Achievement of bionics in human life. Human use of the principles of organization of plants and animals in economic activity. Bionics

Man has adopted a lot from nature, if not everything. The ability to make a fire, hide in a hole from bad weather, store food in reserve, camouflage with the environment and many other things that we have known about for so long that we no longer even think about their appearance in our lives.

But there is a whole science - bionics - whose goal is to make the human world even more convenient, using technology created by spying on living nature.

Leonardo da Vinci is considered the father of bionics. It was he who, for the first time, decided to make a flying machine, inspired by the flight of birds. Before him there was also Icarus, described in ancient Greek myths. But this is more of a dream, but the legendary inventor decided to make it come true. His drawings with all sorts of diagrams for the device of the flywheel have survived to this day. True, his invention never took off, but the first step was taken. And the official birth of bionics as a science occurred in 1960. Then the first symposium on this topic took place.

Since then, thanks to bionics, many wonderful things have appeared in our lives. The most interesting of them:

The design of the famous Eiffel Tower, the symbol of Paris, is based on the principle of the structure of human bones. The architect Eiffel borrowed his idea from the scientific works of anatomy professor Hermann von Meyer, who studied the structure of the skeleton.

The Velcro fastener is also inspired by nature. George de Mestral often walked with his dog. He loved his pet, but was very irritated when he had to comb the cocklebur thorns out of his fur. Having decided to study this plant in more detail and get rid of his problem, the engineer came up with one of the most convenient ways fasteners.

Modern high-rise buildings, in which most of us live, exactly copy the structure of the stems of cereals.

Glazkova Nastya

Since time immemorial, human thought has been looking for an answer to the question: can a person achieve the same thing that living nature has achieved? Will he be able, for example, to fly like a bird or swim underwater like a fish? At first, people could only dream about this, but soon inventors began to apply the organizational features of living organisms in their designs.

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Introduction……………………………………2
What is “Bionics”?................................4
Wildlife patents…………………9
Architectural bionics………………….16
Neurobionics……………………………29
Technical bionics………………………...37
Conclusion…………………………………39
Literature………………………………….40

Bird - acting according to mathematical law

a tool that is in human power to make

With all his movements...

Leonardo da Vinci.

Even the greatest Greek materialist philosopher Democritus (about 460-370 BC) wrote:

“From animals we learned the most important things through imitation. We are the disciples of the spider in weaving and tailoring, the disciples of the swallow in building houses...”

After reading the statement of Democritus, I wondered what man took from nature to improve his life.

Characteristic feature modern science is the intense interpenetration of ideas, theoretical approaches and methods inherent in different disciplines. This especially applies to physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics. Thus, physical research methods are widely used in the study of living nature, and the originality of this object gives rise to new, more perfect methods physical research.

For example:

Everyone knows that a dragonfly is capable of hovering in the air, moving laterally, or sharply moving backwards. Moreover, she performs all maneuvers at high speed. However, few people know that the lifting force of a dragonfly is three times greater than that of a modern aircraft. Using the dragonfly's aerodynamics, scientists believe it is possible to significantly improve the efficiency and safety of aircraft. Airplanes designed with dragonflies in mind will be able to make sharper turns and will be less susceptible to gusts of wind, which unfortunately still cause accidents.
Can a rattlesnake detect a difference in temperature equal to a thousandth of a degree?
...Some fish sense a hundred billionth of an odorous substance in one liter of water? This is the same as detecting the presence of 30 g of such a substance in the entire Aral Sea.
...Do rats sense radiation?
...Do certain types of microbes react even to slight changes in radiation?
...Does the common black cockroach see radiation?
...A mosquito develops a specific pressure of up to I billion kg/cm2 when biting? Comparison with a 16-kilogram weight, which has a base of 4 cm2 and gives a specific pressure of only 4 kg/cm2, shows how great the “mosquito force” is.
...Deep-sea fish detect changes in current density of less than one hundred billionth of an ampere?
...The Nile fish Mormyrus uses electromagnetic vibrations to “probe” its way in the water?

Isn't it an amazing list? And it can be continued further and further with no less amazing examples. Having learned all this, could a person pass by the tempting idea of creating with his own hands what nature has already created?

The purpose of my research:Find out how man uses the “natural” inventions of animals and plants to create artificial devices for the benefit of man.

What is "Bionics"?

Leonardo da Vinci is considered the progenitor of bionics.

His drawings and diagram of aircraft

Were based on the structure of bird wings

Drawings by Leonardo da Vinci...

In our time, according to the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci, the modeling of an ornithopter was repeatedly carried out.

In 1960, the first symposium on bionics was held in Daytona (USA), which formalized the birth of a new science and the name proposed by the American engineer Jack Steele.

Biology + electronics = Bionics.

Bionics (from the Greek word “bion” - element of life, literally living), a science bordering biology and technology, solving engineering problems based on modeling the structure and vital functions of organisms.

Bionics motto: « Living prototypes are the key to new technology»

Bionics there is a symbol: a crossed scalpel, a soldering iron and an integral sign. This union of biologist, technology and mathematics allows us to hope that science bionics penetrates where no one has penetrated before, and see what no one has seen before.

Wildlife patents.

It is known that plants are “green filters” that purify air and water from harmful impurities. They replenish the atmosphere with oxygen, humidify and ionize the air, and reduce the number of microbes.

Chlorophytum is a natural conditioner.

Household and industrial electric air purifiers have been created, with functions similar to natural green filters.

Trees are powerful plant pumps. Root pressure and transpiration (evaporation of water by leaves), as well as the adhesion force between water molecules and the walls of blood vessels, are of great importance for the movement of water.

Just as a tree provides itself with nutrients and moisture through its roots, people try to extract minerals from the earth.

The hydrometallurgical method is simple and economical compared to the fire method (in blast furnaces). Sodium carbonate is pumped into uranium ore deposits. Then, through hoses, like a plant's roots, a liquid mixture containing uranium is sucked out of the mine by a pump. After settling, uranium is obtained in a purer form than that mined by other methods. Uranium is also extracted from copper ores, which contain it in very small quantities.

Hydrometallurgy is used in the processing of complex ores and ore concentrates.

Architectural bionics.

Wildlife ceases to be a mysterious phenomenon. One of the main generalizations of modern biology is that all life phenomena are subject to the laws of physics and chemistry and can be explained using these laws at a variety of levels: molecular, during the formation of crystals, the formation of mechanical (structural) tissues and supporting skeletons, the general system forms and ecological connections. Living nature and architecture develop under the same biophysical conditions of the earthly and cosmic spheres and are subject to the laws of gravity, inertia, and thermodynamics. Their forms are determined similar action temperature and humidity factors, insolation regime, cyclicity of meteorological phenomena, etc. The construction activity of living organisms, just like in architecture, is associated with the creation of building materials and a certain procedure (technology) for the production of work.

