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NEWSLETTERInternational Society of Bionic Engineering

Volume 8, Issue 3&4, 2019

10-12 June 2020

Manchester, UK

IWBE 2020

Individual Members

Corporate Members

0305

1-Members

4-Upcoming Activities

Stanislav N. Gorb

Chengwei WU

2020 International Workshop on Bionic Engineering (IWBE2020)25MESROB 202027

07 Yu TIAN

23

21

203-Highlights of Research

Nature research highlights: morphing and color add new dimensions to 3D printing

Ultraviolet patterns of flowers revealed in polymer replica – caused by surface architecture

Joint simulator a biomimetic way for artificial joints in-vitro evaluation and investigation

Water assisted biomimetic synergisticprocess inspired water-jet rewritable paper

22

Contents

08

09

Department of Engineering Mechanics, Dalian University of Technology (DUT)

NORINCO Unmanned Vehicle Research & Development Center

10

13

14

2-News and Events

The 3rd International Workshop onBiorobotics and Biomechanics

The joint ICBE2019 and ISNIT2019was successfully held

Biomimetics at Castle Etelsen - Bio-inspired robotics

Specialist Short Courses 201915

The Enterprise Committee of ISBEwas established18

Call for Papers for Special Issue "Biomimetics from Concept to Reality"

28

17

16 Bionic Engineering Award

Prof. Ming Mao elected toChinese Academy of Engineering17

The meeting of the Youth Commission, ISBE was held during the ICBE2019

12 Board Meeting of ISBE was held

19 Case study at ISBE website

Call for Papers for Special Issue on Bio-robotics in Applied Science Journal

29

Newsletter 3

ISBE 2019 NewsletterMembers

Stanislav N. GORB

University of Kiel, GermanyTel. +49-431/880-4513Email: [email protected]: https://www.sgorb.zoologie.uni-kiel.de/

Professor Stanislav GORB is internation-

ally renowned as a leading specialist on

adhesion and friction in biological sys-

tems and for his works on biologically-inspired

technical surfaces. Since technical developments

are often based on unexpected analogies, GORB

focuses his research on morphology, structure,

biomechanics, physiology, and evolution of

surface-related functional systems in animals

and plants, as well as on the development of

biologically-inspired technological surfaces

and systems. Especially, he is interested in

biological structures functioning as reversible

adhesives. GORB is one of the key players in

the biomimetics community in Germany and

worldwide. He is a member of two Academies

(Academy of Science and Literature Mainz

and German National Academy of Sciences

Leopoldina).

He and his research group work very

successfully on animals (beetles, flies, spiders,

geckos), which are able to adhere and walk on

smooth walls and ceilings. GORB substantially

contributed to the current view of functional

principles, ranging from the macro- down to

the nanoscale, behind such as unusual ability.

It all started with his pioneering PhD work on

the head-arresting system of dragonflies, the

attachment device of strong complexity and

high diversity in different groups of dragonflies.

GORB has analyzed the microstructure of

this system in more than 200 species of the

world fauna, carried out electrophysiological

experiments combined with motion analysis,

and published the results on the working

principle of this micromechanical system in a

series of publications, which later have inspired

development of mate-locking devices.

Driven by the paradigm of biomimetics/

bionics, GORB and his team have discovered

functional principles of attachment devices

in various animals, snake skin friction, anti-

adhesive mechanisms of plant surfaces

specialized in insect trapping (carnivorous

plants), friction and wear reduction mechanisms

in arthropod joints. According to recent

research of GORB’s lab, the contact mechanics

phenomena driven by particular geometry are

crucial for understanding biological functions

of all these systems. GORB's vision was and

remains the understanding of fundamental

4 Newsletter

ISBE 2019 Newsletter Members

principles of biomechanical phenomena,

in order to open new ways for design of

biologically-inspired technical surfaces.Using

his broad knowledge of biological solutions of

mechanical problems, in 2002 he made the

first prototypes and in 2005 in cooperation

with company Binder GmbH (Holzgerlingen)

he tested the first joint developments of an

industrial gecko tape. This tape represents the

novel material allowing fast reversible (up to

Cover stories:

millions of cycles) adhesion on smooth surfaces.

