<h2 dir="ltr" id="isPasted">Tried and tested (and free)</h2>Biomimetics is the method by which scientists borrow successful ideas from nature to use in their own inventions. The advantage of this approach is that the solutions found among animals and plants are not subject to any patent. And over countless millennia, there are certain structures and mechanisms in nature that have allowed all sorts of living things to survive in various conditions. Thus, developers can rely on nature&rsquo;s best ideas, modify them as needed, and create robots that resemble beings we&rsquo;re already familiar with.<blockquote>&ldquo;For instance, there&rsquo;s a German company named Festo that specializes in various biomimetic solutions. They have a kangaroo robot that, just like the real thing, conserves energy after a jump and uses it for the next one. There are other notable inventions: the well-known Spot robot-dogs, worm-like medical robots, or even drug delivery bots modeled after fish. Some specialists develop mechanisms based on plant life &ndash; plantoids. But that&rsquo;s still a work in progress and it&rsquo;ll be some time before you can buy one in a store,&rdquo; explains Pavel Kovalenko, an associate professor at the Faculty of Control Systems and Robotics.</blockquote><h2 dir="ltr" id="isPasted">More ground to cover</h2>Nevertheless, the biomimetic method suffers from several limitations. Firstly, scientists have not been successful in recreating the principles or developing materials that would allow them to fully replicate certain species. Take geckos: these lizards&rsquo; paws are covered with microscopic adhesive hairs that can stick to any smooth vertical surface and traverse it. But researchers are yet to create a similar technology that would be suitable for industrial production.<blockquote>&ldquo;When we try to create the same product using nanolithography, the hairs come out different: not splayed like they should be, but rather conical or simply crudely shaped. Because of this, the adhesion is not adequate. In addition, artificial materials cannot self-clean and, therefore, lose their stickiness. It&rsquo;s like a piece of duct tape that you apply and tear off again and again,&rdquo; says Pavel Kovalenko.</blockquote>The second limitation of biomimetics is the scalability of natural mechanisms: as a rule, the ideas used at nanoscale are not always reproducible in macroscale. This forces researchers to look for other solutions to applied problems. For instance, instead of a robotic gecko, they will also create a snail that can climb vertical surfaces.Last but not least, for robots to function as animals, researchers have to truly synchronize their control system, its components, and parts of the robot. According to Pavel Kovalenko, this can be achieved when both the software and the engineering aspects of the robot are developed by a single team with a clear view of their final outcome.&nbsp;<h2 dir="ltr" id="isPasted">A robotic zoo at ITMO</h2>Despite all these challenges, students and graduates of ITMO&rsquo;s Faculty of Control Systems and Robotics are actively engaged in biomimetics, having already completed several stages of their research. First, they analyzed the behavior, body structure and functions of living organisms, and then based on this step decided which body parts they should recreate in their work. They have also selected flexible materials resembling existing animals. At the next stage, the researchers performed calculations, chose the digital components and motors for the robot, and developed the necessary software. As a result, they have already created several model robotic animals.For instance, ITMO graduate Georgy Larionenko developed a waterproof robotic fish with a moving tail that works on two magnets. A servomotor inside the waterproof body activates the first magnet, which in its turn activates the second one that is connected to the fluke. This way, by moving its tail in the water, the robotic fish can swim &ndash; both in fresh and salty water, as experiments have shown. The robot can be useful for gauging the parameters of the water and the ocean floor in various conditions, including in the arctic region.&nbsp;<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fYqbsCFRuS0?&wmode=opaque&rel=0&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" style="width: 768px; height: 429px;"></iframe>A team of three graduates, Oksana Shuraeva, Anastasia Yusupova, and Anton Kovalenko, has developed a robotic snail. It can crawl down inclined surfaces by intermittently extending and retracting its &ldquo;paws,&rdquo; two spirals with plates attached to them. In order to guide the robot in the necessary direction, a servomotor, located in its shell, positions the snail&rsquo;s head at the needed angle, so that the rest of its body can follow suit. One application of this invention is window cleaning &ndash; the snail will leave a trail of detergent behind.Elizaveta Shelukhina, another ITMO graduate, wanted to make a device that will be protected from its environment. She could take inspiration from several animals, including turtles, hedgehogs, and armadillos, but eventually decided to settle on the latter, creating the concept for robotic armadillo. When the robot senses that something is falling on it or if someone kicks it, it rolls into a ball to protect its silicon insides. When the external influence ends, the robot unrolls back into its full length. Such robotic armadillos can come in handy in rescue missions, when there is a high risk of buildings collapsing.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1665655602540-1282503.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Robotic snail. Image courtesy of the Faculty of Control Systems and Robotics&nbsp;<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1665655652013-1282504.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The snail&rsquo;s locomotion mechanism includes two spirals with plates attached to them. The spirals are activated by two D41AB12 DC motors and when climbing an inclined surface the snail&rsquo;s front part is controlled by an FS5106B servomotor. Image courtesy of the Faculty of Control Systems and Robotics&nbsp; &nbsp;<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1665655682130-1282501.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The concept of a protected armadillo robot developed by Elizaveta Shelukhina. When hit by something, the robot rolls into a ball to protect its insides. Photo by Dmitry Grigoryev, ITMO.NEWS&nbsp; &nbsp;<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1665655703530-1282502.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The robotic fish presented at the Robotex youth robotics contect. Image courtesy of the Faculty of Control Systems and Robotics&nbsp; &nbsp;These days, students at the faculty are also developing various robotic animals. For example, Maged Mohamed, a second-year student in the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Master&rsquo;s program, researches biomimetics to come up with his own prototype of a waterproof fish that will also resist the pressure deep underwater to collect samples of the bottom and water for analysis.&nbsp;<hr>Translated by&nbsp;<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://news.itmo.ru/en/profile/30/&source=gmail&ust=1665742142569000&usg=AOvVaw3TxK7CnbdCJBWzW22ae5a2" href="https://news.itmo.ru/en/profile/30/" id="isPasted" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Vadim Galimov</a> and <a href="https://news.itmo.ru/en/profile/51/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Catherine Zavodova</a>, and originally published by <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://news.itmo.ru/en/&source=gmail&ust=1665742142569000&usg=AOvVaw2LChR-pA6lYpYiNzCB_TIH" href="https://news.itmo.ru/en/" target="_blank">ITMO.NEWS</a>

