Biomimetics: biologically inspired technologies

Abstract

Abstract. Over 3.8 billion years of evolution nature introduced highly effective and power efficient biological mechanisms offering incredible models for innovation inspiration. Humans have always made efforts to imitate nature and we are increasingly reaching levels of advancement that it becomes significantly easier to imitate, copy, and adapt biological methods, processes and systems. Advances in science and technology are leading to knowledge and capabilities that are multiplying every year. This brought us to the ability to create technology that is far beyond the simple mimicking of nature. Having better tools to understand and to implement nature’s principles we are now equipped like never before to be inspired by nature and to employ our tools in far superior ways. Effectively, by bio-inspiration we can have a better view and value of nature capability while studying its models to learn what can be extracted, copied or adapted. Using electroactive polymers (EAP) as artificial muscles is adding an important element in the development of biologically inspired technologies. This paper reviews the various aspects of the field of biomimetics and the role that EAP play and the outlook for its evolution.