Conclusion

Our journey has come to the end.

Upon completing all the posts, we learned that biomimicry is really is an interesting subject as we can relate it to the engineering aspect. We are able to innovate thing inspired by the nature and learn how nature get things done to come up with a sustainable solution. 

To summarize our work, we have adopted a suckermouth catfish that has a great sucking ability. We managed to come up with an idea to invent a new suction tube, a medical device which can be used in surgery that mimick the sucking property of the fish. More research should be done to match the invented device with the current technology.

In the future, it is recommended to explore more not just the fish but any other animal/plant in order to come up with a device which can make human life easier. 

Last but not least, do not stop learning! Cheers!

Individual Reflection

"Throughout these 4 months of adopting the suckermouth catfish, I learned that taking care of a pet can be so much fun. I was able to observe the bahaviour of the fish in terms of feeding and also the way it swims. Personally, I think that this fish has a very unique way of sucking its food into its mouth and it very interesting to watch. Besides that, knowing that this fish is also inspired the human being to create a lens to see better in the dark has developed my interest in finding out more information regarding that. For this blog, our group decided to create a suction tube which is used to suck excess fluid in surgery. It is a unique device that mimic the sucking property of the suckermouth catfish. Although there are many suction device available in the market nowadays, this suction tube is different as it can be used manually or can be connected to the electrical source which will make it patentable. These past few months have taught me to be more patient. Working in a group have made the project easier as we can share ideas and divide the task among ourselves instead working on it alone. Eventhough we have different thoughts on how a thing should be done, however we managed to solve the problem and come up with a solution. I hope that I will have the opportunity to be involved in this kind of activity in the future. Thank you." - Ainun

"Biomimicry is the application of nature by observing and being inspired from everything natural around you. Throughout the semester of this module, Engineering Biomimetic we have learned the many applications of biomimicry such as how bees communicate and the bird flight that mimic aeronautical engineering. Apart from the learning biomimicry in class, students also responsible to study their adopted pet and has to come out with idea of the pet behaviors and features to biomimic in engineering application. In our group, we adopted catfish and we found out that its eyes and its mouth are the interesting features to biomimic in sucking application and lens application due to its ability to see in low light environment. Finally, as a team we have worked together nicely with everyone to study, and write about catfish abilities and its biomimicry. Besides, I’ve learned that teamwork has made this study blog a great success." - Aisyah

"During the entire semester for this module, I have gained a lot more knowledge on biomimicry than expected. I have not only gained knowledge on my pet, but also gained few in other species. This module has not only thought me how nature is able to inspire engineering inventions but also has broaden my mind and able to explore my mind with different ideas just by observing nature at its best. It’s a great way of educating engineering students to have broader imagination on inventing sustainable designs in the future. And not to forget, my group members! Without you guys, I wouldn’t have gained this much knowledge if it’s not having all those brain storm sessions! Thank you, once again." - Archana

"The creation of this blog documents the overall progress of our biomimicry animal, the hypotomus plecostomus also known as the suckermouth catfish. I have learnt that it is commonly known as the Bandaraya fish in our country, Malaysia due to its ability to get rid of algae problem in the aquarium thus help to clean the tank. This suckermouth catfish has also inspired me with its various biomimcry inspired designs such as surgery devices, bullet proof armour and device to see in the dark. However, in my opinion, the most interesting proposed used of the bio-mimicry of the suckermouth catfish was surgery devices and instrument. Suckermouth catfish use suction cups for underwater adhesions which may give an advantage to biorobotic suction cups in the future. Other than that this creation of blog has given me an oppurtunity to work in a team that made the project a lot easier. We ensure tasks are completed on time and we respect each other’s opinions." - Dianne


p/s : our pet has grown so much in the past 14 weeks.

Mr. Grey

Industry Application 2 - The Design

Design sketch of the suction tube

Device
Suction tube for medical application

Function
Able to suck excess liquid in human body during surgery

Material
Rubber, polyeurethane & silicone

Working mechanism
It can be used manually or connect to electrical source. The small round pump can be used to suck the liquid out of the human body. A tiny tube is attached to a 100 cm long hose which can be inserted into narrow space in the human body.

Biomimicry Design Spiral

The biomimicry design spiral helps to identify the product that can be derived for the living things. This technique is a fast technique to drive towards the positive outcome. There 6 stages in developing a biomimicry design which is started from identify, interpret, discover, abstract, emulate and evaluate. For this project our group applied this technique. We started with the first stage which is to identify the basic functions the design needs to perform and followed by interpret/translate which is to translate the function into biological terms.

Function

This device is called a suction tube which is used to to suck any liquid in narrow space during surgery and to prevent backflow.

Translate

It is inspired by the mouth of the suckermouth catfish. Its sucking ability will mimick the physical properties of the fish.

Industry Application 1 - Reversed Engineering Worksheet

What does the pet do?

Suckermouth catfish dwell in the bottom of the tank if there is dark in tank region or during night. They’ll hunt for food in dark and even if you turn light off in room they’ll start their movement. They’re peaceful in nature and there is not much conflict with other fishes. Sucker-mouth catfish is known as algae eater so it’ll dwell all over the tank to eat un-eaten foods and algae that grows inside the tank. They’re Herbivore in nature so you need to give them algae wafers and variety of flake foods. Along with regular diet food you can also give them algae wafers, shrimp pellets and other freshwater fish food.

How does it work?