Boston Dynamics’ Spot, bionic kangaroos and even ants – biomimetics allows us to replicate almost any living thing. But why do roboticists look to animals for inspiration, what do they do at ITMO, and how do you make a robot act “natural”?

Biomimetics: The Science of Robo-Animals

In this episode, we talk about how engineers inspired by some of biology&rsquo;s most miniature wonders (like dandelions&#39; seeds and microorganisms&#39; cilia) are using their knowledge to make major breakthroughs in biosensing, robotics, biomedical engineering, and more. &nbsp;<iframe height="200px" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" seamless="" src="https://player.simplecast.com/10c09f29-5a05-4710-b0e0-b25e0d139652?dark=false" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe><hr>This podcast is sponsored by <a href="https://www2.mouser.com/" id="isPasted" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mouser Electronics</a>. &nbsp;<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1656328852054-Mouser-sponsor-1-a.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><hr><h3 id="isPasted">EPISODE NOTES</h3>(0:55) - <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/inspired-by-dandelion-seeds-these-tiny-battery-free-sensor-systems-ride-the-wind" target="_blank">Dandelion Inspired Sensors</a> 🍃(11:45) - <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/self-propelled-endlessly-programmable-artificial-cilia" target="_blank">Microscale Robotic Cilia</a> 🦠<hr>As always, you can find these and other interesting &amp; impactful engineering articles on Wevolver.com.To learn more about this show, please visit our<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte" target="_blank">&nbsp;shows page</a>. By following the page, you will get automatic updates by email when a new show is published. Be sure to give us a follow and review on<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/nl/podcast/the-next-byte/id1548255861?l=en" target="_blank">&nbsp;Apple</a> podcasts,<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6lPPsRtegnivsRUEsQ09R7?si=IPMiah7xT_apJtPjqvXMlA" target="_blank">&nbsp;Spotify</a>, and most of your favorite podcast platforms!

This prototype sensor, pictured by Mark Stone at the University of Washington, disperses itself on the wind and harvests sunlight for energy.

In this episode, we talk about how engineers inspired by some of biology’s most miniature wonders (like dandelions' seeds and microorganisms' cilia) are using their knowledge to make major breakthroughs in biosensing, robotics, biomedical engineering, and more.

