Zhanhong Guo, Na Han, Meng Zou, Yansong Liu, Jing Liu
{"title":"Mechanical Properties and Energy Absorption Characteristics of the Self-similar Structure in Spiral Shells.","authors":"Zhanhong Guo, Na Han, Meng Zou, Yansong Liu, Jing Liu","doi":"10.1088/1748-3190/ae0dd0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-3190/ae0dd0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The multi-scale hierarchical structure of the conch shell exhibits exceptional mechanical properties, earning it the reputation as nature's natural armor. Based on structural bionics, this study investigates the self-similar three-dimensional structure of conch shells and analyzes their effects on energy absorption. Guided by similarity theory, spiral shell specimens were selected to analyze structural characteristics along macro-oriented directions, with mechanical tests conducted using a universal testing machine. Transverse compression tests revealed that the lateral compressive strength correlates with aperture thickness and overall height, with a Young's modulus ranging from 10 to 15 GPa. Axial compression tests indicated a progressive fracture pattern during shell failure accompanied by nonlinear deformation. A mathematical 3D model of the conch was developed based on geometric formulas, complemented by scanner-based sample digitization and reverse reconstruction. Cross-validation among theoretical models, reconstructed digital models, and physical specimens confirmed the accuracy of the conch's geometric formulations. Multiphysics simulation tools enabled optimization of key conch topology parameters (α、β、r0、a、b), while response surface modeling quantified parameter-energy absorption correlations. The optimized structural parameters were determined as α=86.6、β=12.2、r0=92.5、a=27.5、b=37.5. Our findings establish that energy dissipation performance in conch shells is fundamentally linked to their fractal-like self-similar organization. These findings provide crucial theoretical foundations and experimental references for the optimized design of bio-inspired energy-absorbing structures.
.</p>","PeriodicalId":55377,"journal":{"name":"Bioinspiration & Biomimetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145202008","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lei Liu, Ziye Liu, Jie Lin, Yu Tao, Zhenye Ge, Fei Meng
{"title":"Collective motion model inspired by fish school based on deep attention mechanism.","authors":"Lei Liu, Ziye Liu, Jie Lin, Yu Tao, Zhenye Ge, Fei Meng","doi":"10.1088/1748-3190/ae05a2","DOIUrl":"10.1088/1748-3190/ae05a2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Collective intelligence in biological groups can be employed to inspire the control of artificial complex systems, such as swarm robotics. However, modeling for the social interactions between individuals is still a challenging task. Without loss of generality, we propose a deep attention network model that incorporates the principles of biological Hard Attention mechanisms, that means an individual only pay attention to one or two neighbors for collective motion decision in large group. The model is trained by the collective movement data of five rummy-nose tetra fish (Hemigrammus rhodostomus). The structure of the model enforces individual agents to consider information from at most two neighboring agents. Meanwhile, the model can reveal hidden locations, where highly influential neighbors frequently appear. These findings demonstrate that the proposed Hard Attention Model aligns with the information processing mechanisms, which is observed in fish schooling. Experimental results indicate that the model exhibits a strong ability to decouple sparse information for collective movement with robust metrics. It can also perform excellent scalability in different group sizes. The simulation and real robots experiment show that the model provides a powerful tool for analyzing multi-level behaviors in complex systems and offers significant insights for the distributed control of swarm robotics.</p>","PeriodicalId":55377,"journal":{"name":"Bioinspiration & Biomimetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145034905","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Reid Wynja, Adrian Carleton, Sudhansh Tanneru, Yahya Modarres-Sadeghi
