Biorobotics

Introduction

• Biomimetics and Bionics

• Biology

• Robotics

• Genetic engineering

• Biomechanics

• Cybernetics

• Bionanotechnology

Biorobotics usually refers to the study of:

•Making robots that emulate and stimulate living biological organisms mechanically or even chemically

•Application of biological ideas to address technological problems

•Application of robotics to solve problems regarding biology and medicine

The most obvious aspect of Biorobotics is biomimetics or biomimicry

•Biomimicry is the examination of nature, its models, systems, processes, and elements to emulate or take inspiration in order to design engineering systems or man-made devices.

Examples:

•The first design for an Airplane was designed by observing the direction in which pigeons point their wings

•Hypodermic needles were inspired by observing how snakes deliver poison through their fangs

Passive cooling in sky scrapers was inspired by observing how termite mounds are always kept around 90 degrees by opening and closing vent like structures at the bottom and top or the mounds

Belt movement of military tank was inspired by observing the way a caterpillars moves.

Velcro fastening system were invented by observing the latching nature of the burrs from the thistle plant

Hydrophobic coatings and paints were inspired by observing the superhydrophobic nature of lotus leaves due to the microscopic tips present on the surface of the leaves

Gas bombs of WWI were inspired by observing the poisonous spray released by the beetle

Japanese bullet train was inspired by observing the swooping movements of the kingfisher

Sports wear, ships and submarines designs reduce drag and friction by observing the shape and texture of the shark skin.

Surgical instrument-many are designed from the beaks of birds which have a very precise grip i.e. strong enough to crack a nut but gentle enough to pick up small grains

Submarines design was improved by observing the ability of deep sea creatures to withstand high pressure

Inferometric modular display were designed by mimicking the way light reflects from the scales on a butterfly's wing

Recently robots have been built using biomimicy, these are called Biomimetic Robots.

Biomimetic robots borrow their structure and senses from animals, such as birds or insects.

Their abilities are copied from living organisms

As a result they tend to function better in the unpredictable real world than the controlled environment of a laboratory

However, those robots do not completely copy from animals, we usually extract only their most useful abilities

With the rapid development of biology and computer technology, it is possible for us to clearly understand and imitate the behaviors of many animals.

Such as Birds, snakes, insects, amphibians etc

A well-known early biomimetic robots were a lobster.

This model is established in the 1970s by Joseph Ayers, a biology professor

Examples:

The actions of real lobsters have been reverse-engineered and programmed into a library of actions which give the robotic lobster a similar behavior as the real ones.

They not only resemble its physical shape and movements but the way its artificial nervous system responds to variable conditions in its environment- such as temperature and heat.

Replicating the functions of small insects like mosquito or bee to fit into small spaces where humans cannot go.

Realistic-looking biomimetic fish are used to observe ocean life without alarming marine life

They perform activities such as checking pollution levels, hazardous leaks from vessels and underwater pipelines with the help of a built-in chemical sensor

•Snakes are one of the most successful creature in the earth when it comes to competition for survival.

•Have a unique body structure which is lean and lanky, soft and flexible

Mechanism of movement

•Have the most unique manner of movement even without limbs they can move on the ground, swim in water or climb onto trees.

•We can take advantage of such characteristics and design snakelike robots which can handle lots of special tasks.

Recent advances in biorobotics

Robot with a biological brain

The brain consists of a collection of neurons cultured on a Multi Electrode Array (MEA).

The MEA is a dish with approximately 60 electrodes which pick up the electrical signals generated by the cells. This is then used to drive the movement of the robot

The robot has no additional control from a human or a computer, its sole means of control is from its own brain

This robot is used to examine how memories manifest themselves in the brain, and how a brain stores specific pieces of data.

It is also being used to study disorders of the brain such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease

Cockroach turned into fuel cell

A cockroaches own body chemistry is used to produce electricity which can power up tiny devices

When a cockroach eats it produces a sugar called trehalose, which is broken down by enzymes in the cockroaches blood called haemolymph.

