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TECH FROM NATURE
Many innovative solutions and designs, such as the recently unveiled armadillo-inspired 'foldable' car, are derived from our knowledge of the natural world. We look at the unique, unusual and jaw-droppingly brilliant ideas borrowed from nature's designs.
COMING TO A FLOWER NEAR YOU
AT A GLANCE
• Weight : 80mg
• Wingspan : 3cm
• Wings flap at 120 times per second
(A paperclip next to a life-size RoboBee.)
WHAT: RoboBee - an insect-scale, flapping-wing robot for possible rescue missions
INVENTOR: Scientists at Harvard University
PROJECT PHASE: Prototype/development
PROJECT TYPE: Miniature robotics
DESIGN INSPIRATION
Bee and fly
• Bees can fly for hours and perform amazing aerobatics using only their tiny wings and brains.
• They can maintain stable flight in windy conditions - even with heavy payloads.
DESIGN FEATURES
POWER
• Artificial muscles, in the form of ceramic strips, expand and contract when electricity is applied.
Now: Thin powwer cable tethered to the robot.
Future: Compact high-energy cells for autonomous flight.
Brain
Now: Control is wired from a computer
Future: Onboard artificial brain that helps direct flight and identify targets.
Body
• Fabricated using revolutionary "pop-up" manufacturing process.
• Made up of layers of various laser-cut materials that are compressed into a thin, flat plate.
• Fabrication process is quick, robust and precise.
WHAT NEXT?
• Perform more difficult flight moves and land properly.
• More durable robots. Current material wears out and fails after 15 minutes of use.
• Real bees in a colony rely on one another to plan, scout and forage.
• Complex algorithms need to be developed to replicate this intricate behaviour in thousands of RoboBees.
POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS
• Search-and-rescue operations
• High-resolution weather and climate mapping.
• Autonomous robotic bees to assist with crop pollination.
Ultralight airfoil wings
• Controlled independently in real-time
• Attached to the body-frame by fine plastic hinges
Motion-tracking markers
Artificial muscles:
control the wings' flapping and rotational motion
Power and control signals sent through wire tether
UV targeting sensors:
Mimics bees' ability to see a broader spectrum of light
Photo receptors:
Detect changes in light intensity and direction
Power source
Pollination and docking appendages
Flight stabilisers:
Act as gyroscopes during flight
CLEAN, GREEN & FOLDABLE
WHAT: Armadillo-T - a small, foldable experimental electric car
INVENTOR: Engineers from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
PROJECT PHASE: Prototype/development
PROJECT TYPE: Small and light car for urban commute
DESIGN INSPIRATION
Three-banded armadillo
(Genus Tolypeutes)
Only two species of armadillos - the Southern and Brazilian three-banded armadillo - have the ability to roll up like a jigsaw into a tight ball for protection.
DESIGN FEATURES/BENEFITS
The two-seater car has no rear-view or side mirrors. Digital cameras show the back and sides of the car on a dashboard screen.
AT A GLANCE
• Length: 2.8m
• Weight: 450kg
• Top speed: 60kmh
Self-parking can be performed by clicking on a smartphone app.
Able to execute 360-degree turns.
Front-mounted lithium-ion battery pack powers four separate wheel motors. A 10-minute electrical charge allows the car to travel up to 100km.
How the "little armoured one" does it
The body has two domed shells with three armoured bands in between joined by flexible skin.
When in danger, its body bends in the middle. It tucks in its ears, head and tail, curling itself into a tight, defensive sphere.
Voila - a hard "ball"
Its body shells are often left slightly open, waiting to shock and injure probing predators by forcefully snapping shut on them.
How the Armadillo-T tucks its rear body away
Travelling position
The golf cart-sized car in its travelling configuration.
Movable, shell-like rear section folds forward and up.
Folded position
The car takes up only one-third of a 5m parking lot space, freeing up space in crowded cities.
POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS
• Urban transit transfers.
• Golf resorts and tourist zones such as amusement parks.
• Strict road safety standards and crash-resilience requirement have to be met before it debuts on public roads.
• Serves as a useful reference for future city-travel designs.
