Laser-based bionic manufacturing

Over millions of years of natural evolution,organisms have developed nearly perfect structures and functions.The self-fabrication of organisms serves as a valuable source of inspiration for designing the next-generation of structural materials,and is driving the future paradigm shift of modern materials science and engineering.However,the complex structures and multifunctional integrated optimization of organisms far exceed the capability of artificial design and fabrication technology,and new manufacturing methods are urgently needed to achieve efficient reproduction of biological functions.As one of the most valuable advanced manufacturing technologies of the 21st century,laser processing technology provides an efficient solution to the critical challenges of bionic manufacturing.This review outlines the processing principles,manufacturing strategies,potential applications,challenges,and future development outlook of laser processing in bionic manufacturing domains.Three primary manufacturing strategies for laser-based bionic manufacturing are elucidated:subtractive manufacturing,equivalent manufacturing,and additive manufacturing.The progress and trends in bionic subtractive manufacturing applied to micro/nano structural surfaces,bionic equivalent manufacturing for surface strengthening,and bionic additive manufacturing aiming to achieve bionic spatial structures,are reported.Finally,the key problems faced by laser-based bionic manufacturing,its limitations,and the development trends of its existing technologies are discussed.

Bionic lightweight design of limb leg units for hydraulic quadruped robots by additive manufacturing and topology optimization

Galloping cheetahs,climbing mountain goats,and load hauling horses all show desirable locomotion capability,which motivates the development of quadruped robots.Among various quadruped robots,hydraulically driven quadruped robots show great potential in unstructured environments due to their discrete landing positions and large payloads.As the most critical movement unit of a quadruped robot,the limb leg unit(LLU)directly affects movement speed and reliability,and requires a compact and lightweight design.Inspired by the dexterous skeleton–muscle systems of cheetahs and humans,this paper proposes a highly integrated bionic actuator system for a better dynamic performance of an LLU.We propose that a cylinder barrel with multiple element interfaces and internal smooth channels is realized using metal additive manufacturing,and hybrid lattice structures are introduced into the lightweight design of the piston rod.In addition,additive manufacturing and topology optimization are incorporated to reduce the redundant material of the structural parts of the LLU.The mechanical properties of the actuator system are verified by numerical simulation and experiments,and the power density of the actuators is far greater than that of cheetah muscle.The mass of the optimized LLU is reduced by 24.5%,and the optimized LLU shows better response time performance when given a step signal,and presents a good trajectory tracking ability with the increase in motion frequency.

Proximal Femur Bionic Nail (PFBN): A Panacea for Unstable Intertrochanteric Femur Fracture

With the aging population,intertrochanteric femur fracture in the elderly has become one of the most serious public health issues and a hot topic of research in trauma orthopedics.Due to the limitations of internal fixation techniques and the insufficient mechanical design of nails,the occurrence of complications delays patient recovery after surgical treatment.Design of a proximal femur bionic nail(PFBN)based on Zhang’s N triangle theory provides triangular supporting fixation,which dramatically decreases the occurrence of complications and has been widely used for clinical treatment of unstable intertrochanteric femur fracture worldwide.In this work,we developed an equivalent biomechanical model to analyze improvement in bone remodeling of unstable intertrochanteric femur fracture through PFBN use.The results show that compared with proximal femoral nail antirotation(PFNA)and InterTan,PFBN can dramatically decrease the maximum strain in the proximal femur.Based on Frost’s mechanostat theory,the local mechanical environment in the proximal femur can be regulated into the medium overload region by using a PFBN,which may render the proximal femur in a state of physiological overload,favoring post-operative recovery of intertrochanteric femur fracture in the elderly.This work shows that PFBN may constitute a panacea for unstable intertrochanteric femur fracture and provides insights into improving methods of internal fixation.

Significance and Progress of Bionics

The four topics are described including the driving force and source of the scientific and technological creation, the definition and history of the bionics, the important significance of bionics in the development of the human beings, and the leading edge and progress of bionics. The appetency of human for the creation is the essential motivity of the innovation in science and technology. Nature and society are the objects for us to cognize and serve, meanwhile, the best teachers for us to learn from them. It is only 5 million years for human's development, but evolution of life has over 3.5 billion years history. Although, copying the creation from the human being is important, however, it has much more potential and opportunity in imitating the nature, and more possibility to promote the ability of original innovation. The significance and progress of bionics are summarized, in this paper, and the leading edges of bionics, in the near future, are forecasted.

Lightweight Design and Verification of Gantry Machining Center Crossbeam Based on Structural Bionics

The lightweight and high efficiency of natural structures are the inexhaustible sources for engineering improvements. The goal of the study is to find innovative solutions for mechanical lightweight design through the application of structural bionic approaches. Giant waterlily leaf ribs and cactus stem are investigated for their optimal framework and superior performance. Their structural characteristics are extracted and used in the bio-inspired design of Lin MC6000 gantry machining center crossbeam. By mimicking analogous network structure, the bionic model is established, which has better load-carrying capacity than conventional distribution. Finite Element Method （FEM） is used for numerical simulation. Results show better specific stiffness of the bionic model, which is increased by 17.36%. Finally the scaled models are fabricated by precision casting for static and dynamic tests. The physical experiments are compared to numerical simulation. The results show that the maximum static deformation of the bionic model is reduced by about 16.22%, with 3.31% weight reduction. In addition, the first four natural frequencies are improved obviously. The structural bionic design is a valuable reference for updating conventional mechanical structures with better performance and less material consumption.