Architecture, which in the process of its development has become a great social phenomenon, is aimed at satisfying not only social, but also biological needs of man. And here through study biological organization human architecture receives special impulses of shaping, the importance of which increases in the conditions of the scientific and technological revolution, the growing requirements for saving public energy and the intensification of human labor.

The experience of world architecture of the last three decades confirms that architectural bionics is capable of solving a wide variety of architectural issues, both in their separate interpretation and in a complex. These include: clarification of general theoretical issues architecture relating to the fundamental aspects of its development; improvement of systems theory; further directions of differentiation functional structure architectural forms and architectural space; deepening compositional techniques - tectonics, proportions, balance, symmetry, rhythms, light, color, etc.; solving the problem of creating a favorable microclimate V buildings and other architectural formations; rationalization of existing structures and introduction of new structural forms; development of industrialization of production based on unification, standardization and prefabrication of architectural and structural elements; creation of building materials with new effective complex structural and heat-insulating properties; further development of technology for the production of structures and organization of erection of buildings; improvement of experimental design techniques using physical models, etc.

Thus, the results of research conducted in the field of architectural bionics turn out to be useful in solving problems of social and aesthetic improvement of architecture in its most diverse typological sectors: in residential complexes, in public and industrial buildings and structures, in urban planning. Of course, none of this means that she V able to resolve all these issues to the end. No, it does not replace or exclude existing methods and is only ready to help their further progress. At the same time, in certain areas it can have a revolutionary impact. Architectural bionics, therefore, is acquiring great importance in the further development of not only practice, but also architectural science.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ARCHITECTURAL BIONICS

It is interesting to trace how the historical prerequisites for the formation of the theory and practice of architectural bionics took shape, confirming its legitimacy, the inevitability of development and at the same time shedding light on the formation of those directions that have developed in our time.

Throughout history, man, in his architectural and construction activities, consciously or intuitively turned to living nature, which helped him solve a variety of problems.

South American Indian hut and termite mound; weaver bird nest; African adobe house

Of course, man did not start by imitation. Most likely, we can talk about the forms of labor construction activity that are organically inherent in it. Man, as is known, gradually developed from the most ancient primates of mammals to the state of “homo sapiens”. But, apparently, the gradual removal of man over time from his animal ancestors, the independent development of the human branch, the formation of activity according to the principle “I myself” smoothed out the organic spontaneity of animal origin and transferred it to the level of more or less meaningful imitation of living nature, construction activities of living organisms.

The design of the capitals of the columns of the temples of Ancient Egypt by analogy with the shapes of lotus and papyrus flowers: from focusing on the decorative side(1-4) before tectonic development(5-6)

Japanese folk architecture. Cross-section of a building resembling a spruce

A figurative representation of the space of living nature in the interior of a Gothic cathedral: the cathedral in Amiens (France) and an alley in the forest (photo by Yu. Lebedev)

Unity of architectural forms and surrounding nature. Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery near Zvenigorod near Moscow (XV-XVII centuries) (photo by Yu. Lebedev)

Radio and television tower in Moscow, 1922. Ing. V.G. Shukhov. General view and view from the inside (photo by L.V. Kuchinsky)

Bionics specialists reason this way. When they encounter an engineering or design problem, they look for a solution in the unlimited-size "science base" of animals and plants.

Gustav Eiffel did approximately the same thing, who in 1889 drew a drawing of the Eiffel Tower. This building is considered one of the earliest obvious examples use of bionics in engineering.

Von Meyer discovered that the head of the bone is covered with an intricate network of miniature bones, thanks to which the load is amazingly redistributed throughout the bone. This network had a strict geometric structure, which the professor documented.

In 1866, Swiss engineer Carl Cullman provided a theoretical basis for von Meyer's discovery, and 20 years later natural load distribution using curved calipers was used by Eiffel.

A striking example of architectural and construction bionics is a complete analogy of the structure of cereal stems and modern high-rise buildings. The stems of cereal plants are able to withstand heavy loads without breaking under the weight of the inflorescence. If the wind bends them to the ground, they quickly restore their vertical position. What's the secret? It turns out that their structure is similar to the design of modern high-rise factory pipes - one of the latest achievements of engineering. Both structures are hollow. The sclerenchyma strands of the plant stem act as longitudinal reinforcement. The internodes of the stems are rings of stiffness. There are oval vertical voids along the walls of the stem. The pipe walls have the same design solution. The role of spiral reinforcement located at outside pipes in the stem of cereal plants, performed by a thin skin. However, the engineers came to their constructive solution on their own, without “looking” into nature. The identity of the structure was revealed later.

This process of using the laws of the formation of living nature changed its nature and boundaries depending on objective and subjective factors.

Three chronological stages can be distinguished, preceding the modern one and corresponding to changes in the essence of this process.

The first stage - the most ancient, going back into the depths of history - can be considered the stage of the spontaneous use of constructive and functional-spatial means of living nature and the results of the “construction” activities of animals, birds and insects in the creation of shelters, nests, huts, dolmens or “public buildings”, which there could have been menhirs, cromlechs, etc. It is difficult to say to what extent the forms borrowed from nature were interpreted aesthetically here. Only one thing is certain: they were, first of all, functional (at their own level and in their own way). Along with function, natural form was mechanically introduced into artificial structures, which is why many ancient human structures - nests, huts, etc. - It is often difficult to distinguish any animals or insects, such as termites, from buildings.

The second stage is from the beginning of the formation of architecture as an art until approximately the middle of the 19th century. Despite the great length of this period in time, all its possible intermediate stages are united by one basis - the principle of imitation of nature. This meant mainly the use of forms of nature for pictorial and decorative purposes and copying the external forms of nature. An example is the columns of the Egyptian temples at Luxor and Karnak; Corinthian and Ionic capitals of columns of Greek temples; Renaissance palazzos and classicist palaces; figurative and artistic techniques of shaping in Russian churches; the capitals of the columns and their entire structure are an imitation of the forest motif in Gothic cathedrals; Japanese folk architecture, etc.

Speaking about this period, one cannot deny the interpretation of some constructive and tectonic principles of living nature. For example, the tectonics of columns with the periodicity of its diameters in height interprets the tectonics of a tree trunk; The flutes of the columns are similar to the fluted stems found in plants, giving them additional strength. The logic of the transition from one form to another in the structural units of the orders of Greek temples essentially repeats the principles of changing the forms vertically of a plant stem, tree trunk, and animal skeletons; the ribs of the coverings of Gothic churches perform the same structural function as the nervature (veins) of a green leaf of a tree, etc.

Natural tectonics in architectural forms is not always present spontaneously, as evidenced by the statements of Vitruvius, Alberti, Palladio and others. But the expressed thoughts regarding constructive solutions, for the most part, could not be put into practice due to limited technical capabilities. It was easier to make a form from stone or clay similar to nature for artistic purposes than to create a structural system similar to nature.