LESS PAIN, MORE GAIN
WHAT: "Painless" quill-inspired injection needles
INVENTOR: Researchers at Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology
PROJECT PHASE: Prototype/development
PROJECT TYPE: Injection needle
DESIGN INSPIRATION
North American porcupine
(Erethizon dorsatum)
Its 30,000 quills - tipped with microscopic backward-pointing barbs - are used for self-defence.
Magnified view of a quill's conical black tip
Barbed quill
Penetration depths with similar force
Backward-facing barbs
• Resembles serrated knife edges.
• Up to 800 barbs are found on the first 4mm of the tip.
• Feature reduces penetration force but increases extraction force.
• Less tissue damage compared with barbless quills.
DESIGN FEATURES/BENEFITS
• A prototype injection needle with barbs needs 80 per cent less force to penetrate skin than a regular barbless one.
• This result in greater placement accuracy, less pain and less chances of breakage.
POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS
• Injection needles with degradable barbs that enable both easy penetration and removal.
• Biodegradable adhesive patches that could replace staples or sutures.
• Wound dressings with tiny barbed points to hold drug delivery systems in place.
SURF'S UP, SUIT UP!
WHAT: "Shark-proof" wetsuits and watersport products
INVENTOR: Shark Attack Mitigation Systems and Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia
PROJECT PHASE: Available
PROJECT TYPE: "Shark-deterrent" suits
DESIGN INSPIRATION
• Research claims that sharks see in shades of black and white.
• They are believed to reply on vision in the final moments prior to an attack.
• The designs resulted from studies on how some large sharks perceive objects at various depths, distances and at different times of the day.
DESIGN FEATURES/BENEFITS
Stave off or lower the chances of shark attacks by confusing their visual system and rendering the wearer "invisible" in the water.
For surfers
• Bold, navy blue-and-white stripes mimic the coloration on the pilotfish, one of the fish that live alongside predatory sharks.
• Suit presents the wearer as non-prey, noxious or "dangerous".
For divers and swimmers
• Suit blends in with the surrounding water, making it difficult for sharks to see the wearer.
Sources: HARVARD UNIVERSITY, KOREA ADVANCED INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, SHARKMITIGATION.COM
Many innovative solutions and designs, such as the recently unveiled armadillo-inspired 'foldable' car, are derived from our knowledge of the natural world. We look at the unique, unusual and jaw-droppingly brilliant ideas borrowed from nature's designs.
COMING TO A FLOWER NEAR YOU
AT A GLANCE
• Weight : 80mg
• Wingspan : 3cm
• Wings flap at 120 times per second
(A paperclip next to a life-size RoboBee.)
WHAT: RoboBee - an insect-scale, flapping-wing robot for possible rescue missions
INVENTOR: Scientists at Harvard University
PROJECT PHASE: Prototype/development
PROJECT TYPE: Miniature robotics
DESIGN INSPIRATION
Bee and fly
• Bees can fly for hours and perform amazing aerobatics using only their tiny wings and brains.
• They can maintain stable flight in windy conditions - even with heavy payloads.
DESIGN FEATURES
POWER
• Artificial muscles, in the form of ceramic strips, expand and contract when electricity is applied.
Now: Thin powwer cable tethered to the robot.
Future: Compact high-energy cells for autonomous flight.
Brain
Now: Control is wired from a computer
Future: Onboard artificial brain that helps direct flight and identify targets.
Body
• Fabricated using revolutionary "pop-up" manufacturing process.
• Made up of layers of various laser-cut materials that are compressed into a thin, flat plate.
• Fabrication process is quick, robust and precise.
WHAT NEXT?
• Perform more difficult flight moves and land properly.
• More durable robots. Current material wears out and fails after 15 minutes of use.
• Real bees in a colony rely on one another to plan, scout and forage.
• Complex algorithms need to be developed to replicate this intricate behaviour in thousands of RoboBees.
POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS
• Search-and-rescue operations
• High-resolution weather and climate mapping.
• Autonomous robotic bees to assist with crop pollination.