In 2011, GORB together with company Binder

received for this development new industrial

and design prizes and further contributed to

the implementation of this product to a new

generation of industrial manipulators, capable

of generating attachment without the use of

vacuum (collaboration with company Festo,

Esslingen).

Newsletter 5


Chengwei WU

Dalian University of Technology, China

Email: [email protected]

Prof. Chengwei WU received his Ph.D.

degree in mechanical engineering from

Tsinghua University, Beijing, China,

in 1987. He has worked in Dalian University

of Technology as a postdoctor since 1988-

1989. Then, he was promoted to an associate

professor in 1990 and full professor in 1992. He

had worked in Advanced Materials Laboratory

in North Carolina State University, USA, as a

visiting professor from 1994 to 1997. He was

the vice dean Faculty of Vehicle Engineering

Mechanics (FVEM) from 2007 to 2018. He has

received many awards from China government,

including Outstanding Specialist awarded by

Dalian city government, Outstanding Specialist

awarded by LiaoNing Province government,

China Youth Science & Technology awarded by

China government, etc. He has published over

200 papers cited over 2000 times with an H

index of 28, and co-authored four books with

domestic and abroad professors. He is now a

founding member of ISBE and editor board

member of Journal of Bionic Engineering and

Acta Mechanica Solida Sinica. His current

research interests include: bionic design for

engineering structure, biomaterials and medical

Bioonion structure multilayer hydrogel drug

6 Newsletter

ISBE 2019 Newsletter Members

Mechanics of mosquito’s fascicle penetrating

applications, biomechanics,

m e c h a n i c s a n a l y s i s a n d

experiments for biomaterials

and structures

He set up the Bio/Na-

no-Mechanics Laboratory in

Dalian University in 2005.

Now this laboratory has 46

members, including 2 full

professors, 2 associate profes-

sors, 2 lecturers, and 40 post-

graduate students.

There are currently 2800 members from 62 countries and regions of the world. By becoming a member

of the ISBE you can communicate with more academic elites and enjoy a variety of benefits. Membership

in the Society is free. It is our hope that we can establish and develop the ISBE together. We welcome

your application for membership, online at: http://www. isbe-online.org/

ISBE welcomes you to join !

Newsletter 7


Yu TIAN Tsinghua University, China

Prof. Yu Tian is a full Professor

at Tsinghua University. He is

the director of the State Key

Laboratory of Tribology. He received

his Bachelor and PhD degrees from

Tsinghua Univers i ty in 1998 and

2002, respectively. He did his Post

Doctorate Research with Professor

Jacob Israelachvili at the University of

California, Santa Barbara (from 2005

to 2007 and then moved to Tsinghua

Univers i ty as a faculty member) .

His research interests include the

mechanism and application of active

friction and adhesion control based

on electro/magneto-rheological fluids

or Bionics, nano/micro-rheology, and

interfacial phenomena in tribology and

other areas. He has published over 150

peer-reviewed journal papers.

Learning from gecko adhesion, he

considered the surface interaction at the

peel front. A tape-peeling model based

on the geometry of the peel zone was

proposed to describe the peeling behav-

ior of adhesive surfaces at different peel

angles. Various bionic surface and appa-

ratus have been developed to manipulate objects with van

der Waals interactions. He proposed a shadow method to

accurately in situ measure the forces acting on the legs of

water walking arthropods during its static or locomotion

processes. These results are helpful for understanding the

locomotion principles of water walking insects and the

design of biomimetic devices.

Dry adhesion control with the aid of jamming of granular materials

Shadow method for measuring forces acted on water strider legs

8 Newsletter

ISBE 2019 Newsletter Corporate Members

The Department of Engineering Mechan-

ics at Dalian University of Technology

(DUT) was founded in 1957 by two dis-

tinguished Professors – Prof. Lingxi Qian and

Prof. Limin Tang.

In 2007, the Engineering Mechanics was

recognized as the first-class national key disci-

pline of Mechanics. Together with the ‘State Key

Laboratory of Structural Analysis for Industrial

Equipment’, the department established centers

of research excellence for ‘Theories and Method

of Computational Mechanics and Engineering

Science Computation’, ‘Biomechanics and na-

no-mechanics’, ‘Modern theory and Algorithm

of Structural Optimization’, etc. The depart-

ment possesses excellent academic members,

including 3 members of the Chinese Academy of

Science (Wanxie Zhong, Gengdong Cheng and

Changyu Sheng), 7 National Outstanding Young

Scholars and 14 Ministry of Education ‘Trans –

Century and the New Century Talents’.

