Sonar in robotics
Cat's eyes
Mammals (Mammalia) are warm-blooded animals. The mammals include the largest animals on the planet, the whales, as well as some of the most intelligent such as elephants and primates. Even so the smallest mammal is less than 2 inches long.
According to Mammal Species of the World, 5,702 species were known in 2006.
Mammals
A cat’s eye is a retroreflective safety device.
They were invented in England in 1934 by Percy Shaw. The name "cat's eye" comes from Shaw's inspiration for the device: the eyeshine reflecting from the eyes of a cat.
The reflective lens had been invented six years earlier for use in advertising signs by Richard Hollins Murray, and this contributed to them.
Sonar in air is much more complex to achieve, and therefore less developed than sonar in water.
There are about 700 echolocating bat species, and they use a wide range of frequencies. By building a computer model of bat ears, which act as antennae, sonar in air is gradually becoming more effective. Experiments with plants and bat ear design demonstrate that sonar in air has potentially many applications, not least in the development of functional sonar navigation for robots.
It is very difficult to make material that is both stiff and tough, but it seems that duelling deer solved the problem eons ago.
Calculating the amount of energy that the antler could absorb before shattering, scientists found that the tissue was incredibly tough: 2.4 times tougher than normal bone. And when the amount of energy that the dry antler could absorb in an impact was measured, it could survive impacts 6 times greater than the impacts that shattered wet femur.
So dry deer antlers are simultaneously stiff, yet tough, making them perfectly suited to their role as a weapon. And the deer seem to have solved a problem that has puzzled engineers for decades.
Flippers on humpback whales have non-smooth leading edges, yet demonstrate superior dynamics to the smooth leading edges on most wings, turbines and blades. The non-conventional flippers, which have large, irregular looking bumps called tubercles across their leading edges mean water passing between a humpback’s tubercles maintain even channels of fast-moving water, allowing humpbacks to keep their “grip” on the water.
This can then be applied to the design of wind turbines and fans of all sorts – industrial ceiling fans, computer fans, etc. – to improve their efficiency, safety, and cost-effectiveness.
Supertough materials
Turbines
Swimsuit design
Self-sharpening blades
Seen under an electron microscope, dolphin-skin isn't as smooth as it appears. They have grooves running down their length in alignment with water flow. These grooves disrupt the formation of turbulent swirls of slower water, making the water pass by faster. The rough shape also discourages parasitic growth such as algae and barnacles.
Scientists have been able to replicate this in the swimsuits used at the 2008 Olympics (which are now banned in major competition). They are also applying the technique to create surfaces in hospitals that resist bacteria growth — the bacteria can't catch hold on the rough surface.
Rats' teeth are covered with hard enamel on the front side and softer dentine is exposed on the back of the teeth. As the rodent chews it alternates against either the front or the back of the upper incisors. So the hard enamel slowly wears down the softer dentine and the teeth remain sharp. The teeth also continue to grow from the root, maintaining their length. The animals must continue to gnaw or their teeth will outgrow their mouth.
German engineers have applied the tooth sharpening ability to cutting tools. Dull cutting blades are inefficient and expensive to replace. To increase efficiency, blades can be made similar to rodent teeth with distinct front and back sides. However, unlike the growing rodent teeth, the entire industrial blade eventually wears down - so there's still room for improvement.
Nano-robotics
Self-healing car bumper
The composite material that makes up the horns of rhinos, which is similar to bone or deer antler, is both compressively and laterally strong and because of its integrated nature is almost self-healing.
If this could be mimicked it would give a way to build a safer car bumper or highway guard rail which, would be strong and durable. It would also absorb shock-waves due to its structure as well as being biodegradable or recyclable.
Developments of robots modelled on the 360 degree dexterity of an elephants trunk are addressing safety fears that have kept industrial-scale robots and humans some distance apart.
Without smart sensing skins that keep the motion of lightweight limbs and motors from injuring people there will be no personal robotics revolution.
The elephant's trunk-inspired limb, dubbed the Bionic Handling Assistant, is peppered with resistance sensors that limit its extension when it senses contact - potentially making it safe for anyone to use and interact with.
These arms could then be used on a large scale and make heavy industry safer, or on a very small scale during operations within the human body.
Panoramic cameras
While the field of vision of a human eye is limited, it was the inspiration for the panoramic camera lens. The “eyeball camera” has a 3.5x optical zoom, takes sharp images, is inexpensive to make and is only the size of a 5 pence piece.
The designers said “We were inspired by the human eye, but we wanted to go beyond the human eye,"
The key is that both the simple lens and photodetectors are on flexible backing, and a hydraulic system can change the shape of the backing appropriately, enabling a variable zoom and wider image field.