Podcast: Size Matters: Tiny Biomimicry Leads to Big Breakthroughs

In this episode, we talk about how ostriches are inspiring a new generation of bipedal robots and the innovation enabling remote endovascular surgery. As always, you can find these and other interesting &amp; impactful engineering articles on Wevolver.com.<iframe height="200px" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" seamless="" src="https://player.simplecast.com/e2238814-9212-4010-afb6-ac48d637140f?dark=false" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe><hr>This podcast is sponsored by <a href="https://www2.mouser.com/" id="isPasted" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mouser Electronics</a>.&nbsp;<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1651565842197-Mouser-sponsor-1-a.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><hr>(0:50) -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/birdbot-a-3d-printed-bipedal-robot-offers-major-efficiency-gains-through-avian-biomimicry" target="_blank">Using Bird Biology To Make Efficient Walking Robots</a>(20:45) -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/joystick-operated-robot-could-help-surgeons-treat-stroke-remotely" target="_blank">Joystick-operated Robot For Treating Strokes</a>Episode 68 was brought to you by Mouser Electronics, Farbod &amp; Daniel&rsquo;s favorite electronics distributor. Click <a href="https://www.mouser.com/applications/future-robotics-singularity/" target="_blank">here</a> to read the article discussing the merger of technology and humanity.<hr>About the podcast:Every day, some of the most innovative universities, companies, and individual technology developers share their knowledge on Wevolver. To ensure we can also provide this knowledge for the growing group of podcast listeners, we started a collaboration with two young engineers, Daniel Scott Mitchell &amp; Farbod Moghaddam who discuss the most interesting content in this podcast series.&nbsp;To learn more about this show, please visit the <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte" target="_blank">shows page</a>. By following the page, you will get automatic updates by email when a new show is published.Be sure to give us a follow and review on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/nl/podcast/the-next-byte/id1548255861?l=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple</a> podcasts, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6lPPsRtegnivsRUEsQ09R7?si=IPMiah7xT_apJtPjqvXMlA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spotify</a>, and most of your favorite podcast platforms!Take a few seconds to leave us a review. It really helps! <a href="https://apple.co/2RIsbZ2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://apple.co/2RIsbZ2&nbsp;</a>if you do it and send us proof, we&rsquo;ll give you a shoutout on the show.

The prototype motorized BirdBot, seen here with legs in the locked position, uses a quarter the energy of its immediate predecessor.

In this episode, we talk about how ostriches are inspiring a new generation of bipedal robots and the innovation enabling remote endovascular surgery. 