The third stage is the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries, which found its expression in “modern” architecture. At this stage, natural principles simultaneously, although to varying degrees, manifested themselves in functional, structural, constructive and decorative solutions.

The use of natural resources at this stage was greatly influenced by the rapid development of biology and the unprecedented successes of construction technology (for example, the invention of reinforced concrete and the beginning of intensive use metal structures, ceramics, etc.).

It was in modern architecture, as recent studies of Russian modernism have shown, that the functional and structural development of architectural forms began on the principle of adaptability to the functionally complex tasks of architecture and the environment. It was Art Nouveau that opened the way to a variety of interpretations of architectural forms, not bound by any established rigid system like the classical one. Here, too, willingly or unwillingly, the natural principle of diversity of forms with their “style” unity was embodied. It was in Art Nouveau that new spatial structures reminiscent of natural ones found their application. And finally, the use of bioforms for decorative purposes.

Achievements of biology of the 19th - early 20th centuries, complex, system principles The development of living nature is also reflected in such a wide area of activity as urban planning. This implies an attempt to practically implement the theory of the “garden city” of E. Howard in England, Germany/Russia, etc. The growth of industrial cities made us think about the problem of saving urban areas, their systematic formation, searching for measures to prevent chaos, solving issues of transport, locating public centers, etc. And here, too, there were attempts to appeal to living nature. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. many similar proposals were made: T. Fritsch - a city developing like a mollusk shell in a spiral, 1896; projects of Sant Elia, E. Gleden and others.

Famous Spanish architects M.R. Cervera and H. Ploz, active adherents of bionics, began research on “dynamic structures” in 1985, and in 1991 they organized the “Society for the Support of Innovation in Architecture.” A group under their leadership, which included architects, engineers, designers, biologists and psychologists, developed the “Vertical Bionic Tower City” project. In 15 years, a tower city should appear in Shanghai (according to scientists, in 20 years the population of Shanghai could reach 30 million people). The tower city is designed for 100 thousand people, the project is based on the “principle of wood construction”.

The city tower will have the shape of a cypress tree with a height of 1128 m with a girth at the base of 133 by 100 m, and at the widest point 166 by 133 m. The tower will have 300 floors, and they will be located in 12 vertical blocks of 80 floors. Between the blocks there are screed floors, which act as a supporting structure for each block level. Inside the blocks there are houses of different heights with vertical gardens. This elaborate design is similar to the structure of the branches and entire crown of the cypress tree. The tower will stand on a pile foundation according to the accordion principle, which is not buried, but develops in all directions as it gains height - similar to how it develops root system tree. Wind fluctuations on the upper floors are minimized: air easily passes through the tower structure. To cover the tower, a special plastic material will be used that imitates the porous surface of leather. If construction is successful, it is planned to build several more such building-cities.

Neurobionics.

The main areas of neurobionics are the study nervous system human and animal modeling nerve cells-neurons and neural networks. This makes it possible to improve and develop electronic and computer technology.

The nervous system of living organisms has a number of advantages over the most modern analogues invented by man:

1) Very perfect and flexible perception of external information, regardless of the form in which it comes (for example, handwriting, font, text color, drawings, timbre and other features of the voice, etc.).

2) High reliability, significantly exceeding the reliability of technical systems (the latter fail when one or more parts break in the circuit; if millions of nerve cells out of the billions that make up the brain die, the functionality of the system is maintained).

3) Miniature elements of the nervous system: with the number of elements 10 10 - 10 11 human brain volume 1.5 dm 3. A transistor device with the same number of elements would occupy a volume of several hundred, or even thousands m 3.

4) Economical operation: energy consumption by the human brain does not exceed several tens Tue.

5 ) A high degree of self-organization of the nervous system, rapid adaptation to new situations, to changes in activity programs.

Attempts to model the nervous system of humans and animals began with the construction of analogues of neurons and their networks. Various types of artificial neurons have been developed. Artificial “nerve networks” have been created that are capable of self-organization, that is, returning to stable states when they are taken out of balance. Studyingmemory and other properties of the nervous system - the main way to create “thinking” machines for automation complex processes production and management. The study of the mechanisms that ensure the reliability of the nervous system is very important for technology, because solving this primary technical problem will provide the key to ensuring the reliability of a number of technical systems (for example, aircraft equipment containing 10 5 electronic elements).

Research of analyzer systems. Everyanalyzer animals and humans, which perceives various stimuli (light, sound, etc.), consists of a receptor (or sensory organ), pathways and a brain center. These are very complex and sensitive formations that have no equal among technical devices. Miniature and reliable sensors, not inferior in sensitivity to, for example, the eye, which reacts to single quanta of light, the heat-sensitive organ of a rattlesnake, which distinguishes temperature changes of 0.001 ° C, or the electrical organ of fish, which perceives potentials in fractions of a microvolt, could significantly speed up the process. technological progress and scientific research.

Through the most important analyzer - the visual - the majority of information enters the human brain. From an engineering point of view, the following features are interesting: visual analyzer: wide range of sensitivity - from single quanta to intense light fluxes; change in clarity of vision from center to periphery; continuous tracking of moving objects; adaptation to a static image (to view a stationary object, the eye makes small oscillatory movements with a frequency of 1-150 Hz). For technical purposes, the development of an artificial retina is of interest. (The retina is a very complex formation; for example, the human eye has 10 8 photoreceptors, which are connected to the brain through 10 6 ganglion cells.) One of the variants of the artificial retina (similar to the retina of a frog) consists of 3 layers: the first includes 1800 photoreceptor cells, the second - “neurons” that perceive positive and inhibitory signals from the photoreceptors and determine the contrast of the image; in the third layer there are 650 “cells” of five different types. These studies make it possible to create automatic recognition tracking devices. The study of the sensation of spatial depth when seeing with one eye (monocular vision) made it possible to create a spatial depth meter for analyzing aerial photographs.

Work is underway to imitate the auditory analyzer of humans and animals. This analyzer is also very sensitive - people with acute hearing perceive sound when the pressure in the ear canal fluctuates by about 10µn/m2 (0.0001 dyne/cm2). It is also technically interesting to study the mechanism of information transmission from the ear to the auditory area of the brain. They study the olfactory organs of animals in order to create an “artificial nose” - an electronic device for analyzing small concentrations of odorous substances in air or water [some fish sense a concentration of a substance of several mg/m3 (µg/l )]. Many organisms have analytical systems that humans do not have. For example, a grasshopper has a tubercle on the 12th antennal segment that perceives infrared radiation; sharks and rays have channels on the head and in the front part of the body that perceive temperature changes of 0.1 ° C. Sensitivity to radioactive radiation possessed by snails and ants. Fish, apparently, perceive stray currents caused by the electrification of the air (this is evidenced by the fish moving to depths before a thunderstorm). Mosquitoes move along closed routes within an artificial magnetic field. Some animals sense infra- and ultrasonic vibrations well. Some jellyfish respond to infrasonic vibrations that occur before a storm. Bats emit ultrasonic vibrations in the range of 45-90 kHz , the moths they feed on have organs sensitive to these waves. Owls also have an "ultrasound receiver" to detect bats.

