Innovative Bionics Product Life-Cycle Management Methodology Framework with Built-In Reverse Biomimetics: From...

Area of Science:

• Biomimetics and Bionic Design
• Engineering and Technology Development
• Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)

Background:

• Bridging the gap between biology and engineering is crucial for innovative technology.
• Existing frameworks face challenges in abstracting biological structures for engineering applications.
• Bionics offers a methodology to translate biological principles into technological solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) framework utilizing bionics.
• To introduce reverse biomimetics as a shape abstraction methodology for analyzing biological structures.
• To demonstrate the application of this framework in developing bio-inspired technologies.

Main Methods:

• Developed an eleven-stage reverse engineering (RE) format to support technical biology.
• Employed functional morphology to study the relationship between form and function in biological systems.
• Integrated functional feature extraction, surface reconstruction, and solid modeling into a five-stage design process.

Main Results:

• The reverse biomimetic approach effectively translates biological design intents into engineering realities.
• Virtual mapping using high-end software simplifies knowledge transfer from biology to engineering.
• Demonstrated the framework's application through two case studies: a drug-releasing chewing robot and a prosthetic hand.

Conclusions:

• The proposed bionics PLM framework facilitates innovative bio-inspired developments.
• This methodology enhances the understanding and representation of biological systems for engineering applications.
• The framework is suitable for integration into undergraduate engineering courses to foster interest in bionics.