Adhesive Contact in Animal： Morphology, Mechanism and Bio-Inspired Application

Many animals possess adhesive pads on their feet, which are able tO attach to various substrates while controlling adhesive forces during locomotion. This review article studies the morphology of adhesive devices in animals, and the physical mechanisms of wet adhesion and dry adhesion. The adhesive pads are either ＇smooth＇ or densely covered with special adhesive setae. Smooth pads adhere by wet adhesion, which is facilitated by fluid secreted from the pads, whereas hairy pads can adhere by dry adhesion or wet adhesion. Contact area, distance between pad and substrate, viscosity and surface tension of the liquid filling the gap between pad and substrate are the most important factors which determine the wet adhesion. Dry adhesion was found only in hairy pads, which occurs in geckos and spiders. It was demonstrated that van der Waals interaction is the dominant adhesive force in geckos＇ adhesion. The bio-inspired applications derived from adhesive pads are also reviewed.

Experimental Study and Model Analysis of the Performance of IPMC Membranes with Various Thickness

Ionic Polymer-Metal Composite （IPMC） is a new electro-active polymer, which has the advantages of light weight, flexibility, and large stroke with low driving voltage. Because of these features, IPMC can be applied to bionic robotic actuators, artificial muscles, as well as dynamic sensors. However, IPMC has the major drawback of low generative blocking force. In this paper, in order to enhance the blocking force, the Nation membranes with thickness of 0.22 mm, 0.32 mm, 0.42 mm, 0.64 mm and 0.8 mm were prepared by casting from liquid solution. By employing these Nation membranes, IPMCs with varying thickness were fabricated by electroless plating. The elastic modulus of the casted Nation membranes were obtained by a nano-indenter, and the current, the displacement and the blocking force were respectively measured by the apparatus for actuation test. Finally, the effects of the thickness on the performance of IPMC were analyzed with an electromechanical model. Experimental study and theory analysis indicate that as the thickness increases, the elastic modulus of Nation membrane and the blocking force of IPMC increase, however, the current and the displacement decrease.

The Marking Technology in Motion Capture for the Complex Locomotor Behavior of Flexible Small Animals(Gekko gecko)

Animals have evolved a variety of behavior patterns to adapt to the environment. Motion-capture technology is utilized to quantify and characterize locomotor behaviors to reveal the mechanisms of animal motion. In the capture of flexible, small animals with complex locomotor behaviors, the markers interfere with each other easily, and the motion forms(bending, twisting) of the moving parts are obviously different;thus, it is a great challenge to realize accurate quantitative characterization of complex locomotor behaviors. The correlation between the marker properties, including the size and space length, and the precision of the system are revealed in this paper, and the effects of diverse marker shapes on the capturing accuracy of the captured objects in different motion forms were tested. Results showed that the precision of system is significantly improved when the ratio of the space length to the diameter of the markers is larger than four;for the capture of the spatial twisting motion of the flexible object, the hexagon markers had the lowest spatial lost-marker rate relative to the circle, triangle, and square. Customized markers were used to capture the locomotor behavior of the gecko-inspired robot(rigid connection) and the gecko(flexible connection). The results showed that this marking technology can achieve high accuracy of motion capture for geckos(the average deviation was approximately 0.32 mm, and the average deviation’s variation rate was approximately 0.96%). In this paper, the marking technology for the motion capture of flexible, small animals with complex motion is proposed;it can effectively improve the system precision as well as the capture accuracy, and realize the quantitative characterization of the complex motion of flexible, small objects. It provides a reliable technical means to deeply study the evolution of the motion function of small animals and advance systematic research of motion-capture technology.

Buckling analysis of functionally graded nanobeams under non-uniform temperature using stress-driven nonlocal elasticity

In this work,the size-dependent buckling of functionally graded(FG)Bernoulli-Euler beams under non-uniform temperature is analyzed based on the stressdriven nonlocal elasticity and nonlocal heat conduction.By utilizing the variational principle of virtual work,the governing equations and the associated standard boundary conditions are systematically extracted,and the thermal effect,equivalent to the induced thermal load,is explicitly assessed by using the nonlocal heat conduction law.The stressdriven constitutive integral equation is equivalently transformed into a differential form with two non-standard constitutive boundary conditions.By employing the eigenvalue method,the critical buckling loads of the beams with different boundary conditions are obtained.The numerically predicted results reveal that the growth of the nonlocal parameter leads to a consistently strengthening effect on the dimensionless critical buckling loads for all boundary cases.Additionally,the effects of the influential factors pertinent to the nonlocal heat conduction on the buckling behavior are carefully examined.

