used as a bioink for bioprinting of skin aiming at finding applications as 3D models for wound healing research.
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Hybrid Active–Passive Prosthetic Knee: A Gait Kinematics and Muscle Activity Comparison with Mechanical and Microprocessor-Controlled Passive Prostheses

Xiaoming Wang, Qiaoling Meng, Shaoping Bai, Qingyun Meng & Hongliu Yu
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2023, 20 (1):  119-135.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00267-0
Abstract ( 125 )  
Existing microprocessor-controlled passive prosthetic knees (PaPKs) and active prosthetic knees (AcPKs) cannot truly simulate the muscle activity characteristics of the active–passive hybrid action of the knee during the normal gait. Differences in EMG between normal and different prosthetic gait for different phases were never separately analyzed. In this study, a novel hybrid active–passive prosthetic knee (HAPK) is proposed and if and how muscle activity and kinematics changes in different prosthetic gait are analyzed. The hybrid hydraulic-motor actuator is adopted to fully integrate the advantages of hydraulic compliance damping and motor efficiency, and the hierarchical control strategy is adopted to realize the adaptive predictive control of the HAPK. The kinematic data and EMG data of normal gait and different prosthetic gait were compared by experiments, so as to analyze the changes in the muscle activity and spatio-temporal data per phase compared to normal walking and the adaptations of amputees when walking with a different kind of prosthesis (the mechanical prosthesis (MePK), the PaPK and the HAPK). The results show that changes in prosthetic gait mainly consisted of decreased self-selected walking speed, gait symmetry and maximum knee flexion, increased first double support phase duration, muscle activation in both opposed and prosthetic limb and inter-subject variability. The differences between controls and MePK, PaPK and HAPK decreases sequentially. These results indicate that the hybrid active–passive actuating mode can have positive effects on improving the approximation of healthy gait characteristics.
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Dynamic Vertical Climbing Mechanism of Chinese Dragon-Li Cats Based on the Linear Inverted Pendulum Model

Qun Niu, Jieliang Zhao, Lulu Liang & Jin Xing
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2023, 20 (1):  136-145.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00248-3
Abstract ( 117 )  
Humans have long desired but never achieved the capacity to climb walls. The fundamental reason is that human hands and feet cannot climb vertical walls like geckos and bees. Animals lacking an adhesive structure can use the body’s dynamic effect to climb walls. Here we investigated the dynamic wall climbing behavior of individuals who cannot remain stationary on the vertical wall. Taking the domestic cat as the experimental object, we constructed an experimental platform as the obstacle for the cat to climb the wall. Our research indicated that domestic cats must meet the following physical conditions to do dynamic vertical wall climbing: vertical obstacles must have nonvertical surfaces, a horizontal run-up, and contact with nonvertical surfaces before the vertical speed reduces to zero. Here we proposed a dynamic vertical wall climbing model with three contact states based on an investigation of domestic cats’ dynamic wall climbing behavior and the LIP model. The motion range of the LIP model’s generalized angular coordinates varies depending on the contact state. The horizontal run-up action can improve the jumping height and obtain horizontal speed. When making contact with the vertical surface of the obstacle, the motion inertia in the horizontal direction can produce a reaction force on the contact surface, which can compensate for the influence of some gravity. This alternating contact strategy lets cats switch different initial and end contact angles. This investigation clarifies the essential process underlying animals’ dynamic vertical wall climbing and establishes the theoretical foundation for the legged robot to do dynamic vertical wall climbing.
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Bionic Design to Reduce Driving Power for a Portable Elbow Exoskeleton Based on Gravity-balancing Coupled Model