The Department of Engineering Mechanics

is also the center for many national and interna-

tional academic activities. In recent years, more

than 24 national and international conferences

were organized and held here. It has established

long-term collaborations with more than 20

overseas famous universities and research insti-

tutes, including Durham University, UK, Univer-

sity of California, Berkeley, etc.

Department of

Engineering

Mechanics, Dalian

University of

Technology (DUT)

Work on the magnetic nanoparticle for hyperthermia and anti-impact mechanism of woodpecker is selected as the front covers

The design of Three Gorges ship lift with respect to dynamic stability

Newsletter 9

ISBE 2019 NewsletterCorporate Members

NORINCO Unmanned Vehicle Research & Development Center

The NORINCO Unmanned Ve-

hicle Research & Development

Center was established in June

2014, Important research directions

are developing bionic mobile robots,

theory of bionic mechanisms of move-

ment, motion control systems, and

producing 4th generation biomimetic

quadruped robots. The most famous

quadruped robot won the first prizes

in the bionic group in the Ground Un-

manned System Challenge “Crossing

Dangerous Obstacles” organized by the

Army Equipment Department, both in

2016 and 2018. The research team also achieved

the honor of "National Youth Civilization".

Center research is fcused on terramechan-

ics, or the interactions between environment

and animal behavior. The ground support and

traction model is established by studying the

geometric and mechanical characteristics of the

typical environment, and a static coupling model

is established with the analysis of the interaction

between the skeleton structure and the ground,

A dynamic coupling model is built by research-

ing the gait, space-time, and energy conversion

characteristics when the vertebrate is waling, Fi-

nally an evaluation criteria is proposed to quan-

tify the coupling between animal behaviors and

the ground.

To examine gait planning and motion

control, the control problem on the stability

and compliance of the multi-degree-of-freedom

and non-linear dynamic model is solved by

combining the perception of terrain and the

ground mechanics information: the gait plan

strategy and kinematic model is established

based on the method of virtual leg, inverted

pendulum, and force feedback, Then the

adjustment strategy of attitude and gait under

the different environments is researched Using

a large closed-loop behavioral control model

combining terrain information, and the walking

efficiency is optimized based on the force

distribution model with multi-contact support.

Based on the theoretical research results

above, the developed quadruped robot can

walk in complex terrains such as snow, ice,

grassland, gravel, and other complex terrains.

The maximum speed on flat ground can reach

to 8 km/h, and the maximum climbing gradient

is 30 degrees. The robot can go up and down

single step of 0.2 m, and cross trenches up to 0.3

m wide.

10 Newsletter

ISBE 2019 Newsletter News and Events

On September 23-26, the joint 6th

International Conference of Bionic

E n g i n e e r i n g ( I C B E 2 0 1 9 ) a n d

International Symposium on Nature-Inspired

Technology 2019 (ISNIT2019) was successfully

held in Changchun, China. The conference

is organized by the International Society

of Bionic Engineering (ISBE) and Korean

Society of Mechanical Engineers (KSME), and

hosted by Jilin University, China. Prof. Julian

Vincent, president of the ISBE, Prof. Luquan

Ren, academician of Chinese Academy of

Sciences and standing vice-president of the

ISBE, Prof. Wan Doo Kim, 61st president of the

KSME, Prof. Li Cai, executive vice-chair of Jilin

University Council addressed on the opening

ceremony. In addition, Prof. Lutz Richter, vice-

president of ISTVS, Prof. Glen McHale, vice-

chancellor of Northumbria University, UK, Prof.

Ming Mao, director of the China North Vehicle

Research Institute, and Prof. Hongwei Zhao,

vice-president of Jilin University attended the

conference.