Ultralight airfoil wings
• Controlled independently in real-time
• Attached to the body-frame by fine plastic hinges
Motion-tracking markers
Artificial muscles:
control the wings' flapping and rotational motion
Power and control signals sent through wire tether
UV targeting sensors:
Mimics bees' ability to see a broader spectrum of light
Photo receptors:
Detect changes in light intensity and direction
Power source
Pollination and docking appendages
Flight stabilisers:
Act as gyroscopes during flight
CLEAN, GREEN & FOLDABLE
WHAT: Armadillo-T - a small, foldable experimental electric car
INVENTOR: Engineers from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
PROJECT PHASE: Prototype/development
PROJECT TYPE: Small and light car for urban commute
DESIGN INSPIRATION
Three-banded armadillo
(Genus Tolypeutes)
Only two species of armadillos - the Southern and Brazilian three-banded armadillo - have the ability to roll up like a jigsaw into a tight ball for protection.
DESIGN FEATURES/BENEFITS
The two-seater car has no rear-view or side mirrors. Digital cameras show the back and sides of the car on a dashboard screen.
AT A GLANCE
• Length: 2.8m
• Weight: 450kg
• Top speed: 60kmh
Self-parking can be performed by clicking on a smartphone app.
Able to execute 360-degree turns.
Front-mounted lithium-ion battery pack powers four separate wheel motors. A 10-minute electrical charge allows the car to travel up to 100km.
How the "little armoured one" does it
The body has two domed shells with three armoured bands in between joined by flexible skin.
When in danger, its body bends in the middle. It tucks in its ears, head and tail, curling itself into a tight, defensive sphere.
Voila - a hard "ball"
Its body shells are often left slightly open, waiting to shock and injure probing predators by forcefully snapping shut on them.
How the Armadillo-T tucks its rear body away
Travelling position
The golf cart-sized car in its travelling configuration.
Movable, shell-like rear section folds forward and up.
Folded position
The car takes up only one-third of a 5m parking lot space, freeing up space in crowded cities.
POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS
• Urban transit transfers.
• Golf resorts and tourist zones such as amusement parks.
• Strict road safety standards and crash-resilience requirement have to be met before it debuts on public roads.
• Serves as a useful reference for future city-travel designs.
LESS PAIN, MORE GAIN
WHAT: "Painless" quill-inspired injection needles
INVENTOR: Researchers at Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology
PROJECT PHASE: Prototype/development
PROJECT TYPE: Injection needle
DESIGN INSPIRATION
North American porcupine
(Erethizon dorsatum)
Its 30,000 quills - tipped with microscopic backward-pointing barbs - are used for self-defence.
Magnified view of a quill's conical black tip
Barbed quill
Penetration depths with similar force
Backward-facing barbs
• Resembles serrated knife edges.
• Up to 800 barbs are found on the first 4mm of the tip.
• Feature reduces penetration force but increases extraction force.
• Less tissue damage compared with barbless quills.
DESIGN FEATURES/BENEFITS
• A prototype injection needle with barbs needs 80 per cent less force to penetrate skin than a regular barbless one.
• This result in greater placement accuracy, less pain and less chances of breakage.
POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS
• Injection needles with degradable barbs that enable both easy penetration and removal.
• Biodegradable adhesive patches that could replace staples or sutures.
• Wound dressings with tiny barbed points to hold drug delivery systems in place.
SURF'S UP, SUIT UP!
WHAT: "Shark-proof" wetsuits and watersport products
INVENTOR: Shark Attack Mitigation Systems and Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia
PROJECT PHASE: Available
PROJECT TYPE: "Shark-deterrent" suits
DESIGN INSPIRATION
• Research claims that sharks see in shades of black and white.
• They are believed to reply on vision in the final moments prior to an attack.
• The designs resulted from studies on how some large sharks perceive objects at various depths, distances and at different times of the day.
DESIGN FEATURES/BENEFITS
Stave off or lower the chances of shark attacks by confusing their visual system and rendering the wearer "invisible" in the water.
For surfers
• Bold, navy blue-and-white stripes mimic the coloration on the pilotfish, one of the fish that live alongside predatory sharks.
• Suit presents the wearer as non-prey, noxious or "dangerous".
For divers and swimmers
• Suit blends in with the surrounding water, making it difficult for sharks to see the wearer.
Sources: HARVARD UNIVERSITY, KOREA ADVANCED INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, SHARKMITIGATION.COM