This is the catfish most commonly used for getting rid of problem algae in the aquarium. It is one of the hardiest and most enduring of all catfishes. The Pleco is an unusual fish in body shape with its underslung suckermouth, tall dorsal fin and moon-shaped tail fin. Particularly the sucker mouth ability that has strong mouth muscles feature with a valve that makes this fish be able to control pressure in their cavity while breathing in water or air. The study discovered that the fishes utilize their suckers, through a mouth equipped with an oral disk, as well as the pectoral, pelvic, and caudal fins areas, to interact with the rocky river-bottom. The comb-toothed inferior mouth of the fish showed itself able to grasp green algae on the river bottom. With the help of the oral disk and sucker mouth, which anchor the fishes, they are able to remain upright while exploring this substratum. The sucker consists of a pre-valvular cavity, formed by a modified lip disc which acts as a properly functioning suction device 

New product

Sucker mouth’s natural abilities of combining respiration and attachment can be bio-inspired in medical applications. These days, surgical drains are routinely used in procedures to remove pus, blood or other fluids formed from wound. Drains should not be inserted after surgery because it will not result in faster healing. Some of the silicon tubes used may cause complications such as blockage or contamination which may lead to risk. Hence, the mimicry of sucker mouth cat fish lips may play an important role in preventing such incidence to occur. Since it has the ability to respire and attach a substrate at the same time by preventing backflow of water, this phenomenon can be studied detail and apply to a medical sucking device which may solve and prevent the worst case scenario during a surgical procedure.

Last but not least, by mimicking a the sucking feature of the fish, the efficiency of operation in medical field can be increased. Laparoscopic operation for example requires working through very small incision. The internal organs can be gripped tightly in a narrow space by using the medical device. Thus, we are inventing a new medical device which is a suction tube that can be used in surgery.

DO YOU THINK YOU PRODUCT WILL WORK IF IT IS MANUFACTURED?

The sucker mouth catfish has a unique structural evolution which leads to morphologies involving anatomical constraints [1]. It is known as ‘folded mouth’ by many due to its capability of sucking, breathing and feeding at the same time performance. Besides the present material used for the sucking devices, a better material with a folding ability can be used and perform based on its kinematics mechanism. These days, medical applications use vacuum, plastics or chemical products which may cause issues in the field of medical. Hence to avoid such complications, further research should be carried out to improve the usage of medical applications with a biodegradable and a better nature inspired materials to be in contact with living organisms. This means, the product will really work if it was manufactured once the design of the material is achieved.

DO YOU THINK YOU CAN RAISE FUNDS?

Definitely, but with a little push of course! There are many ways tor raise funds for a good course. One of the most efficient ways is through the internet and media platform. Everyone is on Google these days, best way to promote a new product or an invention. HITRECORD is an only community working together to produce an idea from the public to help elevate or share a specific idea which may lead to a larger project or production. By pitching this idea on how it caters to the environment by mimicking sucker mouth catfish ecological structures may interest the public and create awareness.

DO YOU THINK ENGINEERS EXPLORE SOLUTION FROM NATURE INTO THEIR INVENTION?

Of course, for the past decades many engineers have contributed to the society with many inventions which are bio inspired. For example, shinkansen bullet train, Velcro’s and sharkskin which was based on observing the nature and how it works. Hence, to ensure a secure and sustainable trait for the future generations, engineers should focus more on bio mimicry and how it may impact the society and environment when it’s applied. Besides that, bio mimicry should be applied in the early stage such as introducing it in the school and university level to develop the interest within students and also to educate on how to turn this world into bio inspired inventions for a longer and better living.

Bioinspiration Example III - Dermal denticle swimsuit & boat inspired by the skin

The plecos belong to fish family. Fish usually have scales which are called dermal denticles that have grooves running down their length in alignment with water flow. This will disrupt the turbulent swirls and make the fish to swim faster. Scientist nowadays have mimicked the property of the fish skin especially the shark skin to invent a dermal denticle-like-swimsuits and also at the bottom of the boat. By incorporating dermal denticle at the bottom of the boat, it will help the boat to move smoothly and decrease the friction the body and the water. It has been tested that artificial shark skin can increase the speed by 6.6% and reduce the energy expended by 5.9%.

Dermal denticles of shark skin

Bioinspiration Example II - Body armour inspired by the skin

Body armour inspired by fish scales could lead to new flexible materials for uniforms that can withstand bullets and knife attacks. Scientists have been using three dimensional printing to help develop a new type of armour that is both light weight and strong. Professor Stephan Rudykh, head of the mechanics of soft materials laboratory at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, was inspired by the scaly skin of fish. He said that while fish have an outer layer of hard scales, their skin remains flexible due to a soft elastic layer beneath. Their "secret" is the combination of the scales and the soft tissue beneath them, and that is what I tried to mimic here. The materials that he is designing are also made of two layers – one soft (the ‘body’) and the other (‘scales’) - constitutes the ‘armor’. These two components provide the combined property of protecto-flexibility that is required from an armor.

Body armour

Figure 1 shows an example of body armor available in the market. In this new invention, body armors were made of rigid plates that were attached to each other which were low in maneuverability. MIT and Technion created multiple layers of rigidity and flexibility that look just like the real fish scale. The body armour is made of stiff plates and it is attached to a highly flexible under layer.  The armor prototype was designed to maximize the wearer’s ability to move unencumbered while providing significantly more protection than standard Kevlar body armor.