Qiaoling Meng, Rongna Xu, Qiaolian Xie, Bostan·Mahmutjan, Sujiao Li & Hongliu Yu
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2023, 20 (1):  146-157.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00249-2
Abstract ( 115 )  
Portability is an important performance to the design of exoskeleton for rehabilitation and assistance. However, the structure of traditional exoskeletons will decrease the portability because of their heavy weight and large volume. This paper proposes a novel bionic portable elbow exoskeleton based on a human-exoskeleton gravity-balancing coupled model. The variable stiffness characteristics of the coupled model is analyzed based on the static analysis. In addition, the optimization of human-exoskeleton joint points is analysis to improve the bionic motor characteristics of the exoskeleton. Theoretical prototype is designed and its driving power and dynamic performance are analyzed. Then, a prototype is designed and manufactured with a total weight of 375 g. The merits of driving power reducing is verified by simulation and the isokinetic experiments. The simulation and isokinetic results show that the driving torque and the driving power of the subject were significantly decreased with wearing the proposed exoskeleton. The driving torques are reduced 79.28% and 57.38% from the simulation results and isokinetic experiment results, respectively. The driving work of experiment was reduced by 56.5%. The development of the novel elbow exoskeleton with gravity-balancing mechanism can expand the application of exoskeleton in home-based rehabilitation.
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CQFFA: A Chaotic Quasi-oppositional Farmland Fertility Algorithm for Solving Engineering Optimization Problems

Farhad Soleimanian Gharehchopogh, Mohammad H. Nadimi-Shahraki, Saeid Barshandeh, Benyamin Abdollahzadeh & Hoda Zamani
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2023, 20 (1):  158-183.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00255-4
Abstract ( 104 )  
Farmland Fertility Algorithm (FFA) is a recent nature-inspired metaheuristic algorithm for solving optimization problems. Nevertheless, FFA has some drawbacks: slow convergence and imbalance of diversification (exploration) and intensification (exploitation). An adaptive mechanism in every algorithm can achieve a proper balance between exploration and exploitation. The literature shows that chaotic maps are incorporated into metaheuristic algorithms to eliminate these drawbacks. Therefore, in this paper, twelve chaotic maps have been embedded into FFA to find the best numbers of prospectors to increase the exploitation of the best promising solutions. Furthermore, the Quasi-Oppositional-Based Learning (QOBL) mechanism enhances the exploration speed and convergence rate; we name a CQFFA algorithm. The improvements have been made in line with the weaknesses of the FFA algorithm because the FFA algorithm has fallen into the optimal local trap in solving some complex problems or does not have sufficient ability in the intensification component. The results obtained show that the proposed CQFFA model has been significantly improved. It is applied to twenty-three widely-used test functions and compared with similar state-of-the-art algorithms statistically and visually. Also, the CQFFA algorithm has evaluated six real-world engineering problems. The experimental results showed that the CQFFA algorithm outperforms other competitor algorithms.
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Double Mutational Salp Swarm Algorithm: From Optimal Performance Design to Analysis

Chao Lin, Pengjun Wang, Xuehua Zhao & Huiling Chen
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2023, 20 (1):  184-211.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00262-5
Abstract ( 63 )  
The Salp Swarm Algorithm (SSA) is a population-based Meta-heuristic Algorithm (MA) that simulates the behavior of a group of salps foraging in the ocean. Although the basic SSA has stable exploration capability and convergence speed, it still can fall into local optimum when solving complex optimization problems, which may be due to low utilization of population information and unbalanced exploration-to-exploitation ratio. Therefore, this study proposes a Double Mutation Salp Swarm Algorithm (DMSSA). In this study, a Cuckoo Mutation Strategy (CMS) and an Adaptive DE Mutation Strategy (ADMS) are introduced into the structure of the original SSA. The former mutation strategy is summarized as three basic operations: judgment, shuffling, and mutation. The purpose is to fully consider the information among search agents and use the differences between different search agents to participate in the update of positions, making the optimization process both diverse in exploration and minor in randomness. The latter strategy employs three basic operations: selection, mutation, and adaptation. As the follower part, some individuals do not blindly adopt the original follow method. Instead, the global optimal position and differences are considered, and the variation factor is adjusted adaptively, allowing the new algorithm to balance exploration, exploitation, and convergence efficiency. To evaluate the performance of DMSSA, comparisons are made with numerous algorithms on 30 IEEE CEC2014 benchmark functions. The statistical results confirm the better performance and significant difference of DMSSA in solving benchmark function tests. Finally, the applicability and scalability of DMSSA to optimization problems with constraints are further confirmed in three experiments on classical engineering design optimization problems. The source code of the proposed algorithm will be available at: https://github.com/ncjsq/Double-Mutational-Salp-Swarm-Algorithm.
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Reconfigurable Muscle Strength Training Robot with Multi-mode Training for 17 Joint Movements