Behaviours in Attachment-Detachment Cycles of Geckos in Response to Inclines and Locomotion Orientations

Geckos can move quickly in various environments by efficiently controlling their complex adhesive toe pads.The locomotion behaviours observed in the attachment-detachment(A-D)cycle of their toe pads in response to changes in their environment should be studied to understand the adaptive behavioural characteristics of such toe pads.The lack of systematic research on the entire A-D cycle,including the release,swing,contact,and adhesion stages,limits the comprehension of the adhesive locomotion mechanism.The A-D cycle of Gekko gecko that facilitates the foot locomotion on inclined and vertical surfaces was investigated to clarify the locomotion behaviours in different stages.Results show that the change trends of foot locomotor angles(yaw and pitch)during the entire A-D cycle remain unchanged in response to various substrates.The bending angles(fore 41°;hind 51°)and contact time percentages(fore 7.42%;hind 7.44%)in the contact stage as well as the forefoot angle ranges(yaw:163.09°;pitch:308.68°)in the A-D cycle also remain constant across all substrates.These invariant foot locomotion behaviours during the swing and contact stages suggest that the foot behaviours are weakly related to the forces acting on the foot,which change according to the environment.Furthermore,the forefoot and hindfoot have different anatomical structure and functional demands,thus,the angle range of forefoot locomotion is larger than that of hindfoot locomotion,and the pitch angle change trend of the forefoot is opposite to that of the hindfoot.The diverse and complex locomotion control of the adhesive toe pads for various environments is reduced by the consistent behaviours in the gecko’s A-D cycle,such as the constant postures in the swing and contact stages.This study provides insight into the adhesive locomotion mechanism of geckos and can facilitate further research on the effective design and control of adhesion robots.

The Role of Vanes in the Damping of Bird Feathers

Bird feathers sustain bending and vibrations during flight.Such unwanted vibrations could potentially cause noise and flight instabilities.Damping could alter the system response,resulting in improving quiet flight,stability,and controllability.Vanes of feathers are known to be indispensable for supporting the aerodynamic function of the wings.The relationship between the hierarchical structures of vanes and the mechanical properties of the feather has been previously studied.However,still little is known about their relationship with feathers’damping properties.Here,the role of vanes in feathers’damping properties was quantified.The vibrations of the feathers with vanes and the bare shaft without vanes after step deflections in the plane of the vanes and perpendicular to it were measured using high-speed video recording.The presence of several main natural vibration modes was observed in the feathers with vanes.After trimming vanes,more vibration modes were observed,the fundamental frequencies increased by 51-70%,and the damping ratio decreased by 38-60%.Therefore,we suggest that vanes largely increase feather damping properties.Damping mechanisms based on the morphology of feather vanes are discussed.The aerodynamic damping is connected with the planar vane surface,the structural damping is related to the interlocking between barbules and barbs,and the material damping is caused by the foamy medulla inside barbs.

Resistance reduction of patterned surface inspired by cuticle structure of Achalinus spinalis

The crawling process of snakes is known to have fascinating tribological phenomena,whereas investigations on their frictional properties depending on patterned cuticles are insufficient.In this study,we have designed and fabricated biomimetic microstructures inspired by the geometric microunits of Achalinus spinalis cuticle using polyurethane acrylate(PUA)material and performed its tribological analysis.The micro-morphology of this Achalinus-inspired textured polymer surface(AITPS)is characterized by the closely and evenly quasi-rectangular microgrooves,periodically arranged along certain orientations.We have compared the frictional performance of our fabricated AITPS with other competitive microstructure,using a smooth steel ball and commercial clay as an interacting surface.After performing massive friction tests with steel ball and clay,AITPS still maintains good resistance reduction performed compared to the patterned surface with straight microgrooves,which is most likely due to the reduction of actual contact areas at the frictional interface.

A Bio-inspired Climbing Robot with Flexible Pads and Claws

Many animals exhibit strong mechanical interlocking in order to achieve efficient climbing against rough surfaces by using their claws in the pads. To maximally use the mechanical interlocking, an innovative robot which utilizes flexible pad with claws is designed. The mechanism for attachments of the claws against rough surfaces is further revealed according to the theoretical analysis. Moreover, the effects of the key parameters on the performances of the climbing robots are obtained. It indicates that decreasing the size of the tip of the claws while maintaining its stiffness unchanged can effectively improve the attachment ability. Furthermore, the structure of robot body and two foot trajectories are proposed and the new robot is presented. Using experimental tests, it demonstrates that this robot has high stability and adaptability while climbing on vertical rough surfaces up to a speed of 4.6 cm.s^-1.

