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Micromachines
Special Issues
Biomimetic Systems
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Biomimetic Systems

A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2015) | Viewed by 34156

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Gijs J.M. Krijnen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
MESA+ Research Institute, University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
Interests: (biomimetic) transducers; nano-, micro-technology and additive manufacturing; nonlinear transduction

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The natural world has come to its today’s shape through countless processes of evolution, failure and success determining the very existence of organisms. Nature provides us with a collection of highly functional and adequate solutions to problems organisms have solved. Biomimetics is the activity of investigating nature, getting inspired by it and mimicking certain solutions in an engineering context. Micromachining technology allows mimicking a rich natural world at a scale that is easily observable in our daily lives, yet does not stop to surprise us; water-striders walking on water, flight of flapping wing insects, the mechanics of the mammalian cochlea, object localization by scorpions, or flow sensing using hairs as seen on many arthropods, are just a few examples. Micromachining technology enables the fabrication of features on sub-micron to millimeter scales, it facilitates surface structuring effectively changing interaction with particles and fluids (think of the Lotus effect) and its batchwise fabrication allows for easy fabrication of array structures, as often found in nature, e.g., for sensing and actuation purposes. In short, micromachining allows for mimicking nature on a scale hardly feasible, if at all, by other technologies. For this reason, Micromachines has dedicated this special "Biomimetics Systems" issue to ideas, designs, devices and technology at the microscale that have been inspired by nature.

Prof. Dr. Gijs J.M. Krijnen
Guest Editor

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Micromachines 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 2100 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

  • MEMS
  • micro-technology
  • micromachining
  • bio-inspiration
  • biomimetics
  • biomimicry

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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24 pages, 808 KiB  
Article
Micro-Machined Flow Sensors Mimicking Lateral Line Canal Neuromasts
by Hendrik Herzog, Siegfried Steltenkamp, Adrian Klein, Simon Tätzner, Elisabeth Schulze and Horst Bleckmann
Micromachines 2015, 6(8), 1189-1212; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi6081189 - 24 Aug 2015
Cited by 36 | Viewed by 7718
Abstract
Fish sense water motions with their lateral line. The lateral line is a sensory system that contains up to several thousand mechanoreceptors, called neuromasts. Neuromasts occur freestanding on the skin and in subepidermal canals. We developed arrays of flow sensors based on lateral [...] Read more.
Fish sense water motions with their lateral line. The lateral line is a sensory system that contains up to several thousand mechanoreceptors, called neuromasts. Neuromasts occur freestanding on the skin and in subepidermal canals. We developed arrays of flow sensors based on lateral line canal neuromasts using a biomimetic approach. Each flow sensor was equipped with a PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) lamella integrated into a canal system by means of thick- and thin-film technology. Our artificial lateral line system can estimate bulk flow velocity from the spatio-temporal propagation of flow fluctuations. Based on the modular sensor design, we were able to detect flow rates in an industrial application of tap water flow metering. Our sensory system withstood water pressures of up to six bar. We used finite element modeling to study the fluid flow inside the canal system and how this flow depends on canal dimensions. In a second set of experiments, we separated the flow sensors from the main stream by means of a flexible membrane. Nevertheless, these biomimetic neuromasts were still able to sense flow fluctuations. Fluid separation is a prerequisite for flow measurements in medical and pharmaceutical applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetic Systems)
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14 pages, 1590 KiB  
Article
Insect-Inspired Micropump: Flow in a Tube with Local Contractions
by Yasser Aboelkassem
Micromachines 2015, 6(8), 1143-1156; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi6081143 - 14 Aug 2015
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 5543
Abstract
A biologically-inspired micropumping model in a three-dimensional tube subjected to localized wall constrictions is given in this article. The present study extends our previous pumping model where a 3D channel with a square cross-section is considered. The proposed pumping approach herein applies to [...] Read more.
A biologically-inspired micropumping model in a three-dimensional tube subjected to localized wall constrictions is given in this article. The present study extends our previous pumping model where a 3D channel with a square cross-section is considered. The proposed pumping approach herein applies to tubular geometries and is given to mimic an insect respiration mode, where the tracheal tube rhythmic wall contractions are used/hypothesized to enhance the internal flow transport within the entire respiration network. The method of regularized Stokeslets-mesh-free computations is used to reconstruct the flow motions induced by the wall movements and to calculate the time-averaged net flow rate. The time-averaged net flow rates from both the tube and channel models are compared. Results have shown that an inelastic tube with at least two contractions forced to move with a specific time lag protocol can work as a micropump. The system is simple and expected to be useful in many biomedical applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetic Systems)
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21 pages, 6224 KiB  
Article
Design and Implementation of a Bionic Mimosa Robot with Delicate Leaf Swing Behavior
by Chung-Liang Chang and Jin-Long Shie
Micromachines 2015, 6(1), 42-62; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi6010042 - 23 Dec 2014
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 8849
Abstract
This study designed and developed a bionic mimosa robot with delicate leaf swing behaviors. For different swing behaviors, this study developed a variety of situations, in which the bionic mimosa robot would display different postures. The core technologies used were Shape Memory Alloys [...] Read more.
This study designed and developed a bionic mimosa robot with delicate leaf swing behaviors. For different swing behaviors, this study developed a variety of situations, in which the bionic mimosa robot would display different postures. The core technologies used were Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs), plastic material, and an intelligent control device. The technology particularly focused on the SMAs memory processing bend mode, directional guidance, and the position of SMAs installed inside the plastic material. Performance analysis and evaluation were conducted using two SMAs for mimosa opening/closing behaviors. Finally, by controlling the mimosa behavior with a micro-controller, the optimal strain swing behavior was realized through fuzzy logic control in order to display the different postures of mimosa under different situations. The proposed method is applicable to micro-bionic robot systems, entertainment robots, biomedical engineering, and architectural aesthetics-related fields in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetic Systems)
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Review

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29 pages, 6402 KiB  
Review
Towards Improved Airborne Fire Detection Systems Using Beetle Inspired Infrared Detection and Fire Searching Strategies
by Herbert Bousack, Thilo Kahl, Anke Schmitz and Helmut Schmitz
Micromachines 2015, 6(6), 718-746; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi6060718 - 16 Jun 2015
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 11327
Abstract
Every year forest fires cause severe financial losses in many countries of the world. Additionally, lives of humans as well as of countless animals are often lost. Due to global warming, the problem of wildfires is getting out of control; hence, the burning [...] Read more.
Every year forest fires cause severe financial losses in many countries of the world. Additionally, lives of humans as well as of countless animals are often lost. Due to global warming, the problem of wildfires is getting out of control; hence, the burning of thousands of hectares is obviously increasing. Most important, therefore, is the early detection of an emerging fire before its intensity becomes too high. More than ever, a need for early warning systems capable of detecting small fires from distances as large as possible exists. A look to nature shows that pyrophilous “fire beetles” of the genus Melanophila can be regarded as natural airborne fire detection systems because their larvae can only develop in the wood of fire-killed trees. There is evidence that Melanophila beetles can detect large fires from distances of more than 100 km by visual and infrared cues. In a biomimetic approach, a concept has been developed to use the surveying strategy of the “fire beetles” for the reliable detection of a smoke plume of a fire from large distances by means of a basal infrared emission zone. Future infrared sensors necessary for this ability are also inspired by the natural infrared receptors of Melanophila beetles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetic Systems)
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