last modified: 23/02/2006

Course code: wb2436-05

Course name: Bio-Inspired Design

This concerns a course

ECTS credit points: 3

Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering

Section of Man-Machine Systems

Lecturer(s): Dr.ir. P Breedveld, Dr.ir. J.L. Herder, Prof.dr. T. Tomiyama

Tel.:  015 - 27 85232 / 84713

Catalog data:

     

Course year:

MSc 1st year

Course language:

English

In case of Dutch: Please contact the lecturer about an English alternative, whenever needed.

Semester:

2A

Hours per week:

4

Other hours:

     

Assessment:

Written report

Assessment period:

2A

(see academic calendar)

 

Prerequisites (course codes):

Completed courses in mechanics and design

Follow up (course codes):

     

Detailed description of topics:

The course Bio-Inspired Design gives an overview of non-conventional mechanical approaches in nature and shows how this knowledge can lead to more creativity in mechanical design and to better (simpler, smaller, more robust) solutions than with conventional technology. The course discusses a large number of biological organisms with smart constructions, unusual mechanisms or clever processing methods and gives a number of technical examples of bio-inspired instruments and machines.

 

Examples of topics:

Strength at low weight, stiffness with soft structures, robustness with redundancy, simple laws for complex behaviour, storing energy in springs, energetically efficient muscle configurations, biological vibration systems, clamping with hands, claws, suction, glue or dry-adhesion, biological walking, swimming and crawling methods, locomotion of micro- and single-celled-organisms.

 

Structure of the course:

 

1. Bioconstruction

1.1. Biostructure

1.2. Bioenergy

1.3. Bioreproduction & regeneration

1.4. Biomaintenance & repair

 

2. Biomotion

2.1. Bioclamping

2.2. Biopropulsion at macroscale

2.3. Biopropulsion at microscale

 

3. Bioprocessing

3.1. Biosensing

3.2. Biobehaving

 

Course material:

  • Handouts

References from literature:

  •      

Remarks assessment, entry requirements, etc.:

Students are subdivided in groups of two. Each group gets a different assignment in which a biological solution for a technical problem has to be found. During the course, each group gives three presentations: one about the problem, one about the proposed solution and one about the final solution. The final mark is based on the final presentation and a report describing the biological solution of the problem.

Learning goals:

The student must be able to:

  1. describe methods for creative design

  2. identify mechanical working principles and phenomena of biological creatures

  • explain their construction, motion, and/or processing mechanisms

  • formalize the essence of these mechanisms in models

  • derive non-conventional design principles from these models

  1. implement these design principles in innovative mechanical devices

  • summarize the transition process from the biological to the mechanical domain

  • present their design in drawings or preferably in working models

Computer use:

n/a

Laboratory project(s):

n/a

Design content:

The course gives knowledge about innovative mechanical designs inspired by biological systems and phenomena, in addition to design exercises.

Percentage of design:  100%