Advanced Electro-active Dry Adhesive Actuated by an Artificial Muscle Constructed from an Ionic Polymer Metal Composite Reinforced with Nitrogen-doped Carbon Nanocages

An advanced electro-active dry adhesive, which was composed of a mushroom-shaped tibrillar dry adhesive array actuated by an Ionic Polymer Metal Composite （IPMC） artificial muscle reinforced with nitrogen-doped carbon nanocages （NCNCs）, was developed to imitate the actuation of a gecko＇s toe. The properties of the NCNC-reinforced Nation membrane, the electro- mechanical properties of the NCNC-reinforced IPMC, and the related electro-active adhesion ability were investigated. The NCNCs were uniformly dispersed in the 0.1 wt% NCNC/Nafion membrane, and there was a seamless connection with no clear interface between the dry adhesive and the IPMC. Our 0.1 wt% NCNC/Nation-IPMC actuator shows a displacement and force that are 1.6 - 2 times higher than those of the recast Nafion-IPMC. This is due to the increased water uptake （25.39%） and tensile strength （24.5 MPa） of the specific 3D hollow NCNC-reinforced Nation membrane, as well as interactions between the NCNCs and the sulfonated groups of the Nation. The NCNC/Nation-IPMC was used to effectively actuate the mushroom-shaped dry adhesive. The normal adhesion forces were 7.85 raN, 12.1 mN, and 51.7 mN at sinusoidal voltages of 1.5 V, 2.5 V, and 3.5 V, respectively, at 0.1 Hz. Under the bionic leg trail, the normal and shear forces were approximately 713.5 mN （159 mN·cm^-2） and 1256.6 mN （279 mN·cm^-2）, respectively, which satisfy the required adhesion. This new electro-active dry adhesive can be applied for active, distributed actuation and flexible grip in robots.

Adhesion Characteristics of a Novel Synthetic Polydimethylsiloxane for Bionic Adhesive Pads

Materials with appropriate adhesive properties are suitable for the fabrication of bionic adhesive pads. In this study, a novel polydimethylsiloxane （PDMS） material enhanced with two types of crosslinkers, carbon nanotubes and graphene sheets, was fabricated. The Contact Angle （CA） and cross-sectional morphology of the new material were investigated and observed using a CA meter and Scanning Electron Microscopy （SEM）, respectively. CA measurements indicate that the surface energy of the novel material is twice that of the common PDMS material. SEM observations show that carbon nanotubes and graphene sheets are well dispersed in the polymer, a feature that improves the mechanical properties of the new material. The adhesive performance of this novel composite was tested on an in-house fabricated friction machine. Results show that at a preload of only 50 mN, the adhesion of the novel PDMS material is up to -3.7 times that of common PDMS. The maximum macroscale shear strength and normal adhesion reach 4 N·cm^-2 and 1 N·cm^-2, respectively. The adhesive capability of the material is maintained even after hundreds of times of repeated use. This novel material exhibits excellent adhesion, sufficiently high elastic modulus and high repeatability at low preloads.

The Mechanics and Trajectory Control in Locust Jumping

Locusts （Locusta migratoria manilensis） are characterised by their flying ability and abiding jump ability. Research on the jumping mechanics and behavior of locusts plays an important role in elucidating the mechanism of hexapod locomotion. The jump gestures of locusts were observed using high-speed video camera at 250 fps. The reaction forces of the hindlegs were measured using two three-dimensional sensors, in case the two hindlegs attached on separated sensor plates. The jump gestures and reaction forces were used to illustrate the locust jumping mechanism. Results show that the trajectory control is achieved by rapid rolling and yawing movements of the locust body, caused by the forelegs, midlegs and hindlegs in different jumping phases. The final jump trajectory was not determined until hind tarsi left platform. The horizontal co-impulse between two hindlegs might play a key role in jump stability and accuracy. Besides, the angle between two hindlegs affects the control of jump trajectory but has a little effect on the elevation angle of a jump, which is controlled mechanically by the initial position of the hindlegs. This research lays the groundwork for the probable design and development ofbiomimetic robotics.

