Nature gives us ample opportunity to understand and observe her secrets, and scientists and inventors can and do study the characteristics of things in nature to come up with amazing and astonishing technologies and products invented as a result. This new volume provides a sampling of technological issues that have been tackled with the help of biologically inspired engineering, by such things in nature as bionic plants, the lotus leaf, insects and beetles, geckos, bats, spiders, and butterflies. It considers bio-inspired technologies that have been applied in water purification, for business lessons, in healthcare and medicine, and more. This unique volume is an inspiring resource for professionals, researchers, scholars, engineers, and businessmen and businesswomen interested in the latest developments by studying the wonders of natural science.

Bioinspired Materials for Medical Applications examines the inspiration of natural materials and their interpretation as modern biomaterials. With a strong focus on therapeutic and diagnostic applications, the book also examines the development and manipulation of bioinspired materials in regenerative medicine. The first set of chapters is heavily focused on bioinspired solutions for the delivery of drugs and therapeutics that also offer information on the fundamentals of these materials. Chapters in part two concentrate on bioinspired materials for diagnosis applications with a wide coverage of sensor and imaging systems With a broad coverage of the applications of bioinspired biomaterials, this book is a valuable resource for biomaterials researchers, clinicians, and scientists in academia and industry, and all those who wish to broaden their knowledge in the allied field. - Explores how materials designed and produced with inspiration from nature can be used to enhance man-made biomaterials and medical devices - Brings together the two fields of biomaterials and bioinspired materials - Written by a world-class team of research scientists, engineers, and clinicians

Nature is the world's foremost designer. With billions of years of experience and boasting the most extensive laboratory available, it conducts research in every branch of engineering and science. Nature's designs and capabilities have always inspired technology, from the use of tongs and tweezers to genetic algorithms and autonomous legged robots. Taking a systems perspective rather than focusing narrowly on materials or chemistry aspects, Biomimetics: Biologically Inspired Technologies examines the field from every angle. The book contains pioneering approaches to biomimetics including a new perspective on the mechanization of cognition and intelligence, as well as defense and attack strategies in nature, their applications, and potential. It surveys the field from modeling to applications and from nano- to macro-scales, beginning with an introduction to principles of using biology to inspire designs as well as biological mechanisms as models for technology. This innovative guide discusses evolutionary robotics; genetic algorithms; molecular machines; multifunctional, biological-, and nano- materials; nastic structures inspired by plants; and functional surfaces in biology. Looking inward at biological systems, the book covers the topics of biomimetic materials, structures, control, cognition, artificial muscles, biosensors that mimic senses, artificial organs, and interfaces between engineered and biological systems. The final chapter contemplates the future of the field and outlines the challenges ahead. Featuring extensive illustrations, including a 32-page full-color insert, Biomimetics: Biologically Inspired Technologies provides unmatched breadth of scope as well as lucid illumination of this promising field.

A comprehensive introduction to new approaches in artificial intelligence and robotics that are inspired by self-organizing biological processes and structures. New approaches to artificial intelligence spring from the idea that intelligence emerges as much from cells, bodies, and societies as it does from evolution, development, and learning. Traditionally, artificial intelligence has been concerned with reproducing the abilities of human brains; newer approaches take inspiration from a wider range of biological structures that that are capable of autonomous self-organization. Examples of these new approaches include evolutionary computation and evolutionary electronics, artificial neural networks, immune systems, biorobotics, and swarm intelligence—to mention only a few. This book offers a comprehensive introduction to the emerging field of biologically inspired artificial intelligence that can be used as an upper-level text or as a reference for researchers. Each chapter presents computational approaches inspired by a different biological system; each begins with background information about the biological system and then proceeds to develop computational models that make use of biological concepts. The chapters cover evolutionary computation and electronics; cellular systems; neural systems, including neuromorphic engineering; developmental systems; immune systems; behavioral systems—including several approaches to robotics, including behavior-based, bio-mimetic, epigenetic, and evolutionary robots; and collective systems, including swarm robotics as well as cooperative and competitive co-evolving systems. Chapters end with a concluding overview and suggested reading.