Jianfeng Li, Qiulin Fang, Mingjie Dong, Xi Rong, Liwei Jiang & Ran Jiao
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2023, 20 (1):  212-224.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00254-5
Abstract ( 119 )  
Different from limb rehabilitation training, the purpose of muscle strength training is to reduce muscle atrophy and increase muscle strength and tolerance through strength training of limb muscles, and then improve the muscle strength level of muscles (groups), mainly for sports fitness and muscle strengthening groups and patients with muscle atrophy or muscle weakness caused by various diseases. In this paper, we developed a new reconfigurable muscle strength training robot, a bionic robot by imitating physicians to conduct muscle strength training for patients, which was developed with six training modes for 17 joint movements, that is, the shoulder flexion/extension, the shoulder internal/external rotation, the shoulder adduction/abduction, the elbow flexion/extension, the wrist supination/pronation, the wrist flexion/extension, the wrist radial/ulnar deviation, the hip flexion/extension, the hip internal/external rotation, the hip adduction/abduction, the knee flexion/extension, the ankle dorsiflexion/plantarflexion, the ankle adduction/abduction, the ankle inversion/eversion, the waist flexion/extension, the waist left/right rotation, and the waist left/right flexion. The reconfigurable mechanism was designed with fully electric adjuster and reconfigurable adaptors deployed on the driving unit, and six training modes were developed, namely, continuous passive motion, active exercise, passive–active exercise, isotonic exercise, isometric exercise and isokinetic exercise. Experiments with knee joint and elbow joint have shown that the developed reconfigurable muscle strength training robot can realize the multi-mode trainings for the 17 joint movements.
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Rapid, Energy-saving Bioinspired Soft Switching Valve Embedded in Snapping Membrane Actuator

Fangzhou Zhao, Yingjie Wang, Sijia Liu, Miao Jin, Luquan Ren, Lei Ren & Chunbao Liu
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2023, 20 (1):  225-236.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00258-1
Abstract ( 78 )  
In nature, organisms widely use the interaction of muscle contraction and biological pipelines to form an efficient fluid control mechanism. Herein, a pneumatically powered, Bioinspired Soft Switching valve (BSS valve) with short response time and low-energy consumption is described. The BSS valve is composed of flexible walls, a flexible tube and symmetrically arranged Snapping Membrane actuator (SM actuator). It functions based on tube deformation throttling caused by instability of SM actuator membrane. To realize rapid preparation of customized BSS valve, the modular manufacturing method suitable for different materials and structures based on 3D printing and mold forming was developed. Using the membrane flip rate as indicators, the displacement transient response characteristics of three structures actuators were studied, The results proved that spherical and spherical cap membrane SM actuator achieved rapid displacement response under the low critical pressure threshold. Furthermore, with critical buckling pressure and capacity utilization efficiency as indicators, we analyzed the characteristics of SM actuators with different radius and wall thickness to obtain reasonable structural parameters configuration of SM actuators. The influence of radius and thickness on SM actuator is revealed, and theoretical model formulas were formed. Two different configurations are presented. (1) Customized BSS valve structures can achieve sequential motion of flexible gripper. (2) BSS valve embedded in soft pump. The performance tests confirmed it has significant advantages in energy consumption, specific pressure, specific flow, high-frequency cycle load life, and valve can be integrated into the soft pump fluid system as a throttling unit, and provides an idea for fluid drive control integration.
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A Novel Method Based on Nonlinear Binary Grasshopper Whale Optimization Algorithm for Feature Selection