It is probably promising to design not only technical analogues of animal sense organs, but also technical systems with biologically sensitive elements (for example, the eyes of a bee for detecting ultraviolet rays and the eyes of a cockroach for detecting infrared rays).

Of great importance in technical design are the so-called.perceptrons - “self-learning” systems that perform logical functions of recognition and classification. They correspond to brain centers where received information is processed. Most research is devoted to the recognition of visual, sound or other images, i.e., the formation of a signal or code that uniquely corresponds to an object. Recognition must be carried out regardless of changes in the image (for example, its brightness, color, etc.) while maintaining its basic meaning. Such self-organizing cognitive devices operate without prior programming with gradual training carried out by a human operator; it presents images, signals errors, and reinforces correct responses. The input device of the perceptron is its perceptive, receptor field; when recognizing visual objects, it is a set of photocells.

After a period of “training,” the perceptron can make independent decisions. Based on perceptrons, devices are created for reading and recognizing text, drawings, analyzing oscillograms, radiographs, etc.

The study of detection, navigation and orientation systems in birds, fish and other animals is also one of the important tasks of bionics, because miniature and precise perceiving and analyzing systems that help animals navigate, find prey, and migrate thousands km, can help in improving instruments used in aviation, maritime affairs, etc. Ultrasonic location has been found in bats and a number of marine animals (fish, dolphins). Sea turtles are known to swim out to sea for several thousand km and always return to lay eggs to the same place on the shore. It is believed that they have two systems: long-range orientation by stars and short-range orientation by smell (chemistry of coastal waters). The male night peacock butterfly searches for a female at a distance of up to 10 km. Bees and wasps navigate well by the sun. Research into these many and varied detection systems has much to offer technology.

Thus, the American company Orbital Research, a developer of navigation systems, began work on an intuitive sensory system, which will avoid collisions between cars on the ground and planes in the air.

Scientists were prompted to design such a system by the behavior of cockroaches at the moment when they are trying to catch them. The nervous system of cockroaches constantly monitors everything, even the smallest changes, that occur nearby, and when danger arises, it reacts quickly, clearly and, most importantly, correctly. A working model of a radio-controlled car with “cockroach brains” has already been created.

Scientists from the Australian National University have studied the flight of the dragonfly in detail. They concluded that "despite having very small brains, these insects are capable of performing fast and precise aerial maneuvers that require stability and collision avoidance." They want to use new aircraft designed in the “image and likeness” to study the atmospheres of the planets of the solar system.

And here are some other unique ideas that nature throws up. As it turned out, spider web is five times stronger than steel and 30% more elastic than nylon. From the new material, “borrowed” from spiders, scientists propose making seat belts, weightless wires, bulletproof fabrics, medical threads, car tires and even artificial ligaments, because spider protein is practically not rejected by the body, since it has a predominantly protein base and has unique properties: it is unusually durable, lightweight, does not deteriorate for a long time under the influence of the environment, and is almost not susceptible to damage by microorganisms and fungi. But since it is quite problematic to obtain natural cobwebs in sufficient quantities, geneticists from the Canadian biotechnology company Nexia implanted the genes responsible for the synthesis of cobwebs in spiders into Nigerian goats. And they began to give milk containing the same proteins as the web. Raw materials are extracted from milk to make threads and weave super-strong silk.

In turn, Laboratory scientists Bell, a Lucent Technologies research center, discovered that the calcite crystals that form the skeleton starfish class of brittle stars (snaketails), have unique functions: they not only serve as a shell for brittle stars, but also serve as optical receptors for the compound eye. Scientists say studying this new biomaterial could help improve the design of optical elements for telecommunications networks. “Before our eyes is a wonderful example of what we can learn from nature,” said Federico Capasso, vice president of Bella Laboratories. “These small calcite crystals are almost perfect microlenses, significantly better than what we can produce today.”

Here is an example that can be taken from another invertebrate. One of the US Department of Energy's laboratories is studying a mixture that bivalves produce to stick tightly to the bottoms of ships. Based on the research, a new glue is being produced that will help glue oxidized metal plates from which important computer components are assembled, or even replace surgical sutures on the human body after surgery. However, to obtain just 1 gram of protein glue, 10 thousand shellfish are required. In this regard, scientists are considering next step of his research - implantation of the desired mollusk gene into some plant.

At the nanotechnology center in Manchester, scientists worked on a “problem” posed in a primitive way organized group lizards (geckos) that can move on almost any surface. Research results have shown that on the gecko's paws there is a row of keratin hairs measuring about 200 nm. Capillary forces help the gecko crawl on wet surfaces, and van der Waals forces help it crawl on dry surfaces. Each hair binds to the surface with a force of 10-7 N. Thanks high density hairs on the gecko's feet, the bond strength increases significantly.

The team from Manchester decided to continue their research by trying to construct the same array of nanofibers. It is possible that mass production of “gecko feet” is possible using less expensive technologies such as, for example, electron beam lithography. If you turn your attention to other vertebrates - whales and dolphins, you will find that they are “packed” in tissue like very elastic rubber, which consists of a complex network of collagen fibers. This discovery makes it possible to begin production of it synthetic analogue. If you dress sea vessels and submarines in this miracle material, their streamlining will increase, fuel consumption will decrease, and stability will increase.

But for the 2004 Olympics, a new “shark” suit, Fastskin FSII, was specially created by the American company Speedo. Its surface is lined with hundreds of tiny denticles. This “skin” was observed from the shark and additionally calculated on a computer. It reduces friction with water, which, according to the company, reaches 29% of the total resistance, and not 8-10%, as previously thought, reportsMembrane.ru. The result is a 4% reduction in total movement resistance and a corresponding increase in movement speed in water. For professional sports, this gain may be critical.

The military did not stand aside either. Thus, Professor Howie Choset, with military money, is developing a wheeled robot with the resemblance of an elephant’s trunk, the US Navy is funding the creation of lobster robots, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is paying for the construction of mechanical insects.

Technical bionics.

The study of the hydrodynamic features of the structure of whales and dolphins helped to create a special plating for the underwater part of ships, which provides an increase in speed by 20–25% with the same engine power. This skin is called laminflo and, similar to dolphin skin, is not wetted and has an elastic-elastic structure, which eliminates turbulent turbulence and ensures sliding with minimal resistance. The same example can be given from the history of aviation. For a long time The problem with high-speed aviation was flutter - vibrations of the wings that suddenly and violently appeared at a certain speed. Because of these vibrations, the plane fell apart in the air in a few seconds. After numerous accidents, the designers found a way out - they began to make wings with a thickening at the end. After some time, similar thickenings were discovered at the ends of the dragonfly's wings. In biology, these thickenings are called pterostigmas. New principles of flight, wheelless movement, construction of bearings, etc. are developed based on the study of the flight of birds and insects, the movement of jumping animals, and the structure of joints.