The conference is one of the highest-

level grand gatherings in the field of bionics

around the world and aims to establish a closer

relationship between scientists and engineers

The joint ICBE2019 and ISNIT2019 was successfully held

Newsletter 11

ISBE 2019 NewsletterNews and Events

worldwide. The theme of the conference is

“bionic innovations for healthy development”,

which is geared towards exploring new ideas

and accomplishments for the practice of bio-

inspired design and manufacture, while offering

innovative solutions. Over 500 researchers,

scholars and enterprise delegates from more

than 20 countries and regions attended the

conference, respectively from UK, USA,

Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, South

Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South

Korea, India, China etc.

During the opening, the ceremonies for

ISBE 2019 International Bionic Engineering

Award, ISBE 2019 Fellowship,

and ISBE 2019 International

Bionic Innovation Competition

were held. The "Web of Bionics

International" and "Da Vinci

China Index" were officially

released.

The 4th board meeting of

ISBE was held in the after-

noon of September 24th. . A

total of 17 new board members

from 10 countries attended

the meeting. In addition, the

Youth Committee meeting,

the establishment meeting of the Enterprise

Committee and the editorial board meeting of

Journal of Bionic Engineering were also held.

This conference is a grand international

event that attracts the attention and support

from universities, scientific research institutes,

government departments and enterprises

around the world. The great success of the

conference not only expresses the current

research achievements in bionic engineering

but also offers a platform for delegates to

communicate and cooperate with each other.

This should give a major push towards the

development of bionic engineering worldwide.

12 Newsletter


The 4th Board Meeting of ISBE was held

in the afternoon of September 24, in

Changchun, China. The meeting was

chaired by Julian Vincent. The new Executive

Board Members from 2019 -2022 were elected

at the meeting. Prof. Thomas Stegmaier from

ITV Denkendorf, Germany was elected to

be new president, the Academician Luquan

Ren from Jilin University was elected to be

Vice-President Marc WeissburgGeorgia Institute of Technology, USA

President Thomas StegmaierDITF Denkendorf, Germany

Standing Vice-PresidentLuquan RenJilin University, China

Vice-President Chris D. RuddJCU Singapore

General SecretaryJianqiao LiJilin University, China

Board Meeting of ISBE was held

standing vice president, Prof. Marc Weissburg

from Georgia Institute of Technology and Prof.

Chris D. Rudd from James Cook University

Singapore were elected vice presidents. Prof.

Jianqiao Li from Jilin University was appointed

as general secretary of the society. Prof. Julian

Vincent was granted the Lifetime Contribution

Award as Emeritus President of the ISBE.

Executive Board Members 2019-2022

Newsletter 13


This year, the Sino-Ger-

man-Symposium on Bio-

mimetics has taken place

for the fourth time. From 3rd to

7th June 2019 an international

research team from China and

Germany was hosted by the City

University of Applied Sciences

Bremen at Castle Etelsen, Germany

to discuss a broad range of topics

i n b i o m i m e t i c s r e s e a r c h . I n

particular, the design, construction

and control mechanisms of bio-

inspired robotics were a focus of the meeting.

Several scientific presentations and exkursions

to the Alfred-Wegener-Institute for Polar

Research (AWI) , the German Research

Centre for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) and

the Klimahaus Bremerhaven set an inspiring

interdisciplinary surrounding to discuss recent

projects and future collaborations. The meeting

was funded by the Sino-German Center for

Research Promotion, a joint project of the

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and

the National Science Foundation of China.

For further information please contact: Prof.

Dr. Jan-Henning Dirks, Biological Structures

and Biomimetics, City University of Applied

Sciences Bremen, jan-henning.dirks@hs-

bremen.de.

Biomimetics at Castle Etelsen - Bio-inspired robotics

14 Newsletter

ISBE 2019 Newsletter News and EventsThe 3rd International Workshop on

Biorobotics and Biomechanics

The 3rd International Workshop on Bio-

robotics and Biomechanics, organized by

the International Society of Bionic Engi-

neering, University of Manchester (UK), and Ji-

lin University (China) was held in Jilin Universi-

ty on August 14, 2019. The honorary chair of the

workshop was Academician Luquan REN, the

standing vice-president of ISBE and professor

at Jilin University. The chairs of the workshop

were Prof. Jianqiao LI who is the General Sec-

retary of ISBE, Prof. Lei REN from University of

Manchester (UK), Prof.

Zhiwu HAN from Jilin

University (China). Prof.