Restudies on Body Surface of Dung Beetle and Application of Its Bionics Flexible Technique

A scanning electron microscope was used to observe the structures of the setae on the surface of a dung beetle Copris ochus, Motschulsky. There are lots of setae on the body surface, especially on the ventral part surface and lateral to the legs which are different in size, arrangement and shape. These setae have different lengths and many thorns on the whole seta. The top ends of these setae stand up without furcations which direct uprightly towards the surface of the touched soil. By the method of removing these setae, getting the insect weight before and after digging into the dung we affirm farther that the setae on the beetle body surface form the anti-stick and non-adherent gentle interface. The soil machines and components made by imitating the gentle body surface of beetles have favorable non-adherent results.

The Lightweight Design of Low RCS Pylon Based on Structural Bionics

A concept of Specific Structure Efficiency (SSE) was proposed that can be used in the lightweight effect evaluation ofstructures.The main procedures of bionic structure design were introduced systematically.The parameter relationship betweenhollow stem of plant and the minimum weight was deduced in detail.In order to improve SSE of pylons, the structural characteristicsof hollow stem were investigated and extracted.Bionic pylon was designed based on analogous biological structuralcharacteristics.Using finite element method based simulation, the displacements and stresses in the bionic pylon were comparedwith those of the conventional pylon.Results show that the SSE of bionic pylon is improved obviously.Static, dynamic andelectromagnetism tests were carried out on conventional and bionic pylons.The weight, stress, displacement and Radar CrossSection (RCS) of both pylons were measured.Experimental results illustrate that the SSE of bionic pylon is markedly improvedthat specific strength efficiency and specific stiffness efficiency of bionic pylon are increased by 52.9% and 43.6% respectively.The RCS of bionic pylon is reduced significantly.

Bionics and Structural Biology:A Novel Approach for Bio-energy Production

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

A Biomimetic Study of Discontinuous-Constraint Metamorphic Mechanism for Gecko-Like Robot

Locomotion ability, efficiency and reliability are key targets for a good robot. The linkage mechanism for robot locomotion is a discontinuous-constraint metamorphic mechanism. Here we set up equations to present the discontinuous-constraint, point out that driving and controlling are the key points to improve the performance and efficiency of the linkage mechanism. Inspired by controlling strategy of the motor nervous system in peripheral vertebrae to the locomotion, we draw off motor control and drive strategy.

Development of Junction Elements from Study of the Bionics

The applications of bionic methodology developed by the Laboratory of Design and Material Selection as basis in the creation of junction elements were demonstrated. These elements favor the application of Ecodesign in reference to the effectiveness of product dismount aiming the reduction of ambient impact in all its phases of use. The creation, the development and the confection of new junction elements were described, and case studies of new products developed specifically with this purpose were presented.

Design and Analysis of Gecko-like Robot

Gecko-like robot（Geckobot）,an important branch of bionic robotics,is a robot that simulates gecko＇s capacity to climb walls and ceilings.The work environment of the traditional wall-climbing robot is greatly limited as the moving structure and adsorption principle of the robot have nothing to do with the real gecko.However,the adsorption principle and moving mode of the real gecko can provide a new way to break through the restrictions of the traditional wall-climbing robot.Inspired by the moving mechanism of geckos, this paper develops the Geckobot with motile body.Two types of Geckobots are addressed：one with compliant flat bar as the body,and the other with prismatic joint as the body.The compliant body not only resembles the moving mode of the real gecko body,but also simplifies the Geckobot＇s structure.The prismatic joint body is used to adapt the change of body length in ground-to-wall transition. The gait planning on the plane and the transition between perpendicular intersectional planes is discussed,with an emphasis on the analysis of the kinematics degree of freedom（DOF） and body posture.Central pattern generator（CPG） neural network is realized in LabVIEW and utilized to control Geckobot＇s movement.The CPG scheme in Lab VIEW is given,and how CPG is used to control Geckobot to turn or move forward is explored.Simulations are conducted in ADAMS to verify the feasibility of the structure design and gait planning and to acquire some parameters for practical Geckobot development.The experiment with Geckobot-Ⅰand Geckobot-Ⅱon their crawling capacity on the plane and the ground-to-wall transition finds that the robot can complete the crawling movement and ground-to-wall transition,verifying the feasibility of the structure design,gait planning and the CPG motion control.The Geckobot structure design approach,gait planning and the CPG motion control presented would be useful for the research on wall-climbing robots.