The new printed circuit, created at the Xerox Research Center (Palo Alto), has no moving parts (it consists of 144 sets of 4 nozzles each)

In the AirJet device, the developers copied the behavior of a termite swarm, where each termite makes independent decisions, but the swarm moves towards a common goal, such as building a nest.

Designed in Palo Alto, the printed circuit features multiple air nozzles, each of which operates independently without commands from the central processor, but at the same time contributes to the overall task of moving paper. The device has no moving parts, which reduces the cost of production. Each printed circuit contains 144 sets of 4 nozzles directed in different directions, as well as 32 thousand optical sensors and microcontrollers.

But the most devoted adherents of bionics are engineers who design robots. Today, there is a very popular point of view among developers that in the future robots will be able to act effectively only if they are as similar to humans as possible. Scientists and engineers assume that they will have to function in urban and domestic conditions, that is, in a “human” interior - with stairs, doors and other obstacles of a specific size. Therefore, at a minimum, they must correspond to a person in size and principles of movement. In other words, the robot must have legs (wheels, tracks, etc. are not suitable for the city). But who should we copy the design of legs from, if not from animals?

Scientists from Stanford University have advanced the furthest in the direction of creating upright bipedal robots. They have been experimenting for almost three years with a miniature six-legged robot, a hexapod, based on the results of studying the locomotion system of a cockroach.

A miniature, about 17 cm long, six-legged robot (hexapod) from Stanford University already runs at a speed of 55 cm/sec

The first hexapod was constructed on January 25, 2000. Now the design runs very quickly - at a speed of 55 cm (more than three of its own lengths) per second - and also successfully overcomes obstacles.

Conclusion.

Nature offers engineers and scientists endless opportunities to borrow technologies and ideas. Previously, people were not able to see what was literally in front of their noses, but modern technical means and computer modeling help us understand at least a little how the world around us works, and try to copy some details from it for our own needs.

In the past, man's attitude towards nature was consumerist. Technology exploited and destroyed natural resources. But gradually people began to treat nature more carefully, trying to take a closer look at its methods in order to wisely use them in technology. These methods can serve as a model for the development of environmentally friendly industrial products.

Nature as a standard is bionics.

References.

1. Bionics at school. Ts.N.Feodosievich, G.I. Ivanovich, Kyiv, 1990.

2. Live devices. Yu.G.Simvkov, M., 1986.

3. Secrets of bionics. I.I.Garmash, Kyiv, 1985.

4. Modeling in biology, trans. from English, ed. N. A. Bernstein, M., 1963.

5. Bionics issues. Sat. art., rep. ed. M. G. Gaase-Rapoport, M., 1967.

7. Kreizmer L.P., Sochivko V.P., Bionics, 2nd ed., M., 1968.

Internet resources

http://www.studik.ru

http://www.BankReferatov.ru

http://www.bestreferat.rureferat-42944.html

http://referat.ru/pub/item/9920

http://www.bestreferat.ru/referat-42944.html

Last year, while completing my project on the topic: “My school No. 2 of the future,” I was faced with how many houses, buildings, and structures in the modern world that harmoniously merge with nature. And I started searching the Internet for such projects, and to my surprise I discovered that there is a science that allows you to connect wildlife with technology, it’s called bionics.Bionics (from the Greek BION - living) is a science that has helped man apply the laws of nature in technological progress. There are many examples of this, I am convinced of this. Now, walking around the city, I know exactly where in which structure knowledge about nature was applied, for example, the pipes of a boiler room (see appendix) by analogy coincide with the stems of plants, which do not break when there is gusts of wind.In addition, I learned that bionics are divided into types:

Biological bionics, in which a person studies nature, how everything is arranged in it, why and for what purpose it is arranged this way;

Theoretical bionics, which, using mathematical examples, can calculate the structure of nature;

Technical bionics, which uses theoretical bionics to build some kind of blueprint, for example, a robot.

In general, as I understand it, bionics combined several sciences - biology, drawing, physics, chemistry, mathematics, electronics, etc. To build an airplane, a person had to watch birds for a long time, study the structure of their wings, then draw and design such an apparatus that could fly. By the way, Leonardo da Vinci was able to build the first flying machine with flapping wings. The drawings have survived to this day, and he lived in the 15th century.This science is not new at all; as we see from examples, man in any of his creations draws inspiration from living nature. I will also try to create my own project using knowledge of biology.I think the topic I have chosen is relevant, because, in my opinion, people should live in harmony and protect nature for the future generation.

Research methodology

From the stories of Aigul Minirasimovna in the lessons of the World around us, I concluded that people have recently treated the environment in a barbaric manner, misused natural resources, and cut down forests. But when I started working on the topic “Bionics”, I saw and became convinced that people can live without harming nature and animals. I'll tell you how I understood this.

Architectural bionics

So, a little bit of history: Antonio Gaudi was the first to use natural forms in construction at the beginning of the 19th century. Only in 1960, at the Council of Scientists in Daytona, bionics was recognized as a separate science. It has its own symbol (see appendix) - a scalpel and a soldering iron, connected by an integral sign. A scalpel is a symbol of biology, a soldering iron is a symbol of technology, and an integral is a sign of infinity.As I said above, there are many applications of bionics in construction, but I will show you, in my opinion, the most interesting:The architect Gaudi conceived it in 1883, construction should end in 2026, a hundred years after his death.As we can see, the columns are like trees with branches that firmly hold the roof of the building.Its roof is designed in the form of wings that open and close, protecting the building from bright sun rays. The author was inspired to create this project by the nearby Lake Michigan with its numerous boats and sails.The basis of the structure is an exoskeleton structure, thanks to which air passes through the entire building.Built in 2004. In my opinion, this is the most harmonious fusion with nature. The building in the form of a pipe smoothly bends around the unevenness of the landscape.Looks like a shellfish washed up on the shore. The shell of the building resembles the skin of an animal that shimmers in the sun.andI think this is the building of the future. Algae inside transparent glasses,

provided with nutrients and carbon dioxide. They produce biogas with the help of which the building is supplied with energy and heat.It is a symbol of Australia, surrounded on three sides by water. It resembles a huge ship flying with full sails to meet the wind.As we can see from the examples listed above, the buildings really either symbolize wildlife or have merged with the local landscape. This fact confirms that bionics exists in architecture and construction; moreover, it makes the world around us harmonious and beautiful to our eyes.