Podcast: Bird-inspired Bipedal Robots & Robotic Surgeons

This article was discussed in our <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte&source=gmail&ust=1651619086659000&usg=AOvVaw31M1Y-wsRw4c0h8-at-VxZ" href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte" id="isPasted" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Next Byte podcast</a>.&nbsp;<iframe height="200px" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" seamless="" src="https://player.simplecast.com/e2238814-9212-4010-afb6-ac48d637140f?dark=false" class="fr-draggable" data-gtm-yt-inspected-1_19="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe>The full article will continue below.<hr>Watching a bird like an ostrich running reveals a locomotive mechanism far closer to a creature like the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex than the human leg, and few could doubt its efficacy &mdash; leading a team at the Dynamic Locomotion Group of the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) to wonder if current approaches for bipedal robot designs could benefit from being more bird.&ldquo;No current bipedal robot can run quickly, untethered, in natural environments over long distances,&rdquo; the researchers explain in a recently-published paper. &ldquo;However, these activities are commonplace for terrestrial animals. Paradoxically, animals vastly outperform current robots despite considerably slower sensing and information transfer rates.&rdquo;<h1>Inspired by, and defining, nature</h1>Before you can take inspiration from bird locomotion, however, you need to ascertain why it&rsquo;s so effective &mdash; and that&rsquo;s not necessarily an easy task. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not the nervous system, it&rsquo;s not electrical impulses, it&rsquo;s not muscle activity,&rdquo; claims senior author Alexander Badri-Spr&ouml;witz. &quot;We hypothesized a new function of the foot-leg coupling through a network of muscles and tendons that extends across multiple joints.&ldquo;These multi-joint muscle-tendon coordinate foot folding in the swing phase. In our robot, we have implemented the coupled mechanics in the leg and foot, which enables energy-efficient and robust robot walking. Our results demonstrating this mechanism in a robot lead us to believe that similar efficiency benefits also hold true for birds.&rdquo;<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wwH40rYJt9g?&wmode=opaque&rel=0&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://www.wevolver.com" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-gtm-yt-inspected-1_19="true" id="501349169"></iframe> Dubbed BirdBot, the resulting design is used to prove the team&rsquo;s hypothesis in two directions: firstly that taking inspiration from the leg of a bird can boost the performance of a bipedal robot while simultaneously boosting energy efficiency; and secondly using the resulting robot design to determine the aspects of the leg which contribute most to the efficiency of its living inspiration.Each leg of the BirdBot design uses just two actuator motors, with a traditional third replaced by a clever joint system featuring a joint based on intrinsic engaging and disengaging abilities. As the robot&rsquo;s foot touches the ground and experiences load, the joint system tenses and stiffens to support the weight; as it&rsquo;s lifted off and swung, a bi-stable snap-through joint driven by elastically-stored energy unlocks the leg into a slack configuration.<h1>Simply better</h1>The BirdBot approach comes with a host of improvements over traditional designs, its creators claim. The most immediately obvious: It&rsquo;s electronically simpler, using only two motors and with no need for on-board sensing or complicated control circuitry. Instead, the leg itself handles locking and unlocking automatically &mdash; and can even handle stabilization using a single feed-forward motor command.Its biggest enhancement: Efficiency. Compared to the Cheetah-Cub design published back in 2013, BirdBot requires around a quarter of the energy for locomotion &mdash; putting its performance within the range, its creators say, of &ldquo;an animal of equivalent weight.&rdquo;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjQ5ODY0MDM4NzU4LWJpcmRib3QzLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="A picture of the BirdBot prototype, seen next to a diagram making its major parts including knee and hip motors and the tendons which allow it to engage and disengage a clutch-like leg. Further photographs are given of the robot being tested on a treadmill with tethered guidance.">The 3D-printed BirdBot prototype operates with just two motors per leg, relying on a mechanical &quot;clutch&quot; system inspired by birds&#39; legs for the remainder of its operation.&ldquo;Previously, our robots had to work against the spring or with a motor either when standing or when pulling the leg up, to prevent the leg from colliding with the ground during leg swing. This energy input is not necessary in BirdBot&rsquo;s legs,&rdquo; Badri-Spr&ouml;witz, who also led the Cheetah-Cub team, explains.Other advantages claimed in the paper detailing BirdBot&rsquo;s design include the ability to stand upright through torque loading, with all actuators unpowered &mdash; &ldquo;reminiscent,&rdquo; say its creators, &ldquo;of a flamingo standing while sleeping&rdquo; &mdash; and of being highly scalable, with one prototype created during the work standing 1.75m (around 5.7 feet) tall and able to hold the weight of a human being.&ldquo;On the basis of our analysis and physical demonstrations,&rdquo; the team concludes, &ldquo;we suggest that BirdBot&rsquo;s leg design can become a blueprint for large legged machines.&rdquo;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjQ5ODY0MDUyNDkwLWJpcmRib3Q0LmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Photographs showing the small BirdBot prototype next to an unpowered large-scale 1.75m version based on the same principles. A researcher is seen placing his weight on the leg in its standing position, then stepping off to the floor and lifting the leg to its swinging position.">A large-scale version of the leg proved capable of holding the weight of an adult human &mdash; and its creators say it could be scaled up still further.That&rsquo;s not to say their work is finished, however. The current motorized BirdBot prototype, which uses off-the-shelf actuators fitted to a 3D-printed trunk and legs, has been tested on a treadmill with tethered guidance.To create a version capable of standing freely and moving in three dimensions will require further research to prevent pitching, potentially involving a revised design or a shift to hip-only actuation. While operable without sensor input, the team also suggests that an investigation into how the clutch mechanism could be used alongside direct actuation and sensory feedback control to &ldquo;merge the benefits of both systems.&rdquo;The team&rsquo;s work has been published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scirobotics.abg4055" target="_blank"><cite>Science Robotics</cite></a>, with an open-access version available via author referral <a href="https://is.mpg.de/publications/bb01" target="_blank">on the MPI publication page</a>.<h1>References</h1>Alexander Badri-Spr&ouml;witz, Alborz Aghamaleki Sarvestani, Metin Sitti, and Monica A. Daley: <cite>BirdBot achieves energy-efficient gait with minimal control using avian-inspired leg clutching, Science Robotics Vol. 7 Iss. 64</cite>. DOI <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/scirobotics.abg4055" target="_blank">10.1126/scirobotics.abg4055</a>.Alexander Badri-Spr&ouml;witz (as Alexander Spr&ouml;witz), Alexandre Tuleu, Massimo Vespignani, Mostafa Ajallooeian, Emilie Badri, and Auke Jan Ijspeert: <cite>Towards dynamic trot gait locomotion: Design, control, and experiments with Cheetah-cub, a compliant quadruped robot, The International Journal of Robotics Research Vol. 32 Iss. 8</cite>. DOI <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0278364913489205" target="_blank">10.1177/0278364913489205</a>.

Created by the Dynamic Locomotion Group at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS), BirdBot serves two purposes: Demonstrating a more efficient bipedal robot design, and furthering our understanding of how birds' legs work.

