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.

Bioinspiration Example I - Low light lens inspired by the eyes

In most vertebrate, the iris is generally assumed to be immobile and its pupil does not change in size and response to variation of ambient changes. The plecostomus catfish were chosen to study because they may show extensive pupil mobility without providing the extent and speed of migration [1]. An explanation of this pupil can be elaborated further that they may have the tendency to reduce the effect of any longitudinal spherical aberration [2]. However the plecostomus catfish has crescent-shaped pupils that functions primarily to reduce such aberration. Addition to that, few studies were investigated that the density of retinal ganglion cells with crescent-shaped isodensity contours in retinal whole mounts of a weaver. 

Figure A: Condition of pupil size with absence      Figure B: Condition of pupil size after

of visible light.                                                            60 minutes of white light exposure.

Based on the Figure A, it was the initial size of the pupil with the absence of visible light. As for Figure B, the plecostomus fish was exposed with white light after exposing on it for 60 minutes which resulted decrease in pupil diameter and outgrowth of iris. Results showed that the response of the pupil towards light is slow, about half of the contraction happens from1-8 minutes and full contraction usually takes around 35-45 minutes. In general, higher light intensity speed up the pupil contraction much faster compared to the results obtained [1].

The low light sensitivity of the lens is a very important specification. Biomimicry from cat fish eyes of its capability to see in low light has inspired to increase the capacity of lens that can captured and shoot images at night and at low light environment.The iris of can control the amount of light that hits the lens sensor.  When there is a lot of light the iris opening is very small, and when there is very little light, the iris opens up as much as it can. This mechanism is similar to how cat fish controls lights entering its iris whereas its eyes changing from a normal iris shape to an omega iris shape.  In most lens setting is automatic, but some can manually fine adjustments.  When iris lens open, it can get the most light on the sensor hence capable of objects are still in focus by the lens. Application from low sensitivity lens can be found in camera lens, monocular, riflescopes and many more [1].  Through this lens we can see on objects due to maximum contrast with a background beyond human eye sensitivity.

Figure 1: Night vision rifle scope lens that capable of focusing object at low light environment. 

Reference :

[1] R. Douglas, S. Collin and J. Corrigan, "The eyes of suckermouth armoured catfish (Loricariidae, subfamily Hypostomus): pupil response, lenticular longitudinal spherical aberration and retinal topography", Journal of Experimental Biology, vol. 205, no. 22, pp. 3425-3433, 2002.

 [2] C. Murphy and H. Howland, "The functional significance of crescent-shaped pupils and multiple pupillary apertures", J. Exp. Zool., vol. 256, no. 5, pp. 22-28, 1990.

Literature Review

Suckermouth catfish live in freshwater with fast-flowing water. Usually, fishes that live in this type of habitat face two major challenges which are the insufficient of suction feeding to extract food and another one is the requirement to have a strong and continuous swimming capacity. Suckermouth catfish has evolved the most intense adaptations. It has a ventral sucker-like mouth and ventrally directed jaws [1]. A sucker mouth catfish body part carries many potential impacts on the local fauna. Many researchers have carried out research on it’s taxonomy until now. There are three main parts of the body which will be discussed in this post; mouth, skin (scale) and eyes.

Mouth

The suckermouth of the suckermouth catfish functions for inspirations, feeding and attachment to substrates. A proper functioning suction device needs sucker without leakage and continuous subambient pressure in the sucker cavity. High-speed external and X-ray recordings show that suckermouth attachment influences respiratory parameters such as decreasing excursion amplitudes of mouth floor elements, and the way water enters the mouth via furrows in the lip disc. Respiration, however, continues during attachment and is not blocked. Data show that the muscular oral valve actively separates the post-valvular buccal cavity from the pre-valvular sucker cavity. Volume changes of this pre-valvular cavity are opposite to those of the post-valvular cavity and assure sucker function even during expiration which occurs via gill slits [2].

This type of fish is well known as to be able to respire during suction attachment in which many species of fish do during a substantial proportion of their daily activities. Regan et al. first assumed that flow would be bidirectional via the gill slits. On the other hand, Hora et al. stated that the lips could not form a true sucker. Another researcher found that there are muscles acting on the oral valve [2]. The lip openings during inspiration and the suction attachment are observed in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Lip openings and suction attachment of a suckermouth catfish

(A) and (B) shows the change in pre-vulvular cavity volume. (A) shows maximal hyoid depression where as (B) shows maximal hyoid elevation. The pre-valvular cavity in (A) is small. In (B) it is enlarged. (C) and (D) show the changing of the suction cup. (E) shows the infolding lower lip during strong sucker attachment. (F) illustrates the lateral lip furrow mediated by the movement of the barbell [2].

Skin (scale)

Suckermouth catfish  is so unique that the body is made up of rough skin surface which increases the friction simultaneously reduces drag with its streamlined body profile [3].It has a smooth skin texture under its head and belly surfaces and appears dark brown with various pale gray to whitish spots. The dorsal is pale brown with dark to blackish bars crossing is body with minimum three dots. A special characteristic of the sucker mouth catfish is the armor, covering a huge part of the body, formed by dermal bone plate’s .The adult’s maximum length is 13-15cm [2].The catfish has the ability to reduce drag force which is similar as a shark’s skin. Upon investigation, structure called micro-riblets was discovered, when aligned in the local flow direction, aid in the drag reduction of the shark hence enabling the shark to be one of the fastest fish in the sea .The micro-riblets functions in a way where it will reduce wall shear stress by altering the distribution of the flow field. Based on this discovery by scientist, it has since been widely applied at aircrafts and space shuttle as it will reduce drag forces experienced by the aircrafts and ships while moving through medium such as air or water. Hence, less power will be needed by both transportation methods and energy could be saved. 