Jianqiao LI delivered

the welcome speech and

Prof. Zhiwu Han gave a

general introduction of

ISBE at the workshop.

During the work-

shop, Prof. Lei REN from

the University of Man-

chester (UK), Prof.Liudi

Jiang from University of

Southampton(UK), Prof.

Helge Wurdemann from University College

London (UK), Prof. Qining Wang from Peking

University (China), Prof. Guowu Wei from Uni-

versity of Salford (UK), Prof. Angela Faragasso

from University of Tokyo (Japan), and Prof.

Zhihui Qian from Jilin University China) were

invited to deliver the keynote speeches. There

were more than 100 scholars and students who

attended the workshop. Topics on the research

progress of bionic walking, bionic robots, and

bionic Healthcare were presented.

The success of this workshop not only

showed the la test research progress in

biorobotics and biomechanics, but also offered

a platform for representatives to communicate

and cooperate with each other. This should give

a major push towards the development of bionic

engineering worldwide.

Newsletter 15


Specialist Short Courses 2019

Specialist Short Courses 2019 organized by the

International Society of Bionic Engineering (ISBE)

were successfully held in Changchun, China on

September 26-27. The courses were presented by Prof. Julian

Vincent of Heriot-Watt University, UK. A total of 40 scholars

and postgraduates attended the courses.

During the two-days workshop, the innovative teaching

methods including specialist tutelage, classroom interaction,

practical experience, and group presentation were adopted.

After the courses, Prof. Vincent presented the certificates to

all the students.

The courses not only provided favorable opportunities for

attendees to learn the basic methods and skills of biomimetics

but also offered a platform for academic communication and

cooperation. It played a positive role to popularize bionic

science and technology, spreading its ideas, methods and

spirit, and accelerating the pace of academic research and

development.

16 Newsletter


Bionic Engineering Award is set up by ISBE to honor and encourage excellent members who make great

progress in bionic engineering field, and to further promote the development of bionic discipline.

The award is sponsored by the members of ISBE voluntarily and presented at the International Conference of

Bionic Engineering held every three years.

Bionic Engineering Award

Bionic Engineering Award in 2019 is 120.000 RMB donated by Prof. Luquan REN,

the Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Standing Vice President

of ISBE.

The final result of the Bionic Engineering Award in 2019 was announced at ICBE2019 when the winners were presented with the certificates and monetary award.

Award Source

Award Winners

Prof. Stanislav Gorb

Kiel University, Germany

Prof. Huawei Chen

Beihang University, China

Prof. Mingjie Liu

Beihang University, China

Prof. Ximin He

University of California, USA

Zhengzhi Mu

Jilin University, China

Qian Zhao

Jilin University, China

Outstanding Contribution Award

Outstanding Youth Award Outstanding Student Award

Newsletter 17


The meeting of the Youth Commission, ISBE was held during the ICBE2019

During the ICBE2019, the meeting of the ISBE Youth Commission was held in the afternoon of 25th

September, 2019 and the list of new standing members has been approved as follows.

ChairmanProf. Zhiguang Guo(Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, CAS)

Vice-ChairmanProf. Poramate Manoonpong (University of Southern Denmark)

Vice-ChairmanDr. Guowu Wei(University of Salford )

General SecretaryProf. Zhihui Qian(Jilin University)

Commission memberProf. Zuankai Wang(City University of Hong Kong )

Commission memberDr. Hamed Rajabi(Kiel University)

Commission memberProf. Thierry Darmanin (University of Nice Sophia Antipolis )

Commission memberProf. Longjian Xue(Wuhan University)

Commission memberDr. Daniele Cafolla (IRCCS Neuromed)

On November 22, Ming Mao, an individual member of the International Society of Bionic En-

gineering (ISBE), and professor of China Northern Vehicle Research Institute, was elected to

the Chinese Academy of Engineering(CAE). CAE membership is China’s highest title in the

field of Engineering and Technological Science, and a lifelong honor. New members are recruited every

two years.

Prof. Ming Mao elected to Chinese Academy of Engineering

18 Newsletter


The Enterprise Committee of ISBE was established during the ICBE2019 and serve as a sub-

branch of the society. The committee is public to the enterprises engaged in the bionic research,

production and management. It is responsible for organizing the activities of bionic technology

development and academic exchanges.

