Biomimetics as a Functional Engineering Framework for Mechanical Systems: A PRISMA-Guided Systematic Mapping of...

Area of Science:

• Biomimetics
• Mechanical Engineering
• Robotics
• Tribology
• Sensing and Monitoring

Background:

• Mechanical systems require adaptive capabilities like sensing, inspection, and navigation in uncertain environments.
• Biological systems achieve these through distributed sensing, morphology-driven locomotion, multimodal perception, and decentralized control.
• Biomimetics serves as a functional engineering framework for industrial applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a systematic mapping review of biomimetics literature relevant to mechanical engineering functions from 2016-2026.
• To identify research trends, functional clusters, and application gaps in biomimetic mechanical engineering.
• To propose a taxonomy for structuring future research and development.

Main Methods:

• A PRISMA 2020-guided systematic mapping review was performed.
• A Scopus corpus of 11,114 records was screened.
• 505 relevant studies were identified and categorized into five functional clusters.

Main Results:

• Publication output significantly increased after 2022, peaking in 2025.
• The dominant functional cluster was robotics and access (46.5%), followed by mechanical surfaces and tribology (27.9%), and sensing and monitoring (21.0%).
• A principal gap identified is the limited consolidation of biomimetic concepts into deployable industrial inspection and maintenance architectures.

Conclusions:

• Biomimetic concepts are abundant but require better integration into practical industrial solutions.
• A translational taxonomy is proposed to guide future research prioritization and technology readiness discussions.
• Further research should focus on bridging the gap between biomimetic principles and industrial deployment for inspection and maintenance.