Modulating Motor Behaviors by Electrical Stimulation of Specific Nuclei in Pigeons

Pigeons （Columba livia） have excellent flying and orienting abilities and are ideal study subjects for biologists who re- search the underlying neurological mechanisms that modulate flying and allow birds to find their way home. These mechanisms also attract the engineers who want to apply pigeon locomotion to the design of flying robots. Here, we identified the mo- tor-related brain nuclei and revealed their relationship in spatial distribution in pigeons under light anesthesia and freely moving conditions respectively. Flapping and lateral body movements were successfully elicited when electrical microstimulation was applied to the diencephalon, medial part of the midbrain, and medulla oblongata of lightly anesthetized pigeons （N = 28） whose heads were fixed. The current thresholds for stimulating different nuclei and behavior ranged from 10 pA to 20 ~tA. During freely moving tests （N = 24）, taking off and turning were induced by a wireless stimulator through microelectrodes implanted in specific nuclei or brain regions. The results showed that electrical stimulation of these nuclei elicited the desired motor behavior. In addition, regulatory mechanisms were identified in the motor-related regions and nuclei of pigeons. Overlapping in the behavior elicited by stimulation of different regions indicates that complicated neural networks regulate motor behavior. Therefore, more studies need to be conducted involving simultaneous stimulation at multiple points within the nuclei involved in the networks.

Optimized Bio-inspired Micro-pillar Dry Adhesive and Its Application for an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Adhering on and Detaching from a Ceiling

Various bio-inspired dry adhesive materials have been investigated.In this work,lithography and silicon deep etching method were used to fabricate bio-inspired micro-pillar dry adhesive materials of which the parameters,such as side length,Height to Side length Aspect Ratio(HSAR),and inter-pillar Distance to Side length Aspect Ratio(DSAR)were comprehensively studied to obtain a dry adhesive with high adhesion.An orthogonal array method was designed and a series of fabrication experiments were conducted to identify optimum parameters,which resulted in a high normal adhesion of 2.98 N·cm^-2 and a shear adhesion of 9.59 N·cm^-2.An adhesion and desorption device was further designed on basis of the optimum dry adhesive,which enables an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle(UAV)to successfully adhere on and detach from a ceiling.This would allow an UAV to stay aloft for prolonged time,which could be invaluable to many applications,such as energy conservation and aerial detection.

Mechanical and Frictional Properties of the Elytra of Five Species of Beetles

The mechanical and frictional properties of different parts of the elytra of five species of beetle were measured using a nano-indenter and a micro-tribometer. The surface microstructures of the elytra were observed by optical microscopy and scanning white light interferometry. The surface microstructures of the elytra of all five species are characterized as non-smooth concavo-convex although specific morphological differences demonstrate the diversity of beetle elytra. Young＇s modulus and the hardness of the elytral materials vary with the species of beetle and the sampling locations, ranging from 1.80 GPa to 12.44 GPa, and from 0.24 GPa to 0.75 GPa, respectively. In general, both the Young＇s modulus and the hardness are lower in samples taken from the center of the elytra than those taken from other regions, which reflects the functional heterogeneity of biological material in the process of biological evolution. The elytra have very low friction coefficient, ranging from 0.037 to 0.079, which is related to their composition and morphology. Our measurements indicate that the surface texture and its mi- crostructural size of beetle elytra contribute to anti-friction effects.

Contribution of friction and adhesion to the reliable attachment of a gecko to smooth inclines

Geckos' ability to move on steep surfaces depends on their excellent adhesive structure, timely adjustments on locomotor behaviors, and elaborates control on reaction forces. However, it is still unclear how they can generate a sufficient driving force that is necessary for locomotion, while ensuring reliable adhesion on steep inclines. We measured the forces acting on each foot and recorded the contact states between feet and substrates when geckos encountered smooth inclination challenges ranging from 0° to 180°. The critical angles of the resultant force vectors of the front and hind-feet increased with respect to the incline angles. When the incline angle became greater than 120°, the critical angles of the front- and hind-feet were similar, and the averages of the critical angles of the front - and hind-feet were both smaller than 120°, indicating that the complicated and accurate synergy among toes endows gecko's foot an obvious characteristic of "frictional adhesion" during locomotion. Additionally, we established a contact mechanical model for gecko's foot in order to quantify the contribution of the frictional forces generated by the heel, and the adhesion forces generated by the toes on various inclines. The synergy between multiple contact mechanisms(friction or adhesion) is critical for the reliable attachment on an inclined surface, which is impossible to achieve by using a single-contact mechanism, thereby increasing the animal's ability to adapt to its environment.

Synchronous measurement of tribocharge and force at the footpads of freely moving animals

Hypothesis on electrostatic attraction mechanisms involving the hairy adhesion of climbing animals has been a matter of controversy for several years. The detection of tribocharge and forces at attachment organs of animals is a practical method of clarifying the dispute with respect to electrostatic attraction in the attachment of animals. Nonetheless, the tribo-electrification is rarely examined in the contact-adhesion of animals(especially in their free and autonomous attachment) due to the lack of available devices. Therefore, the present study involves establishing a method and an apparatus that enables synchronous detection of tribocharge and contact forces to study tribo-electrification in the free locomotion of geckos. A type of a combined sensor unit that consists of a three-dimensional force transducer and a capacitor-based charge probe is used to measure contact forces and tribocharge with a magnitude corresponding to several nano-Coulombs at a footpad of geckos when they climb vertically upward on an acrylic oligomer substrate. The experimental results indicate that tribocharge at the footpads of geckos is related to contact forces and contact areas. The measured charge allows the expectation of an exact attraction with magnitude corresponding to dozens of newtons per square meter and provides a probability of examining tribo-electrification in animal attachment from a macro level.

