It’s perhaps demeaning to know that although we may design an ingenious solution to a difficult problem, there is something scuttling underfoot – something we might stamp on without a backward glance – which has already done it.
Studying insects is nothing new for engineers who have long envied some of the extraordinary powers of these small creatures. Today bioengineers are looking at ways to develop novel surgical devices based on insect stingers; technologists are building robots for search and rescue based on the detective powers of cockroaches; scientists are investigating the swarm communication feats of flies; the agility of fleas is being studied with the idea of matching their speed to the reaction of helicopters, etc. The list is in fact, endless.
And so we watch insects with a kind of wonder and envy – and a growing sense of innovative possibility; how to engineer what is natural to them to become useful to us.
The new buzzword: Biomimicry
Search and rescue purposes
- Small robots are being created to mimic the behaviour of cockroaches. We could shudder at this, but cockroaches have some very useful attributes. They are fast, nimble, and have an excellent sense of smell – they can find stuff in the smallest of places. And so robots based on these characteristics are being equipped with microphones and thermostats to detect sound and heat, and to undertake search and rescue missions. They will prove invaluable in finding people in collapsed buildings, and communicating their position to the rescuers.
- When we cross-match mobile technology and insect designs, we can produce small robots equipped with smartphone-like features: cameras, gyroscopes and various sensors which enable the searching and mapping of an area. As the technology improves, the insect robots will get smaller and smarter, communicating with one another through algorithms that might, for instance, allow them to fly together in a swarm – although this is perhaps a rather scary perspective on the future.
- Then we’re looking at the common house fly, and the fact that it can recover quickly from an accidental crash. Which means we are developing fly-type robots that can zoom with precision through cluttered environments like forests, collapsed buildings and mines. "When you see a house fly hit a window ... it bounces off and flies away." ~ Tom Vaneck, specialist in disruptive technologies, Physical Sciences, Inc.
- Robotic bees are being designed to engage with a host of tasks: search and rescue, hazardous environment exploration, and of course ultimately pollination. In short, as biologist Robert Full, researcher in Biomechanics and Physiology, says: “Robotic insects could transform the hunt for survivors.”
- The modern chainsaw owes its origins to observations of another insect, the Ponderous Borer beetle. Joe Cox devised a new saw chain with alternating “right” and “left” cutting teeth based on the actions of the beetle. The design vastly improved the quality of chainsaws, and the design was patented. And Joe Cox eventually founded a multi-million dollar business. Copying insects is not to be sneezed at!
- We have learned that scarab beetles can navigate by the sun and the stars. Bees and wasps can sniff out explosives, and cockroaches can help first responders find victims buried in rubble after disasters. Studying the eyes and brains of dragonflies has led to new algorithms for visual tracking that are twenty-times faster than previous generations of such programs.
Medical purposes
Watching insects place their stings accurately and penetratingly has given mechanical engineers the idea of developing innovative surgery needles. These needles would result in more effective and less invasive percutaneous procedures. The design presents with greater accuracy and is less likely to cause tissue damage. For instance, where a surgical needle is used to target cancer cells with radiation, the procedure must involve stringent precision in order to be successful. Another key lesson from the insects is a way to the reduce insertion force of the surgical needles. This means a reduction in pain, trauma and swelling that can be caused by needles, and therefore potential reduction in a patient’s recovery time.
Under earth
Get down and take a closer look. Bugs loosen the earth, make corridors, eat leftover material, turn it into fertile food for others. Upcycling in its purest form! These trillions of little mini engineers can mine a field without producing waste and with short supply lines. These are the really ingenious ecosystem engineers, continually and reliably providing healthy soil. And of course, they are full of proteins themselves. Right now, developing insect farms for food is an important way engineers are contributing to the future and security of food production.
Speeding up the action
Some scientists are studying how fleas, locusts and even praying mantises take to the air. Jumping usually means evading danger as fast as possible in a very short space of time. A flea, for example, releases the energy in its legs in one thousandth of a second. Fleas, grasshoppers, locusts, and frogs have springs that they can ratchet up to store energy, rather like an internal bow. Both back legs need the same power at the same time. Some insects have gears – tiny cogs with interlocking teeth on the inside of each leg, working as a sort of zip to make sure the legs are actioned for double power at exactly the same moment!
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