Bionics in design

There are many applications of bionics in design. In the modern world, designers strive to make the space around us more natural to humans, so that it is comfortable to live, relax, work... I found several options for how designers apply knowledge about bionics in practice, here are some of them, more or less simple:

A chair in the shape of a frozen oak leaf, I think it is very comfortable and beautiful.

Lampshade in the shape of a pumpkin, homey and cozy.

The interior is decorated in the form of a picturesque forest.

I chose this example for a reason, it seems to me that ideal option, because a person comes home to rest, and it turns out that in the middle of a clearing in the forest, even this small table resembles a tree with branches, green and white relax, make the air clear. Living greenery around makes the atmosphere more comfortable.Thanks to the discovery of the science of bionics, people began to draw inspiration from nature. A tree standing next to the house can lead to the creation of a table, chair, cabinet, etc. Thus, a mood, comfort, and colors come to our home that delight our eyes. We involuntarily reproduce around us a piece of nature, a dear corner in the stone jungle, we live in harmony with environment without disturbing the balance.

Miracle technology. Complex in simple

I told before how people, even in ancient times, spied on living organisms and tried to make something similar, for example, wings, birdsong, tools shaped like tusks, etc.So, nothing has changed since then; man to this day studies and spies on the structure of living beings, repeats everything that is useful for people. On a clear summer day in 1948, inventor Georges de Mestral was walking with his dog. After a walk, he noticed thorns on his trousers and on his pet, then he decided to look at them under a microscope and saw many hooks that had caught on threads of clothing and wool. Afterwards, de Mestral decided to make a clasp, the design of which would work according to this principle. He consulted with textile experts, but many did not understand him. Finally, one weaver found himself and wove two strips by hand (one with hooks, the other with loops). This is how the familiar Velcro fastener appeared, which we fasten and unfasten every day on a jacket, hat, and shoes.

Project

Having familiarized myself with this topic, I began to create my own object. There are a lot of them around apartment buildings. They are necessary because people have to live somewhere and they don’t take up much space. Therefore, I have to come up with something, like such a house, borrowing something from nature. And a thought came to my mind - honeycombs of bees. Why not? Unusual and practical. What about the hexagon shape? People live in both round and triangular houses. And I started drawing. And this is what I got.It seems to me that such houses should be built where earthquakes often occur. Solar panels can be installed on the roof to meet the needs of the building and to prevent snow from accumulating in winter, but from melting.

Result

In the course of my research, I came to the conclusion that the new science of bionics exists everywhere in our lives and has great benefits for people.My supervisor Aigul Minirasimovna and I studied the positive and negative aspects of the influence of bionics on the outside world and reflected this in the form of this table.

INFLUENCE	QUALITIES
On appearance facades, buildings, buildings, etc.	+ + +
On the environment (in terms of ecology)	+ + +
On a person's mood	+ + +
For profitability in terms of financial costs	+ -
To be in harmony with the environment	+ + +
Variety, difference from the usual boxes - gray buildings, square tables, stools...	+ + +
On the future of the world (i.e. what the world will look like in a few years)	+ + +

The table shows that new science has the majority of positive qualities on nature, on people.

Bionics. And her achievements

Completed:

Stepin K.S.

Teacher:
Ponomareva O.N.

Introduction_________________________________________________ 3

First applications of bionics_________________________________ 4

Classic examples:

Internal structure stem of a herbaceous plant.................................................... 5

Distribution of fruits and seeds.............................................................. ................. 5

Class insects. Order Diptera......................................................... .......... 7

Structure and functions of parts of the brain.................................................... .6

Modern discoveries:

Skeleton of deep-sea sponges.................................................... ...................... 8

Swarms of termites for the benefit of society................................................... .................. 9

Running and jumping robots.................................................... .................. 9

Conclusion_______________________________________________ 10

Appendix_______________________________________________ 11

References______________________________________________ 15

Introduction

Bionics(from the Greek biōn - element of life, literally - living) - applied science of application in technical devices and systems of principles, properties, functions and structures of living nature. The idea of applying knowledge about wildlife to solve engineering problems came from Leonardo da Vinci, who tried to build an aircraft with flapping wings like birds: an ornithopter.

The study of the patterns of morphogenesis of organisms for the construction of artificial objects in their likeness is usually clearly attributed to the field of bionics [a new scientific direction of the late 50s of the twentieth century. The emergence of this science was a consequence of the development of cybernetics, biophysics, biochemistry, space biology, engineering psychology, etc. Symposium in Daytona (USA) in September 1960. gave the name to the new science - bionics. The slogan of the symposium: “Living prototypes are the key to new technology” well defines the prospects for the development of bionics for many years.] In fact, the principles of constructing bioforms, biostructures, biofunctions for the purpose of using them in the creation of technical systems or architectural objects are studied by not one, but several biophysical sciences .

There are:

Biological bionics, which studies the processes occurring in biological systems;

Theoretical bionics, which builds mathematical models of these processes;

Technical bionics, which applies models of theoretical bionics to solve engineering problems.

Bionics is closely related to biology, physics, chemistry, cybernetics and engineering sciences: electronics, navigation, communications, maritime affairs and others.

The emergence of cybernetics, which considers general principles control and communication in living organisms and machines, became an incentive for a broader study of the structure and functions of living systems in order to clarify their commonality with technical systems, as well as to use the information obtained about living organisms to create new devices, mechanisms, materials, etc.

The main areas of work on bionics cover the following problems:

à study of the nervous system of humans and animals and modeling of nerve cells (neurons) and neural networks for further improvement of computer technology and the development of new elements and devices of automation and telemechanics (neurobionics);

à research of the sense organs and other perceptive systems of living organisms with the aim of developing new sensors and detection systems;

à study of the principles of orientation, location and navigation in various animals for the use of these principles in technology;

à study of the morphological, physiological, biochemical characteristics of living organisms to put forward new technical and scientific ideas.

First applications of bionics

Almost every technological problem that faces designers or engineers has long been successfully solved by other living beings. For example, soft drink manufacturers are constantly looking for new ways to package their products. At the same time, an ordinary apple tree solved this problem long ago. An apple is 97% water, packed not in wood cardboard, but in an edible peel that is appetizing enough to attract animals to eat the fruit and distribute the grains.

Bionics specialists reason this way. When they encounter an engineering or design problem, they look for a solution in the unlimited-size "science base" of animals and plants.

Gustav Eiffel did approximately the same thing, who in 1889 drew a drawing of the Eiffel Tower. This structure is considered one of the earliest clear examples of the use of bionics in engineering.

The design of the Eiffel Tower is based on the scientific work of Swiss anatomy professor Hermann Von Meyer. 40 years before the construction of the Parisian engineering miracle, the professor examined the bone structure of the head of the femur in the place where it bends and enters the joint at an angle. And yet for some reason the bone does not break under the weight of the body. Von Meyer discovered that the head of the bone is covered with an intricate network of miniature bones, thanks to which the load is amazingly redistributed throughout the bone. This network had a strict geometric structure, which the professor documented (Appendix Fig. No. 1).