{"title":"Mobot mobot: An ocean sunfish (Mola mola) robot.","authors":"Reid Wynja, Adrian Carleton, Sudhansh Tanneru, Yahya Modarres-Sadeghi","doi":"10.1088/1748-3190/ae0bd8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-3190/ae0bd8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Ocean Sunfish (Mola mola) has one of the most unusual body geometries and swimming strategies of all fish species. Effectively lacking a caudal fin, these fish propel themselves by synchronized flapping of their extremely long dorsal and anal fins---a form of locomotion known as Median/Paired Fin (MPF) oscillations. Long misunderstood to be poor swimmers, Mola mola are increasingly being recognized for their surprising swimming efficiency and agility. MPF oscillations can be modeled as a combination pitching and heaving in a hydrofoil, a well-studied phenomenon, and the mechanical simplicity of these motions lend themselves well to the creation of compact and robust propulsion systems. Here, we present a novel bio-inspired marine robotic test platform based on the body geometry and swimming strategy of the Mola mola. We analyze the forces generated by various flapping frequencies and patterns (synchronous and asynchronous), and the flow behavior for both single flap events and continuous flapping. We observe that there is a linear trend between flapping frequency and thrust force for both synchronous and asynchronous flapping up to the maximum frequencies capable with the current design. We then test the flapping parameters resulting in the highest thrust forces for both flapping patterns in a free-swimming arrangement and show that the synchronous flapping results in larger steady-state swimming speed.</p>","PeriodicalId":55377,"journal":{"name":"Bioinspiration & Biomimetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145152008","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nnamdi Chinomso Chikere, Frank E Fish, Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin
{"title":"Robust Maneuverability in Flipper-Based Systems Across Complex Terrains.","authors":"Nnamdi Chinomso Chikere, Frank E Fish, Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin","doi":"10.1088/1748-3190/ae0aaa","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-3190/ae0aaa","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sea turtle hatchlings display maneuvering capabilities across diverse aquatic and coastal terrains. While turning behavior is crucial in aquatic environments, it is equally vital for terrestrial locomotion by hatchlings that must quickly navigate obstacle-rich terrain on their way to the sea. This study introduces a robotic prototype that emulates the turning strategies of juvenile sea turtles to optimize turning rate and energy consumption across diverse terrestrial surfaces. The research investigates the rotational displacement capabilities of a bioinspired robot across five distinct gait configurations: one involving all flippers in a unique pattern, and four employing reduced flipper combinations, including front, diagonal, back, and single flippers.
We investigated the robot's turning capabilities on diverse granular and compliant
media, including four specified rock sizes, a consistent foam platform, and dry sand.
Comparative analyses were conducted using rigid and soft flipper designs. Key
locomotion features, including roll, pitch, yaw, and lift height, were quantified for
each configuration. The results reveal significant differences in rotational behavior
across terrains and gait styles, highlighting the interplay between flipper design, gait
strategy, and environmental adaptability. This research advances the understanding
of bioinspired robotics for applications in complex and variable environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":55377,"journal":{"name":"Bioinspiration & Biomimetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145132866","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Martí Verdaguer Mallorquí, Julian Vincent, Andrew Liston, Vladimir Blagoderov, Marc P Y Desmulliez
{"title":"A novel passive selective cutting mechanism inspired by the ovipositors of sawflies.","authors":"Martí Verdaguer Mallorquí, Julian Vincent, Andrew Liston, Vladimir Blagoderov, Marc P Y Desmulliez","doi":"10.1088/1748-3190/ae0aa4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-3190/ae0aa4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The female sawfly (Insecta: Hymenoptera, Symphyta) uses a double blade reciprocating saw-like ovipositor to cut into plant tissue and lay its eggs within the cut. Whereas extensive study was carried out for wood-boring ovipositors, little is known about how sawflies achieve such controlled cutting in soft substrates. This suggests a mechanism that balances effective cutting with minimal tissue disruption. This article reports a novel passive selective cutting mechanism in which the saw discriminates between material properties of the plant tissue without active sensing or external control, something rarely achieved in human-made systems. Scaled-up biomimetic blades replicating key ovipositor features were tested on synthetic substrates (agar and ballistic gelatine) across a range of stiffnesses. Experimental results reveal a force-dependent threshold above which the saw is displaced rather than cutting. This threshold depends on the interaction between the shape of the saw teeth and the substrate properties and is consistent across multiple sawfly species. These findings reveal a previously undescribed bioinspired cutting principle with potential for surgical tools that avoid damaging sensitive tissues, and broader applications where passive, material-specific selectivity is required without the complexity of sensors or active feedback control.