It takes several steps for different enzymes to finish breaking down and converting sugar for food, but in the last step, electrons are released.

By tapping into the electrons through wires inserted into its bodyand harnessing electricity researchers were able to generate about 60 microamperes of energy

Computer built from leech neurons The “leechulator” built from leech neurons can perform simple addition and and subtraction

It is able to come up with its own answer even when presented with partial information due to the ability of the neurons to make their own connections.

The neurons are harnessed in a petri dish by inserting micro-electrodes into them. Each neuron has its own electrical activity and responds in its own way to an electrical stimulus.

These features can be used to make each neuron represent a number. Calculations are then performed by linking up the individual neurons.

Biorobotics in medicine

Bionic arm controlled by thought

First, the motor cortex in the brain (area that controls voluntary muscle movements) is still sending out control signals even if the arm muscles are no longer available for control.

second, when the arm is amputated , all of the nerves that once carried signals to that limb are not removed. So if a person's arm is gone, there are working nerve stubs that end in the shoulder and simply have nowhere to send their information

These nerves can be redirected to a working muscle group,so when the brain sends out nerves that should communicate with the hand,the signals end up in a working muscle group instead of the no longer existing limb. This is called "targeted muscle reinnervation technology."

shoulder is dissected to access the nerve endings that control the movements of arm joints like the elbow, wrist and hand.

Then, without damaging the nerves, they redirect the endings to a working muscle group such as the chest.

It takes several months for the nerves to grow into those muscles and become fully integrated.

The end result is a redirection of control signals: The motor cortex sends out signals for the arm and hand through nerve passage ways as it always did; but instead of those signals ending up at the shoulder, they end up at the chest.

To use those signals to control the bionic arm, the setup places electrodes on the surface of the chest muscles. Each electrode controls one of the six motors that move the bionic arm's joints. When a person thinks "open hand," the brain sends the "open hand" signal to the appropriate nerve, now newly located in the chest.

When the nerve ending receives the signal, the chest muscle it's connected to contracts. When the "open hand" chest muscle contracts, the electrode on that muscle detects the activation and tells the motor controlling the bionic hand to open. And since each nerve ending is integrated into a different piece of chest muscle, a person wearing the bionic arm can move all six motors simultaneously.

Normal vision begins when light enters and moves through the eye to strike specialized

photoreceptor (light-receiving) cells in the retina called rods and cones. These cells convert light signals to electric impulses that are sent to the

optic nerve and the brain

Bionic eye (artificial silicone retina)

Retinal diseases like age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa destroy

vision by annihilating these cells. With the artificial retina device, a miniature camera

mounted in eyeglasses captures images and wirelessly sends the information to a

microprocessor (worn on a belt) that converts the data to an electronic signal and transmits it to a

receiver on the eye.

The receiver sends the signals through a tiny, thin cable to the microelectrode array, stimulating it to emit pulses. The artificial retina device thus bypasses defunct photoreceptor cells and transmits electrical signals directly to the retina’s remaining viable cells.

The pulses travel to the optic nerve and, ultimately, to the brain, which perceives patterns of light and dark spots corresponding to the electrodes stimulated. Patients learn to interpret these visual patterns

A cochlear implant works by using special electronic technologies to take the place of non-working parts in the inner ear.  It's designed to mimic natural hearing.

Bionic ear

1. Sound processor:Sound is picked up by a tiny microphone sensitive to the direction from which sounds come. This lets it pick up more sounds from in front of the user and fewer from behind them. External sound processor captures sound and converts it into digital signals.

2. Digital signals:The signals are sent across the skin to the internal implant. This is done with technology similar to the way a radio station broadcasts its signal, but on a much smaller scale.

3. Electrode array:Internal implant converts signals into electrical energy, sending it to an electrode array inside the cochlea.

4. Hearing nerve:Electrodes stimulate the hearing nerve, bypassing damaged hair cells, and the brain perceives signals as sound