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R.Pradeep,
Department of ECE,
B.I.T.Institute of Technology, HindupurEmail: bharatpradeepkiran@gmail.com
Abstract
During recent years bionics, a new discipline which is in
charge with the transfer of the principles of construction,
regulation, interaction and organization of biology into
innovative technical solutions has attracted significant
interest from various industries. Based on this request for
bionic expertise in engineering, the faculty for teaching
engineering in foreign languages (FILS) at 'Politehnica'
University of Bucharest started a course in bionics in SS
2007, which was supported by the expertise of the
German Bionik-Kompetenz-Netz', one of the leading
organizations in bionics. This is the report on the
considerations involved in the course concept, the first
experiences with the students' acceptance, some
conclusions and future perspectives for extending bionics
activities at 'Politehnica'. Finally, within the last section,
the evaluation of a questionnaire, filled in by the students
at the end of the course, will be presented. In order to
avoid any confusion, considering overlapping or mixing
up with other bio-disciplines related to technology, the
paper starts with a short introduction, explaining the
principles of bionics and providing a clear definition of
the field.
Keywords: bionics; teaching concepts; course evaluation
.
1. Introduction to BIONICS
ROBOTICS is the science and technology
of designing, making; controlling, programming and
applying robots. A ROBOT is a mechanical or artificial
intelligent agent. It is usually an electromechanical
system, which, by its appearance or movements, conveys
a sense that it has intent or agency of its own. The
meaning of Bionics is From bi (as in life) + onics(as in
electronics); Therefore The study of mechanical
systems that function like living organisms or parts of
living organisms .
.
It is perhaps not surprising that early aeronautical
engineers were inspired by Nature given that the
performance gap was so large and obvious. Because birds
can fly and we cannot. Most engineering projects,
however, take place successfully without any explicit
reference to Nature, in large part because natural analogs
do not exist for most mechanical devices. One would need
to search far and wide for a natural analog of a toaster.
Nevertheless, in recent years there seems to be growing
interest on the part of engineers to borrow design
concepts from Nature. The discipline has grown to the
point that books, articles, conference sessions, and
3. Applications of BIONICS
2
Issues
Wireless technologies
Pervasive computing
Miniature and wearable sensors to measure
3.4
Orthopedics
- Small size/footprint - minimal obstruction
- Close proximity to surgical site
- No patient/anatomy immobilization
- No tracking/real-time repositioning
- Small workspace - fine positioning device
- Potentially higher accuracy
- Intrinsic safety due to small size/low power
Physiological parameters
Human movement / behavior interpretation
(Speech, facial expression, gestures)
3.3Humanoids
4. Biomimesis
4.1 Introduction
5. Applications of BIOMIMICS
5.1 Transportation
The Shinkansen Bullet Train of the
West Japan Railway Company is the
fastest train in the world, traveling 200
miles per hour.
5.4 Energy
Learning from Humpback Whales How to Create
Efficient Wind Power
Wind tunnel tests of model humpback fins with
and without tubercules have demonstrated the
aerodynamic improvements tubercules make,
such as an 8% improvement in lift and 32%
reduction in drag, as well as allowing for a 40%
increase in angle of attack over smooth flippers
before stalling
A company called WhalePower is applying the
lessons learned from humpback whales to the
design of wind turbines to increase their
efficiency, while this natural technology also has
enormous potential to improve the safety and
performance of airplanes, fans, and more
12. References
Text books
WEBSITES
1. www.wikipedia.org
2. www.biomimicryinstitute.org
3. www.bionics.org