Investigation of Ionic Polymer Metal Composite Actuators Loaded with Various Tetraethyl Orthosilicate Contents

Ionic Polymer Metal Composite （IPMC） can be used as an electrically activated actuator, which has been widely used in artificial muscles, bionic robotic actuators, and dynamic sensors since it has the advantages of large deformation, light weight, flexibility, and low driving voltage, etc. To further improve the mechanical properties of IPMC, this paper reports a new method for preparing organic-inorganic hybrid Nafion/SiO2 membranes. Beginning from cast Nation membranes, IPMCs with various tetraethyl orthosilicate （TEOS） contents were fabricated by electroless plating. The elastic moduli of cast Nation membranes were measured with nano indenters, the water contents were calculated, and the cross sections of Nation membranes were observed by scanning electron microscopy. The blocking force, the displacement, and the electric current of IPMCs were then measured on a test apparatus. The results show that the blocking force increases as the TEOS content gradually increases, and that both the displacement and the electric current initially decrease, then increase. When the TEOS content is 1.5%, the IPMC shows the best improved mechanical properties. Finally, the IPMC with the best improved performance was used to successfully actuate the artificial eye and tested.

Significantly Enhanced Actuation Performance of IPMC by Surfactant-Assisted Processable MWCNT/Nafion Composite

The performance of Ionic Polymer Metal Composite （IPMC） actuator was significantly enhanced by incorporating surfactant-assisted processable Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes （MWCNTs） into a Nation solution. Cationic surfactant Cetyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide （CTAB） was employed to disperse MWCNTs in the Nation matriX, forming a homogeneous and stable dispersion ofnanotubes. The processing did not involve any strong acid treatment and thus effectively preserved the excellent electronic properties associated with MWCNT. The as-obtained MWCNT/Nafion-IPMC actuator was tested in terms of conductivity, bulk and surface morphology, blocking force and electric current. It was shown that the blocking force and the current of the new IPMC are 2.4 times and 1.67 times higher compared with a pure Nation-based IPMC. Moreover, the MWCNT/IPMC performance is much better than previously reported Nafion-IPMC doped by acid-treated MWCNT. Such significantly improved performance should be attributed to the improvement of electrical property associated with the addition of MWCNTs without acid treatment.

Use of opposite frictional forces by animals to increase their attachment reliability during movement

Many animals have the natural ability to move on various surfaces,such as those having different roughness and slope substrates,or even vertical walls and ceilings.Legged animals primarily attach to surfaces using claws,soft and hairy pads,or combinations of them.Recent studies have indicated that the frictional forces generated by these structures not only control the movement of animals but also significantly increase the reliability of their attachment.Moreover,the frictional forces of various animals have opposite characteristics and hierarchical properties from toe-to-toe and leg-to-leg.These opposite frictional forces allow animals to attach securely and stably during movement.The coordination of several attachment(adhesion)modes not only helps animals adhere,which would be impossible in single mode,but also increases the overall stability of the attachment(adhesion)system.These findings can help the design of highly adaptable feet for bionic robots in the near future.

Modeling of IPMC Cantilever＇s Displacements and Blocking Forces

The motion of an Ionic Polymer Metal Composite （IPMC） cantilever under a periodic voltage control is modeled. In our finite element 3D model, we follow both the free tip displacements and the blocking forces for various thicknesses and elastic constants of the ionomer membrane. It turns out that the maximum displacement of the free tip strongly depends on the value of the Young＇s modulus of the electrodes. Furthermore, the maximum blocking force, Fmax, increases with the thickness of the ionomer membrane. At constant values of Young＇s moduli of the electrodes and ionomer membrane thickness, if the Young＇s modulus of the ionomer membrane varies within the range from 0.2 MPa to 1 GPa, the change of Fmax is less than 10 %. The simulated maximal displacements, blocking forces and electrical currents are compared with the corresponding sets of ex- perimental data, respectively. Qualitative agreement between the simulated and the respective measured data profiles is ob- tained. Furthermore, it is found that the assumption of electrostatic interactions in the cation depleted region of the ionomer membrane has a negligible effect. The advantage of the model consists in its simplicity.