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Biomimetics
Special Issues
Bioinspired Engineered Systems: 2nd Edition
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Bioinspired Engineered Systems: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Biomimetics (ISSN 2313-7673). This special issue belongs to the section "Locomotion and Bioinspired Robotics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 September 2026 | Viewed by 3876

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Parvez Alam

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Engineering, Institute for Materials and Processes, The University of Edinburgh, Sanderson Building, Robert Stevenson Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FB, UK
Interests: biomimetic design; composite materials; bioinspired engineering; comparative biomechanics; mechanical metamaterials; cellular solids
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ateeq Ur Rehman

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Engineering, College of Science & Engineering, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
Interests: biomimetic design; textiles; natural materials; operations management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, “Bioinspired Engineered Systems: 2nd Edition”, will elucidate the latest advances in robotics, bionic engineering, materials and design, inspired by biological systems, structures and materials. Through this Special Issue, we aim to publish impactful articles intersecting the two areas of biology and engineering, with a special emphasis on system design, including the design of materials, systems and structures which affect aspects such as locomotion, mechanical behaviour, dynamics, surfaces and kinematics. Papers focused on animal or plant biomechanics with transferable outputs to bioinspired engineered systems are also welcomed. Significant developments over recent decades in imaging, testing and modelling have brought to light the existence of specialised function-specific designs in nature. Biological systems therefore offer novel pathways to achieve the innovation of engineered systems, both in terms of design and manufacturing. Original research papers, short communications presenting emerging techniques as well as disruptive technologies and review articles are solicited for this Special Issue, with particular focus on the following areas:

  • Biomimetic design of robots;
  • Biomimetic locomotion: kinematics and kinetics;
  • Bioinspired surfaces and interface technologies;
  • Bioinspired structural design with application to engineered systems;
  • Bioinspired materials and structures with application to engineered systems;
  • Advances in bionic engineering;
  • Bioinspired joints and actuation;
  • Geometrical considerations in the design of bioinspired engineering systems;
  • Disruptive biomimetic technologies;
  • Comparative biomechanics with clearly transferable outputs to engineered systems;
  • Mechanical behaviour and properties of bioinspired engineered systems;
  • 3D printing/additive manufacturing of bioinspired parts, structures and components.

Dr. Parvez Alam
Dr. Ateeq Ur Rehman
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomimetics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • bioinspired engineering
  • biomimetic design
  • materials and structures
  • bionic engineering
  • modelling and simulation
  • design and manufacture
  • prototyping, testing and validation
  • comparative biomechanics
  • bioinspired functional materials and structures
  • bioinspired surfaces and interfaces
  • bioinspired joints and actuation