BirdBot, a 3D-printed bipedal robot, offers major efficiency gains through avian biomimicry

The next step in machine learning, how 3D printing will change the airline industry, and why flies hold the secret to robotic flight. As always, you can find these articles and other interesting engineering content on Wevolver.com.&nbsp;<iframe height="200px" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" seamless="" src="https://player.simplecast.com/f6b5e009-6f76-413b-a49b-032c4fc123db?dark=false" class="fr-draggable"></iframe><h2 data-v-1111b158="" data-v-8334d7b8="">Episode Notes</h2><div data-v-1111b158="" data-v-8334d7b8="">(0:40) <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/toward-a-machine-learning-model-that-can-reason-about-everyday-actions" target="_blank">The next stop in machine learning: making sense of abstract concepts</a> - Researchers from MIT, IBM, and Columbia created a machine learning model that exhibits abstract reasoning.&nbsp;(6:00) <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/adoption-of-additive-manufacturing-in-airline-interiors" target="_blank">How additive manufacturing can shift manufacturing methodologies in the airline industry</a> - EOS and other 3D printing companies are changing the airline industry’s manufacturing methods, starting with interiors.(12:15) <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/eye-of-a-fly-researchers-reveal-secrets-of-fly-vision-for-rapid-flight-control" target="_blank">Can flies hold the secret to enable enhanced robotic flight?</a> - Penn State researchers crack the code to improve robotic flight by studying the behavior of fruit flies.&nbsp;&nbsp;--About the podcast:Every day, some of the most innovative universities, companies, and individual technology developers share their knowledge on Wevolver. To ensure we can also provide this knowledge for the growing group of podcast listeners, we started a collaboration with two young engineers, Daniel Scott Mitchell &amp; Farbod Moghaddam who discuss the most interesting content in this podcast series.&nbsp;To learn more about this show, please visit the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte" target="_blank">shows page</a>. By following the page, you will get automatic updates by email when a new show is published.Be sure to give us a follow and review on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/nl/podcast/the-next-byte/id1548255861?l=en" target="_blank">Apple</a> podcasts,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6lPPsRtegnivsRUEsQ09R7?si=IPMiah7xT_apJtPjqvXMlA" target="_blank">Spotify</a>, and most of your favorite podcast platforms!</div>

The next step in machine learning, how 3D printing will change the airline industry, and why flies hold the secret to robotic flight.

Podcast: Abstract Machine Learning, 3D Printing Airplanes, Learning Flight From Flies