Lingling Fang & Xiyue Liang
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2023, 20 (1):  237-252.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00253-6
Abstract ( 87 )  
Feature Selection (FS) is considered as an important preprocessing step in data mining and is used to remove redundant or unrelated features from high-dimensional data. Most optimization algorithms for FS problems are not balanced in search. A hybrid algorithm called nonlinear binary grasshopper whale optimization algorithm (NL-BGWOA) is proposed to solve the problem in this paper. In the proposed method, a new position updating strategy combining the position changes of whales and grasshoppers population is expressed, which optimizes the diversity of searching in the target domain. Ten distinct high-dimensional UCI datasets, the multi-modal Parkinson's speech datasets, and the COVID-19 symptom dataset are used to validate the proposed method. It has been demonstrated that the proposed NL-BGWOA performs well across most of high-dimensional datasets, which shows a high accuracy rate of up to 0.9895. Furthermore, the experimental results on the medical datasets also demonstrate the advantages of the proposed method in actual FS problem, including accuracy, size of feature subsets, and fitness with best values of 0.913, 5.7, and 0.0873, respectively. The results reveal that the proposed NL-BGWOA has comprehensive superiority in solving the FS problem of high-dimensional data.
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A Bionic Degassing Device Inspired by Gills: Application on Underwater Oil and Gas Detection

Yongming Yao, Hang Li, Youhong Sun & Zhiyong Chang
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2023, 20 (1):  253-266.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00264-3
Abstract ( 107 )  
Over the past decades, membrane-based separation processes have found numerous applications in various industries. Membrane contactor is an important part of the separation of dissolved gas in the early stage of gas detection. In this paper, to improve efficiency in the detection of the dissolved gas phase in seawater, a better flat membrane contactor is proposed to achieve efficient degassing, inspired by the way fish breathe underwater and the special structure of fish gills. The bioinspired flow channel structures in the flat membrane contactor are suggested along with the distribution of internal blood vessels in the gill platelet and the feature of the gill platelet surface. Using 3D printing, the special degassing devices are manufactured, and comparative analysis of relevant flow parameters is made using different flow channels, combined with the CFD simulation. The final result showed that the proposed flow channel in the degasser achieves a better degassing effect compared with conventional flow channel when the membrane contact area is limited, which can provide good conditions for subsequent gas detection.
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Hybrid Static-dynamic Sensation Electrotactile Feedback for Hand Prosthesis Tactile and Proprioception Feedback

Bin Yang & Li Jiang
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2023, 20 (1):  267-277.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00246-5
Abstract ( 103 )  
Tactile and proprioception feedback are essential to myoelectric hand prostheses control for regaining functionality of lost hands of amputees. Current studies focus on tactile feedback, while the lack of appropriate multisensory feedback, especially proprioception feedback, limits the grasping quality. Additionally, a typical non-invasive stimulation scheme for sensation feedback uses stimulation on the stationary site of the skin continuously, which can lead to fatigue and adaptation of sensation, further reduces the feedback consistency, and increases the cognitive burden for the subject. Considering the sensitivity and modality matching of sensation, this study presented a multimodal sensations feedback scheme based on hybrid static-dynamic sensation elicited by multisite Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) to deliver grasping force and joint position feedback. In the proposed scheme, stimulation of single electrode produced only in-loco tactile sensation under the electrode, and the sensation intensity was adjusted according to grasping force; sequential activation of multi-electrodes produced an illusion dynamic sensation of a stimulus moving, and the velocity and direction of movement were adjusted according to finger joint position. Psychometric test results demonstrated the identifiability of stimulus in the proposed scheme. Further, prosthetic hand closed-loop grasping tasks evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed feedback scheme. The results showed that the proposed feedback scheme could substantially improve the grasping accuracy and efficiency. In addition, the study outcomes also demonstrated the benefit of artificial proprioception feedback in grasping rapidity and security.
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Variations in the Biomechanics of 16 Palmar Hand Regions Related to Tomato Picking