In 1866, Swiss engineer Carl Cullman provided a theoretical basis for von Meyer's discovery, and 20 years later natural load distribution using curved supports was used by Eiffel (Appendix Fig. No. 2).

Another famous borrowing was made by Swiss engineer Georges de Mestral in 1955. He often walked with his dog and noticed that some strange plants were constantly sticking to its fur. Tired of constantly brushing the dog, the engineer decided to find out the reason why weeds stick to the dog's fur. Having studied the phenomenon, de Mestral determined that it was possible thanks to the small hooks on the fruits of the cocklebur (the name of this weed). As a result, the engineer realized the importance of his discovery and eight years later he patented the convenient Velcro, which today is widely used in the manufacture of not only military, but also civilian clothing (Appendix Fig. No. 3).

Classic examples

"The internal structure of the stem of a herbaceous plant"

Cross sections of the stems of herbaceous plants have a different structure compared to woody ones. For example, in a cross section of the stem of a downy plant (Appendix

rice. No. 5 -b) has the shape of a circle. The stem of the downy plant is hollow and there are 2 air cavities in it, designed for air circulation. Sclerenchyma strands 1 give strength to the plant when exposed to wind loads. Skin 3 protects the stem from atmospheric and climatic phenomena. The core of the stem grows faster than the skin. The latter seems to restrain its growth. The core is stretched, the skin is compressed. As a result, internal stresses. This gives elasticity to the stem.

Bionics, studying the patterns of form formation in nature, create original, economical building structures. A factory pipe (Appendix Fig. No. 5 -c) in cross section is similar in structure to the stem of a downy plant. Longitudinal reinforcement 1 gives it strength like strands in a stem, voids 2 lighten the structure. The central round hole in the cut is a smoke exhaust, spiral fittings 3. To manufacture a pipe, the design of which is borrowed from nature, less building materials were used than if it were monolithic, and less physical labor was spent. The resistance to wind loads of such a pipe is no worse than its natural counterpart.

"Distribution of Fruits and Seeds"

The model for the shape of the wings of the Austrian Taube aircraft (Appendix Fig. No. 6 -a) at the dawn of aircraft construction was the flying seed of the Zenonia vine (Appendix Fig. No. 6 -b). It reminds pumpkin seed with curved ends. Due to its low weight, the seed has excellent flight qualities. It was this circumstance that attracted the attention of the inventor Etrich from Bohemia. In 1904 he built his first glider without a tail. The wingspan was 6 m. The glider could carry a payload of 25 kg. During subsequent years Etrich, borrowing natural analogies, created new models of gliders, improved them, improving their flight qualities.

Pollen from cereal plants has two shells filled with air, the density of which is less than the density of the surrounding air. This creates a lifting force for the pollen, so it travels long distances through the air.

The principle of lifting force, realized in nature, was used by man in the first aircraft he created: hot air balloon filled with hot air, in a balloon, airship. The falling shuttlecock in badminton resembles the parachute fruit of a dandelion. Perhaps he or a similar parachute fruit gave Leonardo da Vinci the idea of a parachute.

“Class insects. Order Diptera"

Let us pay attention to the presence of chemoreceptors on the legs of the housefly - a kind of miniature biological sensors. The fly has four types: some analyze the composition of water, others determine sugar, others examine various salts, and others indicate the presence of protein foods. There are the same receptors in her proboscis. Thanks to them, the fly always knows what exactly is under its feet: food, drink or something inedible. The proboscis of a fly automatically responds to the readings of skin receptors. He stretches out - and the fly begins to drink or eat. By straightening the proboscis, you can judge what substances and in what concentrations the insect catches. The substance is analyzed in a few seconds. Thus, nature has acquired the most advanced methods chemical analysis. Physicists and chemists can use them by fully understanding the methods used by the fly.

In the geophysics laboratory of the Institute of Heat and Mass Transfer of the Academy of Sciences of the BSSR, an adhesive substance with the viscosity of Vaseline was created from silica powder. If you apply it to a wheel in an electromagnetic field, it instantly hardens. The wheel is securely glued to the supporting surface. When the magnetic field is removed, the substance acquires its previous viscous state. Engineers have created a walking robot (Appendix Fig. No. 7). It looks for defects on a metal surface. Six legs 4 are attached to the body 5 and each of them has two drives (motor with transmission mechanisms). One for horizontal, one for vertical movement. The leg ends with a shoe with a cushion 3 impregnated with an adhesive substance. It is fed from a reservoir to the hollow leg supports. The robot's six legs are combined into two groups, three in each. The robot walks simultaneously with one group of legs, while the other is glued to the supporting surface. Alternately, an electric current is supplied to the shoes of one or the other group of legs - and the foot pads are glued to the supporting surface.

The robot has an eye - a television camera 1, a hose 2 with an electric cable and a tube for supplying compressed air to the pneumatic actuators.

“Structure and functions of parts of the brain”

Uncovering the principles of the brain, which still largely remain a mystery, means finding the key to designing the computers of the future. The new science of neurocybernetics deals with the construction of an artificial brain. The first computer was tasked with performing arithmetic operations. As computer technology developed, the computer began to perform more complex operations, work faster, and its size decreased (Table p. 8).

Options	Human brain	computer
Storage medium	Nervous excitement	Electric current
Input speed	Less than 1 bit/s in duration	More than 106 bps
formations in memory	body memory
Operation time	All my life	Billions of operations per second
Advantages	Focusing exclusively	Concentration less
	complex	complex functions in
	functions except	much more
	in a very small volume.	volume. Low degree
	High degree of co-	perfection of electrical
	excellence physio-	throne neuron
	logical processes in a neuron
Dependence of storage	Depends	Doesn't depend
passing the individual
especially
sty and emotional
no state
Memory capacity	Theoretical maxi-	107 bits at this time
	mum 108-1010 bits	cop
	course of life
Memory type	Mixed	Mixed
Features pa-	Memorizing the meaning	Memorization of mechanics
wrinkle	lazy	logical
Type of processing	Parallel	Consistent
information
mation
Information filtering	Very effective	Poor
mation
Storage time	Impermanent	Permanent
formations in memory
Extraction from pa-
mint the required in-
formations:
recently introduced	Fast	Fast
introduced long ago	Slow	fast
If damaged	Works	Doesn't work
Perception of information	Through many channels: by shape, color,	One channel
	the shadow of the object, according to
	font, handwriting,
	smell, touch,
	voice timbre, intonation
	nation, drawing, etc.
Weight	1.2-1.3 kg	3-10 times more
		than the human brain

Modern discoveries

Modern bionics is largely associated with the development of new materials that copy natural ones. The same Kevlar appeared thanks to working together genetic biologists and engineers, materials specialists.

Currently, some scientists are trying to find analogues of human body organs in order to create, for example, an artificial ear (already on sale in the United States) or an artificial eye (under development).