Orthopaedic cast immobilisation is one of the most common ways to treat broken and fractured bones. This process involves the use of materials to encase and restrict the movement of broken bones, allowing them to heal.As technology has become more accessible, 3D Printed casts have grown in popularity. They are much lighter, more comfortable and easier to produce than traditional casts. Despite the evolution in cast production qualities, all casts share a fundamental flaw &ndash; they are single-use products.Since the job of a cast is to set body parts in a fixed position, they have to be tailor-made to the unique anatomy of the individual patients.3D printed casts are also complex in their structure, these factors eliminate the possibility of reusing casts, even if hygiene issues were non-existent.&nbsp;CREATE Education Ambassador, <a href="https://www.createeducation.com/community-partner/jack-cockle/" target="_blank">Jack Cockle</a> identified an opportunity to explore alternative strategies to make immobilisation casts more sustainable. With an aim to reduce the inevitable waste generated by their complex and tailored form and maintenance of hygiene standards. <img class="fr-fic fr-dib" src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiAid2V2b2x2ZXItcHJvamVjdC1pbWFnZXMiLCAia2V5IjogImZyb2FsYS8xNjA0NDg3NDY4NDE4LUpDUzUuanBnIiwgImVkaXRzIjogeyJyZXNpemUiOiB7IndpZHRoIjogOTUwLCAiZml0IjogImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 300px;"><h1 dir="ltr">The Process</h1>As part of one of Jack&rsquo;s final year projects whilst studying BA (Hons) Sustainable Product Design, he began by making a normal plaster cast, trialling traditional methods of the cast making to justify future design choices.Then making a basic 3D printed cast, by scanning his hand/arm using a 3D scanner and software. Exporting the scan as an STL file into <a href="https://marketplace.createeducation.com/product/fusion-360-software-training/" target="_blank">Autodesk Fusion 360</a>, which was then converted to a b-rep file, allowing Jack to model a form around the hand/arm.Next, 3D printing the cast in <a href="https://marketplace.createeducation.com/?swoof=1&post_type=product&pa_material=petg&paged=1" target="_blank">rPETG</a> on the <a href="https://marketplace.createeducation.com/product/ultimaker-s5-3d-printer/" target="_blank">Ultimaker S5</a>. This was made easier by the scale of the printer, saving time where Jack would have had to split up the model into more pieces, then glueing them together.&nbsp;To explore the scope of making casts more sustainable, Jack evaluated multiple design ideas through an iterative process. The aim was to investigate the possibility of fabricating 3D printed casts that adapt to the form of the user, rather than existing as a rigid form tailored to individual patients, thus making them more suitable for reuse.This idea came to Jack as his colleagues tried on the 3D printed cast, which almost, but didn&rsquo;t perfectly fit them due to the varied shapes of individuals&#39; limbs.Owing to Auxetic materials and structures exhibiting certain abnormal mechanical responses, thanks to the possession of negative Poisson&rsquo;s ratio response. Meaning they get thicker when stretched lengthwise and thinner when compressed. Jack began experimenting with auxetic forms in different materials such as <a href="https://marketplace.createeducation.com/product-category/filament/?swoof=1&paged=1&pa_material=tpu&really_curr_tax=812-product_cat" target="_blank">TPU</a> and Flexible Resin.<img class="fr-fic fr-dib" src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiAid2V2b2x2ZXItcHJvamVjdC1pbWFnZXMiLCAia2V5IjogImZyb2FsYS8xNjA0NDg4NTU1MjYyLTMwMGRwaUR5bmFtaUNhc3QzLmpwZyIsICJlZGl0cyI6IHsicmVzaXplIjogeyJ3aWR0aCI6IDk1MCwgImZpdCI6ICJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 300px;"> In Rhino3D, Jack generated a series of cylindrical auxetic lattice forms, choosing the ones that required no support material (as this would be difficult to remove from such a complex structure). Jack printed them in both TPU and flexible resin to test how well each structure and material compressed under pressure.The concept was a flexible resin auxetic sleeve that fits over the arm of the patient, which is compressed by the rigid PETg shell, immobilising the limb.In theory, the reusable cast would reduce waste, cut lead times (as a stock of casts could be kept) and the longer-term cost of casts per patient (since the costs of one cast could be distributed across several patients).Recommended reading:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/introducing-antibacterial-properties-into-additive-manufactured-parts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Introducing Antibacterial Properties Into Additive Manufactured Parts</a>Jack has been developing the mesh further, to become elastic resin bands that are finer, have more layers, and are preinstalled into the cast shell before being applied to the arm. <img class="fr-fic fr-dib" src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiAid2V2b2x2ZXItcHJvamVjdC1pbWFnZXMiLCAia2V5IjogImZyb2FsYS8xNjA0NDg5Mzc1NzUyLTMwMGRwaUR5bmFtaUNhc3QyICgxKS5qcGciLCAiZWRpdHMiOiB7InJlc2l6ZSI6IHsid2lkdGgiOiA5NTAsICJmaXQiOiAiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 300px;"><hr><h2 dir="ltr">Do you want to CREATE the Future of Education?</h2>Industry is adopting additive manufacturing at an exponential rate, it is critical to be equipped with the skills needed in employment.&nbsp;It is imperative that individuals experience these ground-breaking technologies today, to futureproof UK manufacturing in a globally competitive marketplace and address the many global issues we face.CREATE Education are expert providers across the UK and Ireland, specialising in developing 3D technologies in education, to enable learners and empower educators.&nbsp;Get in touch with our education specialists today on 01257 276 116 or email us at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:enquiries@createeducation.com" target="_blank">enquiries@createeducation.com</a>.

Further harnessing 3D printing technology to promote sustainability within the medical industry

As technology has become more accessible, 3D Printed casts have grown in popularity,  owing to several benefits. However, all casts share a fundamental flaw - they are single-use products