.</p>","PeriodicalId":55377,"journal":{"name":"Bioinspiration & Biomimetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145132953","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Eugénie Dalmas, Christophe Loyez, Kevin Carpentier, François Danneville
{"title":"Bioinspired recognition of cricket calling songs in sub-nanowatt inter-pulse delay detector.","authors":"Eugénie Dalmas, Christophe Loyez, Kevin Carpentier, François Danneville","doi":"10.1088/1748-3190/ae0aa8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-3190/ae0aa8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Energy efficiency is one of the main concerns in the design of embedded circuits, especially considering the ever-growing amount of portable devices produced for specialized to everyday life applications. Taking inspiration from neuronal processes in the brain, neuromorphic systems are seen as promising solutions to this concern. Great advances in all fields led to the production of numerous hardware implementations, digital or mixed-signal for the most part. While digital systems showcase high accuracy performances and an advanced technological maturity, they fail to reach the ultra-low power consumptions of emerging technologies or fully analog implementations due to generally non-dedicated chips and bulky hardware. In this work, we designed and implemented a bioinspired analog demonstrator of inter-pulse delay detection on standard complementary metal oxide semiconductor in the subthreshold operation mode. Relying on the temporal pattern recognition mechanism in female field crickets, our circuit reach on average 750 pW of total power consumption under probes during detection on real-world recordings of male crickets calling song. The circuit was evaluated in quiet, noisy, and multi-source environments, demonstrating strong detection performances given its sparse architecture and ultra-low power consumption.</p>","PeriodicalId":55377,"journal":{"name":"Bioinspiration & Biomimetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145132904","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jiacheng Guo, George V Lauder, Robin Thandiackal, Haibo Dong
{"title":"Computational analysis of fish-foil pairing and wake energy extraction in low-speed flow.","authors":"Jiacheng Guo, George V Lauder, Robin Thandiackal, Haibo Dong","doi":"10.1088/1748-3190/ae0632","DOIUrl":"10.1088/1748-3190/ae0632","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The energetic consequences of swimming within a neighboring fish's vortex street remain a central question in collective locomotion. Recent flume experiments in which a flapping hydrofoil generated a biomimetic wake demonstrated that a trout can station-keep behind the foil while displaying kinematics markedly different from those used in uniform flow. To examine the underlying hydrodynamics, we accurately replicate the fish-foil system by first reproducing the experimentally recorded motions using a joint-based kinematic reconstruction method, and then we simulate the fluid dynamics with three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics. A companion simulation without the foil is also conducted to isolate wake effects. Relative to uniform-flow swimming, the presence of the foil wake reduces the trout's cycle-averaged hydrodynamic power expenditure by 11.4 ± 0.0003%, a benefit that arises because vortex columns shed by the foil create coherent negative-pressure corridors along the fish's lateral surface. Power reduction is realized when the trout's long-wavelength body wave remains phase-locked with the downstream advection of these vortex structures, enabling the fish to harvest pressure-induced thrust while minimizing added-mass losses. These findings provide a mechanistic explanation for wake exploitation in schooling fish, establish phase synchrony as a key control parameter for hydrodynamic benefit, and offer design guidelines for paired biomimetic underwater vehicles that seek to emulate schooling to improve propulsive efficiency.</p>","PeriodicalId":55377,"journal":{"name":"Bioinspiration & Biomimetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145042197","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"From beetle to bot: bioinspired design of robotic grippers based on stag beetle mandible biomechanics.","authors":"Mahdi Rajabi, Sepehr H Eraghi, Arman Toofani, Shayan Ramezanpour, Preenjot Singh, Jianing Wu, Chung-Ping Lin, Hamed Rajabi","doi":"10.1088/1748-3190/ae0547","DOIUrl":"10.1088/1748-3190/ae0547","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Conventional rigid grippers remain the most-used robotic grippers in industrial assembly tasks. However, they are limited in their ability to handle a diverse range of objects. This study draws inspiration from nature to address these limitations, employing multidisciplinary methods, such as computer-aided design, parametric modeling, finite element analysis, 3D printing, and mechanical testing. Computational analysis of three distinct mandible morphs from the stag beetle<i>Cyclommatus mniszechi</i>revealed that key geometric features-specifically mandible curvature and denticle arrangement-govern a functional trade-off between grasping ability and structural safety. This analysis identified a specific morphology optimized for superior grabbing performance, which served as the template for our design. Leveraging these biological principles, we used parametric modeling to design, and 3D printing to fabricate, a series of novel, mechanically intelligent grippers. Mechanical testing of these prototypes validated our design approach, demonstrating that specific modifications to curvature could significantly enhance the gripper's load-bearing capacity while minimizing object damage. This work establishes a clear pathway from biomechanical analysis to engineered application, offering a robust and cost-efficient blueprint for developing next-generation grippers that operate effectively without complex sensing or actuation systems for tasks in manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare.</p>","PeriodicalId":55377,"journal":{"name":"Bioinspiration & Biomimetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145031125","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sarah Dulac, Hamed Samandari, Banafsheh Seyed-Aghazadeh
{"title":"Passive wake differentiation by seal vibrissae in response to independently oscillating upstream objects.","authors":"Sarah Dulac, Hamed Samandari, Banafsheh Seyed-Aghazadeh","doi":"10.1088/1748-3190/ae0546","DOIUrl":"10.1088/1748-3190/ae0546","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Harbor seals possess a remarkable ability to detect hydrodynamic footprints left by moving objects, even long after the objects have passed, through interactions between wake flows and their uniquely shaped whiskers. While the flow-induced vibration of harbor seal whisker models has been extensively studied, their response to unsteady wakes generated by upstream moving bodies remains poorly understood. This study investigates the wake-induced vibration (WIV) of a flexibly mounted harbor seal-inspired whisker positioned downstream of a forced-oscillating circular cylinder, simulating the hydrodynamic footprint of a moving object. Unlike conventional WIV studies, where the upstream wake is passively formed behind a stationary body and governed solely by its geometry and flow speed, the upstream cylinder in this work undergoes prescribed oscillations. This approach enables independent control over the wake characteristics-such as wake width and shedding frequency-decoupling them from the physical attributes of the upstream source and allowing a more direct assessment of the whisker's sensing response to dynamic wake conditions. Experiments were conducted across a range of reduced velocities (U∗= 3.4-25) and Reynolds numbers (<i>Re</i>= 500-2700), with upstream oscillation frequencies varied from 0.5 to 2 times the natural frequency of the whisker. Volumetric particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) was used to characterize the flow field, complemented by<i>Q</i>-criterion and proper orthogonal decomposition analyses. Results show that while the whisker suppresses its own vortex-induced vibration in open flow, it oscillates strongly at the frequency of the upstream forcing when exposed to wake disturbances, demonstrating its capability to detect and respond to hydrodynamic trails of moving objects. These findings highlight the potential of harbor seal whisker-inspired designs for biomimetic underwater sensing and navigation systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":55377,"journal":{"name":"Bioinspiration & Biomimetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145031226","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cecilia Laschi, Li Wen, Fumiya Iida, Arsen Abdulali, Helmut Hauser, Yifan Wang, Ke Liu, Leonardo Ricotti, Matteo Cianchetti, Kaspar Althoefer, Pham Huy Nguyen, Mirko Kovac, Marcello Calisti
{"title":"Soft robotics: what's next in bioinspired design and applications of soft robots?","authors":"Cecilia Laschi, Li Wen, Fumiya Iida, Arsen Abdulali, Helmut Hauser, Yifan Wang, Ke Liu, Leonardo Ricotti, Matteo Cianchetti, Kaspar Althoefer, Pham Huy Nguyen, Mirko Kovac, Marcello Calisti","doi":"10.1088/1748-3190/ae066d","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-3190/ae066d","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The field of soft robotics has shown unprecedented growth in research efforts, scientific achievements, and technological advancements. Bioinspiration and biomimetics have played an instrumental role in the birth and growth of soft robotics. What is next for this field? To promote soft robotics research to the next level and have a broader impact in robotics and engineering fields, in this roadmap, we argue that two research directions should be strengthened i) more structured, formal methods and tools for designing and developing soft robots and bioinspired robots ii) more concrete applications of bioinspired soft robots in diverse sectors of human activities. This article provides a roadmap for the design of bioinspired soft robots, the integration of soft robot systems, and their applications in industry and services. Scientists and experts describe the state-of-the art and the perspectives of bioinspired, model-informed design of soft robots, outlining the challenges in developing complex soft robotic systems, and applications of soft robots in diverse fields.
.</p>","PeriodicalId":55377,"journal":{"name":"Bioinspiration & Biomimetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145056295","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}