Xue An, Zhiguo Li, Jun Fu, Tobi Fadiji & Sheng Zhang
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2023, 20 (1):  278-290.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00244-7
Abstract ( 92 )  
The aim of this study is to systematically reveal the differences in the biomechanics of 16 hand regions related to bionic picking of tomatoes. The biomechanical properties (peak loading force, elastic coefficient, maximum percentage deformation and interaction contact mechanics between human hand and tomato fruit) of each hand region were experimentally measured and covariance analyzed. The results revealed that there were significant variations in the assessed biomechanical properties between the 16 hand regions (p?<?0.05). The maximum pain force threshold (peak loading force in I2 region) was 5.11 times higher than the minimum pain force threshold (in Th1 region). It was found that each hand region in its normal direction can elastically deform by at least 15.30%. The elastic coefficient of the 16 hand regions ranged from 0.22 to 2.29 N mm?1. The interaction contact force acting on the fruit surface was affected by the selected human factors and fruit features. The obtained covariance models can quantitatively predict all of the above biomechanical properties of 16 hand regions. The findings were closely related to hand grasping performance during tomato picking, such as soft contact, surface interaction, stable and dexterous grasping, provided a foundation for developing a high-performance tomato-picking bionic robotic hand.
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Spring-Loaded Inverted Pendulum Hopping via Hybrid Averaging and Control Lyapunov Function

Hao Sun, Junjie Yang, Yinghao Jia, Qinghua Li & Changhong Wang
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2023, 20 (1):  291-307.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00269-y
Abstract ( 100 )  
The Spring-Loaded Inverted Pendulum (SLIP) has been regarded as a canonical model for hopping and running dynamics of legged robots. This paper presents a novel control of the actuated-SLIP hopping on unknown terrains. We propose that in the neighborhood of the desired stable hybrid limit cycle, the local dynamical behavior of a hybrid system can be expressed by a set of phase coordinates and transverse coordinates. Under some acceptable assumptions, the hybrid averaging theorem is applied on the SLIP non-integrable dynamics to simplify the controller design. Using the inherent symmetry of SLIP dynamics, a control Lyapunov function-based hybrid averaging controller is developed to ensure the exponential stability of the desired gait orbit. This results in a set of linear constraints on the control signal, which can be readily solved by a quadratic programming optimization. Furthermore, a novel method is introduced to improve the robustness against unknown disturbances through the online constraint adjustment. The proposed controller is evaluated in various simulations, demonstrating the SLIP hopping on diverse terrains, including flat, sin-wave, and unregular terrains. The performance of the approach is also validated on a quadruped robot SCIT Dog for generating dynamic gaits such as pronking.
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Hybrid Offset Slider Crank Mechanism for Anthropomorphic Flexion in Prosthetic Hands

Banibrata Datta, Sekar Anup Chander & Srikanth Vasamsetti
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2023, 20 (1):  308-322.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00266-1
Abstract ( 87 )  
The underactuated fingers used in prosthetic hands account for a large part of design consideration in anthropomorphic prosthetic hand design. There are considerable numbers of designs available for underactuated prosthetic fingers in literature but, emulating the anthropomorphic flexion movement is still a challenge due to the complex nature of the motion. To address this challenge, a hybrid mechanism using both linkage-based mechanism and tendon-driven actuation has been proposed in this paper. The presented mechanism includes a novel offset slider-crank-based finger that has been designed using a combination of different lengths of cranks and connecting rods. The prototypes of both the new mechanism and the conventional tendon-driven mechanism are constructed and compared experimentally based on interphalangeal joint angle trajectory during flexion. The angles achieved through the new hybrid mechanism are compared with the conventional tendon-driven mechanism and the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) values have been calculated by comparing to the anthropomorphic flexion angles of the published literature. The RMSE values calculated for three interphalangeal joints of the hybrid mechanism are found to be less than their counter-parts of the conventional tendon-driven mechanism. In addition to achieving resemblance to anthropomorphic flexion angles, the mechanism is designed within the anthropometric human finger dimensions.
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Tracking Control in Presence of Obstacles and Uncertainties for Bioinspired Spherical Underwater Robots