3D Printing Sustainable Casts

I know what you are thinking: cellular materials and lightweighting? Who made this guy a Professor? I hear you. While my students and I have spent a lot of time the past four years studying cellular materials, it has been in the context of energy absorption, honeycomb panel design, capillary action, and thermal management, and not with the intent to lightweight (is it now ok to use it as a verb?) a structure. However, when nTopology approached me with a request to contribute to a series of talks on lightweighting, I wondered if this was a good time to enter the dark dungeon and chat with the trolls. The result of my explorations is this blog post, and the accompanying webinar, that I hope will spark some ideas, if not justify my hiring.Traditional approaches to lightweighting involve material selection, consolidation, and topology optimization (Figure 1). Design solutions are of particular importance when working with higher density metals where composition is selected for reasons such as high temperature performance or corrosion resistance, and the door to lower-density materials is closed. Cellular materials such as lattices and foams are typically not thought of as leading design candidates for lightweighting, and skepticism in this area is well founded. There are several reasons for this, most fundamentally perhaps being the point that the very requirement of structure to have cellularity is in itself a limiting constraint from a design optimization standpoint. Nonetheless, I would like to stick my neck out and examine if this always must be the case.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjAxMjI1MDc0NjI1LWZpZ3VyZS0xLWRiLnBuZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=">Figure 1: Traditional approaches to lightweighting include (a) material selection, (b) consolidation, and (c) topology optimization [Photo credits – (a): CES EduPack 2018, Granta Design Ltd., (b) and (c): nTopology]&nbsp;The first argument for why we need to consider cellular materials in the context of lightweighting, and one I will focus in this blog post, is the argument from nature. We do find cellular structures in biological structure (Figure 2), such as insect nests, turtle shells, bone, and sea urchin spines, where mass minimization is always an inherent requirement. In some cases, such as the beaks and bones of birds, lightweighting is critical. As the songwriter J.J. Cale put it, “Travelin’ light is the only way to fly.” Fortunately he gives us no details about how this is to be accomplished, which is why engineers like you and me still have jobs in this world, and care enough to write and read (?) blog posts.&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjAxMjI1MDk3NjI4LWZpZ3VyZS0yLWRiLnBuZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=">Figure 2: Natural structures where minimizing weight is of importance, and also exhibit cellular material design: (a) Venation of a water lily leaf, (b) wasp nest, (c) trabecular bone [Photo Credits: Wikimedia Commons (a) Laitr Keiows; (c) Neon]&nbsp;This apparent paradox can be resolved by making the argument that there are (at least) three performance objectives, which when sought, strengthen the candidacy of cellular materials for lightweighting: surface and volume infilling, multi-functionality, and damage tolerance. We find these demonstrated in natural structure, but also in engineering applications that embody cellular materials for these reasons, including honeycomb core commonly used in panels. These insights can be leveraged to inform engineering design of lightweight structures, and implemented by leveraging a framework for cellular material design that consists of four concepts: discretization, periodicity, gradients, and hierarchy. These concepts lend themselves very well to study in the context of nTopology’s equation-based implicit modeling platform (small p intended). One example of this is work done by one of my students using nTopology to create different geometries to study the effect of aperiodicity (Figure 3).&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjAxMjI1MTIyMDAyLWZpZ3VyZS0zLWRiLnBuZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=">Figure 3: Use of nTopology to develop cellular material designs with varying degrees of aperiodicity [Photo Credits: Daniel Anderson, 3DX Research, ASU]&nbsp;Lest I be accused of “having a hammer and looking for a nail”, which while fair, is not the entire story, I would like to end by clarifying that cellular materials merely represent an alternative for lightweighting when the performance objectives mentioned previously are also being sought. However, I will go a step further and speculate that cellular material design is a critical element at the frontier of lightweighting since it helps us enable true multi-functional, material-and-structure co-optimization at a range of scales. Of course at this point, cellular design and other techniques blend into each other, and the boundaries between formal approaches to lightweighting start to break down. This is my second argument for why we need to consider cellular materials for lightweighting: they tie everything together. How am I so sure? Because life, uh, has found a way.&nbsp;<hr><h3>References</h3><ol><li>Harris, “Five Techniques for Lightweighting: Doing More With Less,” January 2020, <a href="https://www.techbriefs.com/component/content/article/tb/pub/features/articles/35824" target="_blank">https://www.techbriefs.com/component/content/article/tb/pub/features/articles/35824</a></li><li>du Plessis, C. Broeckhoven, I. Yadroitsava, I. Yadriotsev, C. Hands, R. Kunju, D. Bhate, “Beautiful and Functional: A Review of Biomimetic Design in Additive Manufacturing,” Additive Manufacturing, Volume 27, pages 408-427, May 2019</li><li>Bhate, C. Penick, L. Ferry, C. Lee, “Classification and Selection of Cellular Materials in Mechanical Design: Engineering and Biomimetic Approaches,” Invited paper, Special Issue on Advances in Biologically Inspired Design, MDPI Designs, 3(1), 19, 2019</li><li>J. Cale, “Travelin’ Light”, Troubadour, Shelter Records, 1976</li><li>Malcolm, “Jurassic Park,” Universal Studios, 1993</li></ol><hr>This article was first published on the <a href="https://ntopology.com/blog/2020/08/21/lightweighting-with-cellular-materials-insights-from-nature/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">nTopology blog.</a>

Can cellular materials serve as a design solution for achieving lightweighting of engineering structures? Let’s listen to what nature has to say.

