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Libraries with collections especially relevant to bio-inspired design:
Collections in these libraries can be discovered by searching the catalog:
Bioinspired devices: emulating nature's assembly and repair process by
Robotic exoskeletons that allow stroke survivors to regain use of their limbs, 3D-printed replacement body parts, and dozens of other innovations still in schematic design are revolutionizing the treatment of debilitating injuries and nervous system disorders. What all these technologies have in common is that they are modeled after engineering strategies found in nature--strategies developed by a vast array of organisms over eons of evolutionary trial and error. Eugene Goldfield lays out many principles of engineering found in the natural world, with a focus on how evolutionary and developmental adaptations, such as sensory organs and spinal cords, function within complex organisms. He shows how the component parts of highly coordinated structures organize themselves into autonomous functional systems. For example, when people walk, spinal cord neurons generate coordinated signals that continuously reorganize patterns of muscle activations during the gait cycle. This self-organizing capacity is just one of many qualities that allow biological systems to be robust, adaptive, anticipatory, and self-repairing. To exploit the full potential of technologies designed to interact seamlessly with human bodies, properties like these must be better understood and harnessed at every level, from molecules to cells to organ systems. Bioinspired Devices brings together insights from a wide range of fields. A member of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Goldfield offers an insider's view of cutting-edge research, and envisions a future in which synthetic and biological devices share energy sources and control, blurring the boundary between nature and medicine.
Bioinspired Materials Science and Engineering by
An authoritative introduction to the science and engineering of bioinspired materials Bioinspired Materials Science and Engineering offers a comprehensive view of the science and engineering of bioinspired materials and includes a discussion of biofabrication approaches and applications of bioinspired materials as they are fed back to nature in the guise of biomaterials. The authors also review some biological compounds and shows how they can be useful in the engineering of bioinspired materials. With contributions from noted experts in the field, this comprehensive resource considers biofabrication, biomacromolecules, and biomaterials. The authors illustrate the bioinspiration process from materials design and conception to application of bioinspired materials. In addition, the text presents the multidisciplinary aspect of the concept, and contains a typical example of how knowledge is acquired from nature, and how in turn this information contributes to biological sciences, with an accent on biomedical applications. This important resource: Offers an introduction to the science and engineering principles for the development of bioinspired materials Includes a summary of recent developments on biotemplated formation of inorganic materials using natural templates Illustrates the fabrication of 3D-tumor invasion models and their potential application in drug assessments Explores electroactive hydrogels based on natural polymers Contains information on turning mechanical properties of protein hydrogels for biomedical applications Written for chemists, biologists, physicists, and engineers, Bioinspired Materials Science and Engineering contains an indispensible resource for an understanding of bioinspired materials science and engineering.
Mimicry, Crypsis, Masquerade and Other Adaptive Resemblances by
Deals with all aspects of adaptive resemblance Full colour Covers everything from classic examples of Batesian, Mullerian, aggressive and sexual mimicries through to human behavioural and microbial molecular deceptions Highlights areas where additonal work or specific exeprimentation could be fruitful Includes, animals, plants, micro-organisms and humans
Biomimmicry for Designers by
The natural world contains infinite examples of how to achieve complex behaviors and applications by using simple materials in a clever way. As we begin to exhaust the natural resources we rely on to create our products and environments, designers are increasingly turning to nature--where organisms make use of limited raw materials to survive--for inspiration about how to invent fascinating solutions to everyday design problems.The importance of biomimicry--manufacturing materials that imitate life's natural processes--has been known for years, and designers have often looked to nature for formal solutions. In the popular imagination, the best-known example is the microscopic "hook" on burrs that inspired the development of Velcro, but there are many more applications, from kingfisher beaks inspiring the shape of bullet trains to shark skin being used as a model for advanced swimsuits.Author Veronika Kapsali, trained biologist and designer, presents insightful examples, showing each natural phenomenon alongside its man-made application, with an accessible explanation of the biology and the story of the design. While most are concrete examples that have already been developed, others point the way to what might be possible for an enterprising designer.
Cats' Paws and Catapults by
Nature and humans build their devices with the same earthly materials and use them in the same air and water, pulled by the same gravity. Why, then, do their designs diverge so sharply? Humans, for instance, love right angles, while nature's angles are rarely right and usually rounded. Our technology goes around on wheels--and on rotating pulleys, gears, shafts, and cams--yet in nature only the tiny propellers of bacteria spin as true wheels. Our hinges turn because hard parts slide around each other, whereas nature's hinges (a rabbit's ear, for example) more often swing by bending flexible materials. In this marvelously surprising, witty book, Steven Vogel compares these two mechanical worlds, introduces the reader to his field of biomechanics, and explains how the nexus of physical law, size, and convenience of construction determine the designs of both people and nature. "This elegant comparison of human and biological technology will forever change the way you look at each."--Michael LaBarbera, American Scientist
Find a biology research article that will inspire your design-
Example: How do Bats see and hear in the dark?
List the main concepts:
anatomy, physiology, history,
List Key words, phrases, synonyms, alternative terms and spelling - be creative:
animal behavior, bat, echolocation, biological sonar, acoustic perception, adaptive sensing, mobile agents, flight; Chiroptera; biomechanics; wings; aerodynamics; energetics; locomotion; morphology
Look for materials on bioinspired design, biomimicry, biomimetics, and related topics will be located in many subject specialty libraries on campus.
Visit the Bioscience, Natural Resources, and Public Health Library web site for more resources.