Seeking new methods to satisfy increasing communication demands, researchers continue to find inspiration from the complex systems found in nature. From ant-inspired allocation to a swarm algorithm derived from honeybees, Bio-Inspired Computing and Networking explains how the study of biological systems can significantly improve computing, networki

Evolvable Hardware (EHW) has emerged as a sub-domain of artificial evolution represented by a design methodology (consortium of methods) involving the application of Evolutionary Algorithms (EA) to the synthesis of digital and analogue electronic circuits and systems. Nevertheless, the most benefit for the society and indeed most revolutionizing application of EA is its hardware implementation leading to the EHW. These new EA based methodologies led to a new type of machines that is evolved to attain a desired behaviour, which means they have a behavioural computational intelligence. EHW is a special case of the adaptive hardware, namely being strongly related to the Adaptive Systems (AS) and the Adaptive Hardware (AH). The book presents a careful selection of the field that very well reflects the breadth of this high technology and its terminology and applications in context of the AS/AH. The harmonious symbiosis of the engineering approach and the accurate scientific methodology features the aspects of highly relevant and practical design principles governing the development of EHW and its connections with AS/AH. This book is both attractive and useful for everybody interested in the design and analysis of EHW in context of AS/AH and implementation of real time adaptive hardware hybrid intelligent systems.

In order to achieve the revolutionary new defense capabilities offered by materials science and engineering, innovative management to reduce the risks associated with translating research results will be needed along with the R&D. While payoff is expected to be high from the promising areas of materials research, many of the benefits are likely to be evolutionary. Nevertheless, failure to invest in more speculative areas of research could lead to undesired technological surprises. Basic research in physics, chemistry, biology, and materials science will provide the seeds for potentially revolutionary technologies later in the 21st century.

“Young readers will be captivated by the contemporary inventors and inventions featured, and inspired to incorporate biomimicry into their own designs.” —Miranda Paul, author of One Plastic Bag and Water is Water Who's the best teacher for scientists, engineers, AND designers? Mother nature, of course! When an inventor is inspired by nature for a new creation, they are practicing something called biomimicry. Meet ten real-life scientists, engineers, and designers who imitate plants and animals to create amazing new technology. An engineer shapes the nose of his train like a kingfisher's beak. A scientist models her solar cell on the mighty leaf. Discover how we copy nature's good ideas to solve real-world problems! WINNER AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books A National Science Teacher Association Best STEM Book “Mimic Makers reveals marvels of engineering inspired by nature with images that invite careful observation and explanations that are expressive, but never over simplified.” —Kim Parfitt, AP Biology and Environmental Science teacher, curriculum developer for Howard Hughes Medical Institute Biointeractive, and recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Math Teaching. “Amazing! . . . Love that the book features the scientists and inventors, and that there is a diverse set of them. —Janine Benyus, co-founder of the Biomimicry Institute

Swarm Intelligence and bio-inspired computation have become increasing popular in the last two decades. Bio-inspired algorithms such as ant colony algorithms, bat algorithms, bee algorithms, firefly algorithms, cuckoo search and particle swarm optimization have been applied in almost every area of science and engineering with a dramatic increase of number of relevant publications. This book reviews the latest developments in swarm intelligence and bio-inspired computation from both the theory and application side, providing a complete resource that analyzes and discusses the latest and future trends in research directions. It can help new researchers to carry out timely research and inspire readers to develop new algorithms. With its impressive breadth and depth, this book will be useful for advanced undergraduate students, PhD students and lecturers in computer science, engineering and science as well as researchers and engineers. - Focuses on the introduction and analysis of key algorithms - Includes case studies for real-world applications - Contains a balance of theory and applications, so readers who are interested in either algorithm or applications will all benefit from this timely book.

Repackaged with a new afterword, this "valuable and entertaining" (New York Times Book Review) book explores how scientists are adapting nature's best ideas to solve tough 21st century problems. Biomimicry is rapidly transforming life on earth. Biomimics study nature's most successful ideas over the past 3.5 million years, and adapt them for human use. The results are revolutionizing how materials are invented and how we compute, heal ourselves, repair the environment, and feed the world. Janine Benyus takes readers into the lab and in the field with maverick thinkers as they: discover miracle drugs by watching what chimps eat when they're sick; learn how to create by watching spiders weave fibers; harness energy by examining how a leaf converts sunlight into fuel in trillionths of a second; and many more examples. Composed of stories of vision and invention, personalities and pipe dreams, Biomimicry is must reading for anyone interested in the shape of our future.