Chunying Li, Shuxiang Guo & Jian Guo
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2023, 20 (1):  323-337.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00268-z
Abstract ( 71 )  
During marine missions, AUVs are susceptible to external disturbances, such as obstacles, ocean currents, etc., which can easily cause mission failure or disconnection. In this paper, considering the strong nonlinearities, external disturbances and obstacles, the kinematic and dynamic model of bioinspired Spherical Underwater Robot (SUR) was described. Subsequently, the waypoints-based trajectory tracking with obstacles and uncertainties was proposed for SUR to guarantee its safety and stability. Next, the Lyapunov theory was adopted to verify the stability and the Slide Mode Control (SMC) method is used to verify the robustness of the control system. In addition, a series of simulations were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of proposed control strategy. Some tests, including path-following, static and moving obstacle avoidance were performed which verified the feasibility, robustness and effectiveness of the designed control scheme. Finally, a series of experiments in real environment were performed to verify the performance of the control strategy. The simulation and experimental results of the study supplied clues to the improvement of the path following capability and multi-obstacle avoidance of AUVs.
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Bio-inspired Filter Design Based on Vortex Control Mechanism of Parallel Groove Structure

Yawei Zhu, Dean Hu, Yonggang Guo, Hao Ding & Gang Yang
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2023, 20 (1):  338-348.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00247-4
Abstract ( 116 )  
Solid–liquid separation is widely used in daily life and practical engineering. Traditional industrial filters are prone to clogging, but this rarely occurs in filter-feeding organisms. Inspired by the filter feeding mechanism of balaenid whales and considering the local grooves in the fringes layer, a new bionic filter is produced by 3D printing technology through the bionic design of the parallel channels inside the mouth of balaenid whales. At the same time, a test platform composed of the bionic filter, peristaltic pump, fluid pulse rectifier and water tank is built to carry out the fluid flow pattern dyeing and particle filtration experiments. It is found that fluid separation occurs near the groove structure and local vortices are generated. The vortex control filtration mechanism makes the particles in the front grooves tend to accumulate on the left side, which has a certain anti-clogging effect. Moreover, the increase of flow velocity leads to the enhancement of vortices, which makes the accumulation effect on the left more obvious. This study initially practices the bionic application from biological model to engineering design, and the vortex control anti-clogging filtration mechanism proposed in the study has a wide range of application prospects and values.
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Effect of Cellulose Microfibers from Sugar Beet Pulp By-product on the Reinforcement of HDPE Composites Prepared by Twin‐screw Extrusion and Injection Molding

Abdelghani Boussetta, Anass Ait Benhamou, Francisco J. Barba, Nabil Grimi, Mario J. Simirgiotis & Amine Moubarik
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2023, 20 (1):  349-365.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00260-7
Abstract ( 106 )  
The aims of this work turn towards the valorization of the underutilized Raw Sugar Beet Pulp by-product to produce white Cellulose Microfibers (CMFs), and its potential effect as a reinforcement for the development of High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) composites. Pure CMFs were first obtained by subjecting raw SBP to alkali and bleaching treatments. Several characterization techniques were performed to confirm the successful removal of the amorphous compounds from the surface of individual fibers, including SEM, XRD, TGA, and FT-IR analysis. Various CMF loadings (5–10 wt%) were incorporated as bio-fillers into HDPE polymer to evaluate their reinforcing ability in comparison to raw and alkali-treated SBP using twin-screw extrusion followed by injection molding. Styrene–(Ethylene–Butene)–Styrene Three-Block Co-Polymer Grafted with Maleic Anhydride was used as a compatibilizer to improve the interfacial adhesion between fibers and the matrix. Thermal, mechanical, and rheological properties of the produced composite samples were investigated. It was found that the Young’s modulus were gradually increased with increasing of fibers loadings, with a maximum increase of 30% and 26% observed for composite containing 10 wt% of CMFs and raw SBP, respectively, over neat HDPE. While, the use of coupling agent enhances the ductile behavior of the composites. It was also found that all fiber improves the hardness and toughness behavior of all reinforced composites as well as the complex modulus particularly at 10 wt%. The thermal stability slightly increases with the addition of fibers. This study demonstrates a new route for the valorization of SBP by-products. These fibers can be considered as a valuable bio-fillers candidate for the development of composite materials with enhanced properties.
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Advance in Structural Classification and Stability Study of Superamphiphobic Surfaces