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 15626 KB  
Article
A Dynamic Virtual Channel Approach to Enhance Retinal Prosthetic Precision
by Zhengyang Liu, Tianruo Guo, Yuyan He, Shiwei Zheng, Xiaoyu Song, Cuixia Dai, Jiaxi Li, Xinyu Chai, Yao Chen and Liming Li
Biomimetics 2026, 11(5), 307; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics11050307 - 1 May 2026
Viewed by 582
Abstract
Visual prostheses aim to approximate biomimetic visual function by electrically simulating surviving retinal neurons. Improving the spatial resolution of electrically elicited artificial vision remains a critical challenge for retinal prostheses. We investigate how dynamic virtual channel (DVC) parameters shape retinal ganglion cell (RGC) [...] Read more.
Visual prostheses aim to approximate biomimetic visual function by electrically simulating surviving retinal neurons. Improving the spatial resolution of electrically elicited artificial vision remains a critical challenge for retinal prostheses. We investigate how dynamic virtual channel (DVC) parameters shape retinal ganglion cell (RGC) population responses to improve spatial precision and activation efficiency in epiretinal stimulation. We developed a computational modeling framework to quantify DVC performance using a hierarchical optimization strategy. First, static virtual channels (SVCs) were used to map how current ratio (α) and stimulus intensity govern RGC activation, defining an optimal SVC parameter space. Building on this baseline, DVC protocols were refined by evaluating the combined effects of inter-virtual–channel interval (ΔT), α, and intensity. This strategy significantly reduces the complexity of DVC parameter optimization. Under SVC stimulation, increasing intensity improved the linearity of receptive field (RF) centroid displacement with α, while α and intensity jointly set RF centroid location and activated area. Under DVC stimulation, ΔT strongly modulated RGC activation, especially at short intervals. Initializing from SVC-optimized parameters, tuning ΔT and intensity produced more confined activation at lower stimulus intensities than SVC, indicating that DVC can serve as a novel stimulation strategy to enhance spatial precision and activation efficiency in retinal stimulation. This study provides the first systematic analysis of retinal DVC stimulation and a practical optimization framework for next-generation prostheses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioinspired Engineered Systems: 2nd Edition)
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13 pages, 1459 KB  
Article
Optimal Design to Improve the Performance of Impact Resistance and Obstacle Surmounting for Legged Robots
by Jiaxu Han, Jingfu Zhao, Yue Zhu and Zhibin Song
Biomimetics 2026, 11(4), 263; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics11040263 - 10 Apr 2026
Viewed by 490
Abstract
Legged robots are widely used for walking, running, jumping, and landing on the ground. As mission terrains become increasingly complex, legged robots with greater adaptability are required. However, limited research attention has been paid to enhancing their impact resistance and obstacle-surmounting capabilities. Due [...] Read more.
Legged robots are widely used for walking, running, jumping, and landing on the ground. As mission terrains become increasingly complex, legged robots with greater adaptability are required. However, limited research attention has been paid to enhancing their impact resistance and obstacle-surmounting capabilities. Due to the limitations of motor manufacturing and material, it is more difficult to improve the impact resistance of the motor than to design proper leg lengths. Considering rigid multi-link medium- and large-sized legged robots, we optimize leg lengths to minimize the impact torque on leg joints. An optimal leg-length combination that maximizes obstacle-surmounting capability for medium- and large-size multi-link legged robots is conducted. This research provides a concrete design basis for leg-length optimization in medium- and large-sized multi-link legged robots with the aim of improving impact resistance and obstacle surmounting. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioinspired Engineered Systems: 2nd Edition)
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16 pages, 8378 KB  
Article
Optimization of Ornithopter Energy Efficiency Through Spring-Induced Harmonic Motion
by Jimin Kim and Ji-Chul Ryu
Biomimetics 2026, 11(3), 207; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics11030207 - 13 Mar 2026
Viewed by 684
Abstract
Ornithopters generate lift and thrust through periodic flapping-wing motion. While control-based optimization has been widely studied to improve the flight efficiency of ornithopters, passive mechanical tuning remains underexplored. This study investigates whether integrating a lightweight torsional spring can passively tune a flapping-wing system [...] Read more.