Principles of electromagnetic protection bionics and research of fault self-recovery mechanism

As we have borrowed the wisdom from biological neural network, the characteristic of interference- proof in information transferring process has been carefully studied. Our study includes the response of electrical-interference-proof circuit in electromagnetic environment, by means of bionics redesign. In this way, new principles, new technics and new ways are adopted to solve the unavoidable situations in traditional electro- magnet protection design. Based on the Boolean model, the complex bionic topological networks were firstly built and the charactoristics of degeneracy were analyzed, then the bidirectional actions between degeneracy in networks and the robustness of functions were proved in order to fill up the gap to deal with the need of interference-proof. Based on the creation of the neuron networks and the electrical synapses ＇ charac- teristic of plasticity, the impact of the distribution in the weight of synapse on the character of network self- recovery was studied afterwards so that the corresponding mechanism could be defined.

Optimized design of high power plasma inverter based on bionics

Through the inspiration of the reliability mechanism of human body, it is obvious that the bionic methods can be used as a reference for the optimized design of high power plasma inverter. On this basis, the high power plasma inverter can be composed of several high power density intelligent power electric building blocks （ IPEBB ） , which are controlled by intelligent controller with the capability of self-management and can be regarded as the cell of the inverter. All of these IPEBB can be controllable and cooperative through distributed communication structure with digital control. This structure can be regarded as the nerve of the inverter. In each IPEBB, the advance mechanical feedback mechanism is adopted to suppress the magnetic bins, over-current protection and gate driving for the high power switches. A 75 kW Prototype constructed by IPEBBs was built to test the performance. Experimental results verify the feasibility of the proposed approach, and the bionic design methods can benefit the optimized design of high power plasma inverter.

Advanced Bionics公司主动召回植入型电子耳蜗

由于Advanced Bionics公司CLARION和HiResolution两个型号的电子耳蜗产品可能因受潮而导致功能失效，2004年9月24日，美国FDA通告由Advanced Bionics公司(波士顿科学公司的下属子公司)主动召回这两种型号且尚未被植入的电子耳蜗。这次召回行动将会通知到相关的医务人员和患者。

The Application of IHA in Grid Cloud Computing Task Decomposition and Scheduling Based on Bionics

Based on the large amount and variations of the power grid task as well as its requirement of real- time performance and economic benefit, we make a further improvement and expansion of IHA (Improved Heuristic Algorithm) on the combination of bionics in genetic engineering and evolution to solve the decomposing and scheduling problems. Firstly, we transform those complex decomposing problems into the operational optimal solution problem by IHA to decrease the rate of running into the local optimal solution [1]. In task scheduling, we classify the sub-tasks by the emergency degree for resource allocation, which not only largely reduces the calculation and resource cost but also improves working efficiency and the speed of execution [2]. Finally, we select optimal scheduling scheme by the Fitness function defined about time and cost.

Design of a Foot-End Three-Axis Force Sensing Module for Gecko-Like Robot

The problems of attachment failure and detachment impact within gecko-like robots’ locomotion control are considered in this paper. A real-time foot-end force intelligent sensing module with integrated sensing and structure is developed to help the robot get the foot-end force information in time and realize stable locomotion in an uncertain environment. Firstly,a structure/sensing integrated elastomer based on a Maltese cross/cantilever beam structure is completed by designing and finite element analysis. Secondly,a real-time data acquisition and transmission system is designed to obtain the foot-end reaction force which is miniaturized and distributed. Thirdly,based on this system,a force sensor calibration platform is built to complete the calibration,decoupling,and performance testing of the sensing module. Finally,the experiment of single-leg attachment performance is carried out. The results indicate that the three-axis sensing module can detect robot’s weight,measure the reaction force with high precision and provide real-time force from robot’s foot end.

New challenge for bionics--brain-inspired computing

By definition, bionics is the application of biological mechanisms found in nature to artificial systems in order to achieve specific functional goals. Successful examples range from Velcro, the touch fastener inspired by the hooks of burrs, to self-cleaning material, inspired by the surface of the lotus leaf. Recently, a new trend in bionics i Brain-Inspired Computing （BIC） - has captured increasing attention. Instead of learning from burrs and leaves, BIC aims to understand the brain and then utilize its operating principles to achieve powerful and efficient information processing.

《Journal of Bionics Engineering》（仿生工程学报）简介

《Journal of Bionics Engineering》是由国家新闻出版总署批准，于2004年创刊的以工程仿生学为特色的国际性英文学术期刊。本刊由教育部主管，吉林大学主办，科学出版社出版。办刊宗旨是及时报道国内外仿生学科领域最新的、具有创新性的优秀科研成果，为加速该新兴、交叉、边缘学科实现跨越式、突破性发展和促进仿生学研究成果转化为生产力服务。

Journal of Bionics Engineering Guide for authors

1. Aim The journal is aimed to present the latest developments and achievements in bionic engineering to the world’s scientific circles, and publish high quality original papers on the important subjects of bionic engineering and related topics. 2. Scope The journal has comprehensive coverage of bion-ics/biomimetics fields, provides a forum for high quality research communication, and addresses all aspects of original experiments and research based on theory and their applications in bionics engineering. The journal welcomes contributions from all who wish to report on new developments in scientific researches.