Lightweighting with Cellular Materials: Insights from Nature

<h2>Akira Science AB, a start-up based in Stockholm, is betting on the combination of two revolutionary disciplines: tissue engineering and 3D printing.&nbsp;</h2>These two disciplines used to belong to two different stories that are now deeply interconnected. During the last fifty years scientists and surgeons have combined the concepts of life sciences, biology and biocompatible materials to construct functional tissues and open the way to innovative and less invasive techniques respect to traditional surgical transplants. They have been looking for new materials to substitute classical treatments to improve medical treatments where autograph or allograph of explanted tissues are required due to disease or trauma. In parallel to this story, 3D printing technologies also known as Additive Manufacturing (AM) were born in the 1980s and initially intended to quickly produce prototypes within industrial applications. When 3D printing technologies later met tissue engineering, a powerful combination consolidated to create structures with controlled geometry and high rate of reproducibility. Tissue engineers have been seeking for structures &ndash; scaffolds&nbsp;&ndash; that can provide structural and mechanical support to a damaged tissue while promoting its regeneration and allowing nutrients&rsquo; supply to the cells.The 3D printing market has been growing fast during the last decade releasing innovative technologies and materials, especially for the medical sector. 3D printing is transforming the way we manufacture objects from a centralized to a decentralized, customized production onsite.Akira Science is projected to have an active role in these future landscapes of smart and innovative manufacturing technologies applied to degradable materials for medical applications. The business potential arises from the ever-increasing need of patient-specific medical devices and of timely laboratory biological studies to test drugs and new clinical strategies - never so evident like in this pandemic period.&nbsp;<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1590050859860-1590050859859.png" style="width: 655px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">A cutting-edge new material and a smart scaffold design are the complementary and revolutionary points of force of Akira&rsquo;s strategy. The newly developed polymer (AKIMed-c12) has exceptional thermal stability, ensuring control of the material properties while printing, presenting a faster degradation time in the body environment than the current utilized materials (from 3-5 years to 9-10 months). Although newly formulated, AKIMed-c12 is made starting from well-established building blocks for the synthesis of approved biomedical materials, ensuring biocompatibility and non-toxicity in the physiological environment. While the printed scaffolds are not hard as the current available ones, but soft and pliable proving comfort to the patient (AKIMed-c12: 3D printed scaffolds).<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GdgRqw2ZHjw?&wmode=opaque" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> The new material will be the workhorse for the 3D printing of degradable medical devices, while the smart design opens the way to new applications in tissue regeneration that were not possible until today utilizing the materials available on the market. Akira team is confident that such a combination has the potential to expand the scope of degradable 3D printed scaffolds from hard, for example bone, to soft tissue regeneration, such as breast reconstruction after mastectomy.Akira Science is providing both filaments for 3D printing and scaffolds with an architecture that satisfies customers&rsquo; need. Researchers and clinicians can buy the filament (AKIMed-c12: filament) and print the desired shape in their own facilities or can decide to ask Akira for printing their customized devices. Akira also provides support and consulting to collaborators and customers with material selection, design and simulation of the mechanical behavior of the desired scaffolds.The company continues to invest in open innovation through a continuous dialogue with customers and by setting new strategies to map future needs in tissue engineering and 3D printing opportunities.<hr>&Aacute;lvaro Morales and Tiziana Fuoco (AKIRA Science AB)

“The nexus between two revolutionary disciplines is inspiring us towards a future improved society”

Tissue Engineering and 3D Printing: Two Revolutionary Disciplines Now Fused Into One

If you&rsquo;ve ever tried to kill an interloping cockroach, you&rsquo;ve probably noticed two things: they&rsquo;re fast and nearly invincible. While those features make roaches terrifying to most people, it&rsquo;s a source of bioinspiration for roboticists at the <a href="http://seas.harvard.edu/" target="_blank">Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences</a> (SEAS).&nbsp;<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1569469369822-RunningGif.gif" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Led by <a href="https://www.seas.harvard.edu/directory/rjwood" target="_blank">Robert J. Wood</a>, Charles River Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences at SEAS, researchers in the Harvard Microrobotics Laboratory have developed a centimeter-scale robot inspired by cockroaches.The Harvard Ambulatory Microrobot &mdash; nicknamed HAMR &mdash; is a versatile robot that can run at high speeds, jump, climb, turn sharply, carry payloads and fall from great distances without being injured.<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/382iBb5nwy8?&wmode=opaque" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" style="width: 767px; height: 419px;"></iframe>&ldquo;The HAMR platform evolved from our exploration of millimeter-scale fabrication and actuation strategies,&rdquo; said Wood, who is also a Core Faculty Member of the Harvard Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. &nbsp;&ldquo;Our techniques allow us to create robots that don&rsquo;t sacrifice complexity as the size is reduced and enabled us to create robots that rival some of the capabilities of their biological counterparts. These robots are as valuable for biological studies as they will eventually be for tasks such as search and rescue and infrastructure inspection.&rdquo;&nbsp;<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1569469394968-PedistalHAMR.gif" style="width: 765px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">

The Harvard Ambulatory Microrobot — nicknamed HAMR — is a versatile robot that can run at high speeds, jump, climb, turn sharply, carry payloads and fall from great distances without being injured (Image courtesy of the Harvard Microrobotics Lab/Harvard University)