Skeleton of deep sea sponges

Other developers focus on studying natural organisms. For example, researchers from Bell Labs (Lucent Corporation) recently discovered high-quality optical fiber in the body of deep-sea sponges of the genus Euplectellas. Researchers from Bell Labs, a division of Lucent Technologies, have discovered that deep sea sponges contain optical fibers that are very similar in properties to the latest fibers used in telecommunications networks. Moreover, in some respects, natural fiber may be better than artificial fiber.(Appendix Fig. No. 8) .

According to the classification generally accepted today, sponges form an independent type of primitive invertebrate animals. They lead an absolutely motionless lifestyle. The sponge of the genus Euplectella lives in tropical seas. It reaches a length of 15-20 cm. Its internal mesh-shaped frame is formed by cylindrical rods made of transparent silicon dioxide. At the base of the sponge there is a bundle of fibers, which is shaped like a kind of crown. The length of these fibers is from 5 to 18 cm, the thickness is like that of human hair. Studies of these fibers revealed that they consist of several clearly defined concentric layers with different optical properties. The central part of the cylinder consists of pure silicon dioxide, and around it there are cylinders containing a noticeable amount of organic matter.

Scientists were amazed at how close the structures of natural optical fibers turned out to be to those samples that had been developed in laboratories for many years. Although the transparency in the central part of the fiber is slightly lower than that of the best artificial samples, natural fibers have proven to be more resistant to mechanical stress, especially when breaking and bending. It is these mechanical properties that make optical information transmission networks vulnerable - if cracks form or break in the optical fiber, it must be replaced, and this is a very expensive operation. Scientists from Bell Labs cite the following fact, demonstrating the extremely high strength and flexibility of natural optical fibers - they can be tied into a knot, and at the same time they do not lose their optical properties. Such actions with artificial optical fibers will inevitably lead to breakage or at least the formation of internal cracks, which ultimately also means a loss of the functional properties of the material.

Scientists do not yet know how to reproduce such a creation of nature in the laboratory. The fact is that modern optical fiber is produced in furnaces from melts at a very high temperature, and sea sponges, naturally, during their development, synthesize it by chemical deposition at the temperature of sea water. If we can model this process, it will, among other things, also be economically profitable.

According to the test results, it turned out that the material from the skeleton of these 20-centimeter sponges can transmit a digital signal no worse than modern communication cables, while natural optical fiber is much stronger than human fiber due to the presence of an organic shell. The second feature that surprised scientists is the possibility of forming such a substance at a temperature of about zero degrees Celsius, while Lucent factories use high-temperature processing for this purpose. Now scientists are thinking about how to increase the length of the new material, since the skeletons of sea sponges do not exceed 15 cm.

Swarms of termites, for the benefit of society

In addition to the development of new materials, scientists are constantly reporting technological discoveries that are based on the “intellectual potential” of nature. For example, in October 2003, the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center developed new technology feeding mechanism for copiers and printers.

In the AirJet device, the developers copied the behavior of a termite swarm, where each termite makes independent decisions, but the swarm moves towards a common goal, such as building a nest.

Running and jumping robots

But the most devoted adherents of bionics are engineers who design robots. Today, there is a very popular point of view among developers that in the future, robots (read more about robotics here) will be able to act effectively only if they are as similar to humans as possible. Scientists and engineers assume that they will have to function in urban and domestic conditions, that is, in a “human” interior - with stairs, doors and other obstacles of a specific size. Therefore, at a minimum, they must correspond to a person in size and principles of movement. In other words, the robot must have legs (wheels, tracks, etc. are not suitable for the city). But who should we copy the design of legs from, if not from animals?

The first hexapod was constructed on January 25, 2000 (Appendix Fig. No. 10) Now the design runs very quickly - at a speed of 55 cm (more than three of its own lengths) per second - and also successfully overcomes obstacles.

Stanford has also developed a human-sized one-legged jumping monopod that is capable of maintaining an unstable balance while constantly jumping. As you know, a person moves by “falling” from one leg to another and spends most of the time on one leg. In the future, scientists from Stanford hope to create a bipedal robot with a human walking system (Appendix Fig. No. 11).

Conclusion

The concept of bionics is by no means new. For example, 3000 years ago the Chinese tried to adopt the method of making silk from insects. But at the end of the twentieth century, bionics found a second wind; modern technologies make it possible to copy miniature natural structures with unprecedented accuracy. So, a few years ago, scientists were able to analyze the DNA of spiders and create an artificial analogue of a silky web - Kevlar. In this article I have listed several promising directions modern bionics and cited the most famous cases of borrowing from nature.

In the last decade, bionics has received significant impetus for new development. This is due to the fact that modern technologies are moving to the giga- and nanolevel and make it possible to copy miniature natural structures with previously unprecedented accuracy. Modern bionics is mainly associated with the development of new materials that copy natural analogues, robotics and artificial organs.

Application

It is impossible to say exactly when the science of bionics was born, because humanity has always drawn inspiration from nature; it is known, for example, that about 3 thousand years ago attempts were made to copy the creation of silk, as insects do. Of course, such attempts cannot be called developments; only after modern technologies appeared did people imagine themselves completely real opportunity carry out copying of natural ideas, reproduce artificially in a few hours everything that is born in natural conditions for years. For example, scientists know how to grow synthetic stones, which are not inferior in beauty and purity to natural ones, in particular as an analogue to diamonds.

The most famous visual embodiment of bionics is the Eiffel Tower in Paris. This construction was based on the study of the femur, which, as it turned out, consisted of small bones. They help to distribute the weight perfectly, so femoral head can withstand heavy load. The same principle was used to create the Eiffel Tower.

Perhaps the most famous “” of bionics, who made a huge contribution to its development, is Leonardo da Vinci. For example, he watched the flight of a dragonfly, and then tried to transfer its movements when creating an aircraft.

The importance of bionics for other scientific fields

Not everyone accepts bionics as a science, considering it knowledge born at the intersection of several disciplines, while the concept of bionics itself is broad, it covers several scientific areas. In particular, this genetic engineering, design, medical and biological electronics.

One could talk about its exclusively applied nature, but modern software makes it possible to simulate and implement all kinds of natural solutions into reality, and therefore the study and comparison of natural phenomena with human capabilities is increasingly relevant. When creating modern robotics, engineers are increasingly turning to bionic scientists for help. After all, it is robots that will make human life significantly easier in the future, and for this they must be able to move correctly, think, predict, analyze, etc. Thus, scientists from Stanford University created a robot based on observations of cockroaches; their invention is not only agile and organic , but also very functional. In the near future, this robot may become an indispensable assistant for those who cannot move independently.

With the help of bionics, it will be possible to create colossal technological developments in the future. Now it will take a person only a few years to create an analogue of natural phenomena, while nature itself will spend millennia on this.