Eyes

Most land vertebrates have an active pupil that it will change sizes in response to changes of retina illumination. This is in contrast to the situation in fish whereby the pupil, it take minutes to open and close. For a suckermouth catfish, the shape and size of its pupil is dynamic and based on the amount of available light. It possesses a special kind of iris that at times looks a lot like the Omega symbol Ω. During night time, or in dark areas the iris contracts and more light enters the pupil. In the daytime or underneath the bright lights of an aquarium the iris  may expand until the iris looks more like the omega symbol. 

The retina composes of single cones and large rods. Cones, the other type of vision cells, discriminate colors in daylight. Although behavioral experiments to determine a catfish’s ability to see color haven’t been done, the characteristics of their cones indicate that they discern colors. Besides, it also have a tapetum lucidum which may help enhance photon capture and increase low-light sensitivity. This is surprising, as catfish often inhabit  low-light-level environments and might therefore be expected to have retinae ‘designed for sensitivity’ [4]. Figure 2 shows the omega iris of the suckermouth catfish.

Figure 2. The omega iris that adjust the amount of light that enters the eyes 

References:

[1]  Geerinckx, T. & Kegel, B. De, 2014. faunas. , (April), pp.197–208.

[2]  T. Geerinckx, A. Herrel and D. Adriaens, "Suckermouth armored catfish resolve the paradox of simultaneous respiration and suction attachment: a kinematic study of Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus", Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological Genetics and Physiology, vol. 315, no. 3, pp. 121-131, 2010.

[3]  The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago. (2015). Loricariidae (Suckermouth Armoured Catfish). [online] Available at: https://sta.uwi.edu/fst/lifesciences/documents/Ancistrus_maracasae.pdf [Accessed 11 May 2016].

[4] R. H. Douglas, “The eyes of suckermouth armoured catfish (Loricariidae, subfamily Hypostomus): pupil response, lenticular longitudinal spherical aberration and retinal topography,” The Journal of Experimental Biology , pp. 3425–3433, Aug. 2002.

Fun facts about the plecos!

Mr. Grey

 About the plecos

A native to South America, suckermouth catfish (Hypostomus plecostomus) or the pleaco descends from the catfish family. It belongs to the family Loricariide and genus Hypostomus. Our group has adopted one and name it Grey. This fish is commonly known as ‘Bandaraya’ fish due to their ability to get rid of algae problem in the aquarium thus help to clean the tank.  They use their mouths to attach on the wall of the aquarium where algae is embedded. By adapting the survival feature, their mouth allows them to attach to the wall or the rocks.

Disc-shape mouth with attaching ability

Characteristics

This fish has an underslug mouth with tall dorsal fin and moon-shape tail fin. They are usually in light brown colour with dark blotches of spots or stripes. They have a hard armor-like plate exterior to protect themselves from other fish.. Interestingly, they have the ability to shut out light with its omega iris in their eyes which are situated high on their head. Most of the freshwater aquarists purchase the pleco as a juvenile at about 8cm in length. However, they can grow up to 60cm. The lifespan if this fish is about 10-15 years.

Habitats

The plecos are ideally to be put in the environment that has a temperature range of 22 to 26 degree celcius. During winter, they need to be placed inside instead of in outdoor ponds. Since they are excellent jumpers, it is recommended to have the tank closed. They like to hide in dense plant growth. Thus, having weed in the aquarium is advisable.

Diet

It is well know that the plecos love to eat algae. However, they cannot live on just algae. The plecos can also be fed with bloodworms, shrimp pellets and leafy green vegetables since they are omnivores. Insufficient food sources can lead to malnourishment and eventually will cause the fish to die. Usually, they are very active at night and tends to eat more during night time when compare to daylight hours.

Reproduction

The plecos do not reproduce in aquarium. However, in their natural habitat, the female plecos can lay up to 300 eggs. The male plecos are in charge to fertilize and guard the eggs until they hatch for about four to eight days later. The baby plecos eat the mucus secreted by the parents before being independent.

Tank mate

Fun fact, the plecos get along with most fish except for their own species especially when they were not raised together. However, they often suck on fat bodied fish such as goldfish. Thus, housing these two types of fish together must be avoided. The plecos also tend to defend their favourite spot from other type of fish that share similar habitat.

Anatomy

Anatomy of suckermouth catfish

1. Pectoral fin - help the fish to swim and glide in water
2. Pelvic fin - help the fish to change direction while swimming
3. Anal fin - help the fish to swim straight and to spawn
4. Dorsal fin - help the fish to swim straight and stabilize the fish
5. Tail - help the fish to swim forward
6. Eye - allow the fish to see
7. Mouth - allow the fish to suck food

A little about us

Hello, we are semester 8 Chemical Engineering students! We are currently taking Engineering & Biomimetics module. Four of us, Ainun Najwa, Aisyah Fadhilah, Archana and Dianne Priya would like to take you on a journey to study the behavior of a suckermouth catfish.

Our main objectives are :

• To  understand how the features of the suckermouth catfish able to inspire the engineering design which caters to the society.
• To observe the behavioral changes of the suckermouth catfish and its adaptation.

From left : Archana, Dianne, Ainun, Aisyah