Bioinspired Actuators and Sensors

From authors renowned in the fields of engineering and biology, this is the first book to integrate sensor and actuator technology with bioinspired design. Beginning with detailed descriptions of actuation and sensing mechanisms in plants and animals, the authors move on to apply these principles to synthetic design, offering in-depth knowledge of the development of state-of-the-art smart materials and devices. All of this is supported with a range of real-world applications, from tactile sensory systems in insects linked with the development of robotic hands, to the structural colour systems in nature used to inspire camouflage technology. Further examples are given of successful designs along with their integrated autonomous systems, such as flying and swimming, unmanned systems, and autonomous zero-energy building design. With a wide interdisciplinary appeal, this is an ideal resource for any student, practising engineer, or researcher interested in the connection between natural systems and synthetic design.

1. Introduction; 2. Principles of structural organization and functions in biological species; 3. Sensory and motor systems of the living world; 4. Synthetic sensing materials and sensors; 5. Synthetic active materials and actuators; 6. Bioinspired designs of sensors, actuators; 7. Design of autonomous systems.

Minoru Taya is Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Washington and Director of the Center for Intelligent Materials and Systems (CIMS).
Makoto Mizunami is Professor in the Faculty of Science at Hokkaido University and Vice-Chairman of the Japanese Society for Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry.
Shûhei Nomura is Senior Curator of the Division of Terrestrial Invertebrates in the Department of Zoology at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo. He is also Vice-President of the Coleopterological Society of Japan.
E. Van Volkenburgh is Professor of Biology at the University of Washington. She is also President of the Society for Plant Signalling and Behaviour and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.