A Biomimicry Study

Abstract

Biomimicry is the study of imitating nature used by designers to help solve human problems. Biomimicry is an interdisciplinary approach to study and transfer principles or mechanisms from nature to solve design challenges and focuses on sustainability.

All biological tissues or organs in nature have the function of converting physical and chemical signals into limb movements. The aim of this study is to discover the mysteries of the caterpillar's stepping movement by using a spring.

According to the results obtained from the findings:

When the spring is bent, the moment is directly proportional to the bending angle and the potential energy of the spring is stored and then the spring can jump. This system can be reconciled with the system that produces the stepping motion of the Caterpillar. The jump distance is maximum when the time difference for the spring is equal to T/16.

While the time difference may affect the initial speed and output, the horizontal and vertical position of the arc center when the jump occurs will also affect the jumping distance.

According to experimental results, when the time difference is T/16, T/8 or T/4, the spring can jump farther than the others. When the time difference is T/16, it reaches the farthest jumping distance.

In the future, this robot can also be equipped with miniature cameras, infrared and other sensing equipment to complete tasks such as extreme object detection and rescue in small or toxic and hazardous environments such as pipelines and engines.