Ornithopters generate lift and thrust through periodic flapping-wing motion. While control-based optimization has been widely studied to improve the flight efficiency of ornithopters, passive mechanical tuning remains underexplored. This study investigates whether integrating a lightweight torsional spring can passively tune a flapping-wing system toward resonance to reduce input power and enhance aerodynamic performance. We evaluated springs of different stiffness on a 3D-printed, motor-driven flapping rig, recording input voltage and current as well as flapping frequency and thrust. Wing kinematics were analyzed using high-speed video, and free-oscillation tests identified a resonant period of ~0.14 s (~7.1 Hz). Experimental results show that an optimally tuned spring-assisted system achieves up to a threefold improvement in thrust efficiency and up to a twofold improvement in kinematic efficiency, compared to the no-spring baseline. Indoor flight tests using a commercial ornithopter (MetaFly) confirmed the improvement, showing a 12.8% increase in average endurance. The spring-assisted configuration also produced smoother stroke reversals, consistent with reduced energy losses. These results demonstrate that a low-complexity, lightweight torsional spring tuned near resonance can provide an effective passive means to enhance both energy efficiency and aerodynamic output in flapping-wing UAVs, serving as a practical, low-cost complement to control-based optimization methods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioinspired Engineered Systems: 2nd Edition)
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20 pages, 10247 KB  
Article
Bio-Inspired Proprioception for Sensorless Control of a Klann Linkage Robot Using Attention-LSTM
by Hoejin Jung, Woojin Choi, Sangyoon Woo, Wonchil Choi and Won-gyu Bae
Biomimetics 2026, 11(3), 192; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics11030192 - 5 Mar 2026
Viewed by 651
Abstract
While walking robots possess significantpotential for various real-world applications, the reliance on high-performance sensors and complex control architectures for precise gait control remains a significant barrier to commercialization and lightweight design. To overcome these engineering limitations and lay the groundwork for a sensing [...] Read more.
While walking robots possess significantpotential for various real-world applications, the reliance on high-performance sensors and complex control architectures for precise gait control remains a significant barrier to commercialization and lightweight design. To overcome these engineering limitations and lay the groundwork for a sensing paradigm adaptable to complex terrains, this study proposes an AI-based sensorless feedback control framework that incorporates the biological principles of proprioception. To this end, a walking robot leveraging the morphological intelligence of the Klann linkage was developed. We constructed a time-series dataset by defining motor current signals as ‘interoceptive sensing’ information—analogous to biological muscle feedback—and synchronizing them with absolute angular data. This dataset was used to train an Attention-LSTM (A-LSTM) model, which predicts future motor states in real-time by decoding nonlinear physical information embedded within internal current data, independent of external environmental sensors. By integrating the proposed model into a PI controller, a stable biomimetic walking loop was successfully implemented without the need for additional position sensors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioinspired Engineered Systems: 2nd Edition)
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35 pages, 12923 KB  
Article
Butterfly Clap–Fling Flight Mechanisms Observed by Schlieren Imaging for the Design of Bio-Inspired Micro Air Vehicles
by Emilia-Georgiana Prisăcariu, Sergiu Strătilă, Oana Dumitrescu, Mihail Sima, Raluca Andreea Roșu and Iulian Vlăducă
Biomimetics 2026, 11(3), 184; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics11030184 - 4 Mar 2026
Viewed by 1142
Abstract
This paper investigates the flight kinematics and unsteady aerodynamics of butterfly flight using high-speed schlieren imaging. Butterfly trajectories are reconstructed to examine flight control mechanisms, with particular emphasis on thorax-driven manoeuvring and body reorientation. By reconstructing free-flight trajectories utilizing image recognition algorithms, we [...] Read more.
This paper investigates the flight kinematics and unsteady aerodynamics of butterfly flight using high-speed schlieren imaging. Butterfly trajectories are reconstructed to examine flight control mechanisms, with particular emphasis on thorax-driven manoeuvring and body reorientation. By reconstructing free-flight trajectories utilizing image recognition algorithms, we isolate the mechanisms of flight control, with particular emphasis on how thoracic oscillation drives manoeuvring and body reorientation. Phase-resolved analysis reveals distinct wingbeat modes, including clap-and-fling motions associated with hovering and low-speed ascent. Schlieren visualization further captures a detailed view of the wake topology, displaying the formation and evolution of wingtip vortices during the downstroke, as well as attached and entrained flow structures during cupped wing configurations. The results demonstrate the strong coupling between body dynamics, wing kinematics, and wake structure, highlighting how butterflies combine aerodynamic and inertial mechanisms to achieve efficient lift generation and control. These findings provide biomimetic insights relevant to the design of flapping wing micro air vehicles, particularly for low-speed flight, hover efficiency, and passive stability and control through body–wing coupling. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioinspired Engineered Systems: 2nd Edition)
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