Haili Zhang, Deke Li, Jinxia Huang, Zhiguang Guo & Weiming Liu
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2023, 20 (1):  366-389.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00270-5
Abstract ( 95 )  
Superamphiphobic surfaces have great potential applications in flame resistance, anti-icing, self-cleaning, anti-adhesion, micro-flow control and so on. However, the surface durability is poor owing to the limitation of design principles. In recent years, a lot of efforts have been carried out on the morphology, structure, and stability of superamphiphobic surfaces, resulting in significant improvement in their surface superwetting properties. In this review, we present a brief classification of the morphological types of superamphiphobic surfaces and summary of the recent progress of researches on the stability of superamphiphobic surfaces. Several testing methods of mechanical and chemical stability are listed in the article, together with the characteristic results, to provide a better and more detailed understanding of the current research status on superamphiphobic surface stability, which will be of considerable importance as a reference guide for our future researches. Of course, there are still some issues that need to be addressed for the application of superamphiphobic surfaces at large scale, and this is where our future researches will be directed. Finally, we discuss the challenges as well as the prospects in the study of superamphiphobic surfaces.
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Analysis of Heading Stability due to Interactions between Pectoral and Caudal Fins in Robotic Boxfish Locomotion

Hongcheng Qiu, Lingkun Chen, Xinshuo Ma, Shusheng Bi, Bo Wang & Tiefeng Li
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2023, 20 (1):  390-405.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00271-4
Abstract ( 71 )  
Investigating the interaction between fins can guide the design and enhance the performance of robotic fish. In this paper, we take boxfish as the bionic object and discuss the effect of coupling motion gaits among the two primary propulsors, pectoral and caudal fins, on the heading stability of the body. First, we propose the structure and control system of the bionic boxfish prototype. Second, using a one/two-way fluid–structure interaction numerical method, we analyse the key parameters of the prototype and discuss the influence of pectoral and caudal motion gaits on the hydrodynamic performance. Finally, effect of the pectoral and caudal interactions on heading stability of the prototype is systematically analyzed and verified in experiments. Results show that the course-deviating degree, oscillation amplitudes of yawing, rolling, and pitching exhibited by the prototype are smaller than that caused by single propulsor when the motion gaits of both pectoral and caudal fins are coordinated in a specific range. This paper reveals for the first time the effect of interactions between pectoral and caudal fins, on the stability of body's course by means of Computational Fluid Dynamics and prototype experiments, which provides an essential guidance for the design of robotic fish propelled by multi-fins.
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The Development of a Venus Flytrap Inspired Soft Robot Driven by IPMC

Jiahua Li, Aifen Tian, Yue Sun, Bin Feng, Hongyan Wang & Xinrong Zhang
Journal of Bionic Engineering. 2023, 20 (1):  406-415.  DOI: 10.1007/s42235-022-00250-9
Abstract ( 103 )  
In recent years, more and more creatures in nature have become the source of inspiration for people to study bionic soft robots. Many such robots appear in the public’s vision. In this paper, a Venus flytrap robot similar to the biological Venus flytrap in appearance was designed and prepared. It was mainly cast by Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMs) and driven by the flexible material of Ionic Polymer Metal Composites (IPMCs). Combining with ANSYS and related experiments, the appropriate voltage and the size of IPMC were determined. The results showed that the performance of the Venus flytrap robot was the closest to the biological Venus flytrap when the size of IPMC length, width and driving voltage reach to 3 cm, 1 cm and 5.5 V, respectively. Moreover, the closing speed and angle reached 8.22°/s and 37°, respectively. Finally, the fly traps also could be opened and closed repeatedly and captured a small ball with a mass of 0.3 g firmly in its middle and tip.
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