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Sahin ES, Cheng T, Wood D, Tahouni Y, Poppinga S, Thielen M, Speck T, Menges A. Cross-Sectional 4D-Printing: Upscaling Self-Shaping Structures with Differentiated Material Properties Inspired by the Large-Flowered Butterwort ( Pinguicula grandiflora). Biomimetics (Basel) 2023; 8:233. [PMID: 37366828 DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics8020233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2023] [Revised: 05/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Extrusion-based 4D-printing, which is an emerging field within additive manufacturing, has enabled the technical transfer of bioinspired self-shaping mechanisms by emulating the functional morphology of motile plant structures (e.g., leaves, petals, capsules). However, restricted by the layer-by-layer extrusion process, much of the resulting works are simplified abstractions of the pinecone scale's bilayer structure. This paper presents a new method of 4D-printing by rotating the printed axis of the bilayers, which enables the design and fabrication of self-shaping monomaterial systems in cross sections. This research introduces a computational workflow for programming, simulating, and 4D-printing differentiated cross sections with multilayered mechanical properties. Taking inspiration from the large-flowered butterwort (Pinguicula grandiflora), which shows the formation of depressions on its trap leaves upon contact with prey, we investigate the depression formation of bioinspired 4D-printed test structures by varying each depth layer. Cross-sectional 4D-printing expands the design space of bioinspired bilayer mechanisms beyond the XY plane, allows more control in tuning their self-shaping properties, and paves the way toward large-scale 4D-printed structures with high-resolution programmability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekin Sila Sahin
- Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD), University of Stuttgart, 70174 Stuttgart, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence IntCDC, University of Stuttgart, 70174 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Tiffany Cheng
- Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD), University of Stuttgart, 70174 Stuttgart, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence IntCDC, University of Stuttgart, 70174 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Dylan Wood
- Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD), University of Stuttgart, 70174 Stuttgart, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence IntCDC, University of Stuttgart, 70174 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Yasaman Tahouni
- Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD), University of Stuttgart, 70174 Stuttgart, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence IntCDC, University of Stuttgart, 70174 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Simon Poppinga
- Botanical Garden, Department of Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Marc Thielen
- Plant Biomechanics Group, Botanic Garden, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Speck
- Plant Biomechanics Group, Botanic Garden, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence livMatS @ FIT-Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Achim Menges
- Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD), University of Stuttgart, 70174 Stuttgart, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence IntCDC, University of Stuttgart, 70174 Stuttgart, Germany
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Meder F, Baytekin B, Del Dottore E, Meroz Y, Tauber F, Walker I, Mazzolai B. A perspective on plant robotics: from bioinspiration to hybrid systems. BIOINSPIRATION & BIOMIMETICS 2022; 18:015006. [PMID: 36351300 DOI: 10.1088/1748-3190/aca198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
As miscellaneous as the Plant Kingdom is, correspondingly diverse are the opportunities for taking inspiration from plants for innovations in science and engineering. Especially in robotics, properties like growth, adaptation to environments, ingenious materials, sustainability, and energy-effectiveness of plants provide an extremely rich source of inspiration to develop new technologies-and many of them are still in the beginning of being discovered. In the last decade, researchers have begun to reproduce complex plant functions leading to functionality that goes far beyond conventional robotics and this includes sustainability, resource saving, and eco-friendliness. This perspective drawn by specialists in different related disciplines provides a snapshot from the last decade of research in the field and draws conclusions on the current challenges, unanswered questions on plant functions, plant-inspired robots, bioinspired materials, and plant-hybrid systems looking ahead to the future of these research fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Meder
- Bioinspired Soft Robotics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy
| | - Bilge Baytekin
- Department of Chemistry and UNAM National Nanotechnology Research Center, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey
| | | | - Yasmine Meroz
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Falk Tauber
- Plant Biomechanics Group (PBG) Freiburg, Botanic Garden of the University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence livMatS @ FIT-Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ian Walker
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, United States of America
| | - Barbara Mazzolai
- Bioinspired Soft Robotics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy
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Tauber F, Vouloutsi V, Mura A, Speck T. Editorial: Living machines: from biological models to soft machines. BIOINSPIRATION & BIOMIMETICS 2022; 17:030201. [PMID: 35294942 DOI: 10.1088/1748-3190/ac5e81] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Falk Tauber
- Cluster of Excellence livMatS@ FIT-Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies, University of Freiburg, Germany
- Plant Biomechanics Group & Botanic Garden, University of Freiburg, Germany
| | - Vasiliki Vouloutsi
- Autonomous Robotics Research Centre, Technology Innovation Institute, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Anna Mura
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Thomas Speck
- Cluster of Excellence livMatS@ FIT-Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies, University of Freiburg, Germany
- Plant Biomechanics Group & Botanic Garden, University of Freiburg, Germany
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Zhang Y, Le Ferrand H. Bioinspired Self-Shaping Clay Composites for Sustainable Development. Biomimetics (Basel) 2022; 7:13. [PMID: 35076468 PMCID: PMC8788514 DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics7010013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Bioinspired self-shaping is an approach used to transform flat materials into unusual three-dimensional (3D) shapes by tailoring the internal architecture of the flat material. Bioinspiration and bioinspired materials have a high potential for fostering sustainable development, yet are often fashioned out of expensive and synthetic materials. In this work, we use bioinspiration to endow clay with self-shaping properties upon drying. The composites created are based on clay and starch, and the internal architecture is built using celery fibers. The viscosity, shrinkage, and bending of the architected composite monolayers are studied for several compositions by measuring penetration depth and using optical characterization methods. Bilayer structures inspired from plants are then processed using a simple hand layup process to achieve bending, twisting, and combinations of those after drying. By layering a mixture of 32 vol% clay, 25.8 vol% starch, and 42.2 vol% water with 40 wt% embedded aligned celery fibers, it is possible to obtain the desired shape change. The work presented here aims at providing a simple method for teaching the concept of bioinspiration, and for creating new materials using only clay and plant-based ingredients. Rejuvenating clay with endowed self-shaping properties could further expand its use. Furthermore, the materials, methods, and principles presented here are affordable, simple, largely applicable, and could be used for sustainable development in the domain of education as well as materials and structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxiang Zhang
- Queen Mary Engineering School, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China;
| | - Hortense Le Ferrand
- School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore
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