According to the implementing measures, the committee shall consist of 11 members including 1

President, 9 Vice-Presidents and 1 General Secretary. After rigorous evaluation by the Executive Board

of Directors, the composition of the 1st Enterprise Committee of ISBE is as follows.

Dr. Shameem SampathVice-presidentAI Rehab Ltd, UK

Prof. Jingjing WangVice-presidentLuoyang Ship Materials Research Institute, China

Dr. Yongdan DuVice-presidentZigum AY, Finland

Dr. Kai ZhangVice-presidentBeijing Shengong Technology Co., Ltd, China

Prof. He LiuPresident

Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development

(CNPC), China

Prof. Limei TianGeneral SecretaryJilin University, China

Dr. William YangVice-president

BaySpec, USA

Prof. Bo SuVice-presidentUmanned Vehicle Research & Develepment Center of NORINNCO (G), China

Dr.FedoseevVice-presidentScience and Technology Rover Company Ltd. Russia

Dr. Jun XiaoVice-presidentRtec Instruments, USA

Ms. Honglin ZhouVice-presidentTechwinner, China

The Enterprise Committee of ISBE

was established

Newsletter 19


Call for Case Study Submissions

Case stu

dy at IS

BE

website

Case study was released at the website in May, 2018. The accumulated click rate is over 30,000. We sincerely expect you to share your case with the members of the Society. For more cases: http://www.isbe-online.org/

ISBE is calling for case study submissions now. You can contact with Ximei Tian for the template of case study. Your kindness and consideration will be appreciated.We look forward to receiving your submissions!Email: [email protected]: +86-431-85166507

ISBE 2019 Newsletter Highlights of Research

20 Newsletter

Nature research highlights: morphing and color add new dimensions to 3D printing

Just as an octopus can change colours and contort its body, materials

built by a 3D printer can now alter their hues and bend into new

shapes.

The process known as 4D printing adds the dimension of time to 3D

printing, creating objects that can reshape themselves. Qingping Liu at Jilin University in Changchun, China, Lei Ren at the University of Manchester, UK, and their team

added the ability to change colour as well.

The researchers created a material that can simultaneously change shape and color by mixing a

shape-memory polymer and thermochromic pigments: when bent into a particular configuration above

a certain temperature and then cooled, it will return to its original shape when heated again. Along

with shape change, the materials change when heated from, for example, orange to yellow then back to

orange when cooled.

By controlling process parameters such as the layer thickness or printing temperature, the

researchers could determine the pace of the shape and colour changes. The authors created a dark

green and orange flower bud that opened into a yellow blossom, as well as an octopus with tentacles

that changed colour as they unfurled.

Compared with current 4D printing research, the proposed shape-color double-responsive 4D

printing strategy pushes the envelope of 4d printing, and is expected to be helpful for understanding

and exploring the full potential of 4D printing.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02005-9

Highlights

ISBE 2019 NewsletterHighlights of Research

Newsletter 21

Angiosperms and

their pollinators

are adapted in

a close co-evolution. For

both the plants and pol-

linators, the functioning

of the visual signaling

system is highly relevant for survival. As the

frequency range of visual perception in many

insects extends into the ultraviolet (UV) re-

gion, UV-patterns of plants play an impor-

tant role in the flower–pollinator interaction.

It is well known that many flowers contain

UV-absorbing pigments in their petal cells,

which are localized in vacuoles. However, the

contribution of the petal surface microarchi-

tecture to UV-reflection remains uncertain.

The correlation between the surface structure

and its reflective properties is also relevant

for biomimetic applications, for example, in

the field of photovoltaics. Based on previous

work, we selected three model species with

distinct UV-patterns to explore the possi-

ble contribution of the surface architecture

to the UV-signaling. Using a replication

technique, we transferred the petal surface

structure onto a transparent polymer. Upon

illumination with UV-light, we observed

structural-based patterns in the replicas that

were surprisingly comparable to those of the

original petals. For the first time, this exper-

iment has shown that the parameters of the

surface structure lead to an enhancement in

the amount of absorbed UV-radiation. Spec-

trophotometric measurements revealed up

to 50% less reflection in the UV-absorbing

Ultraviolet patterns of flowers revealed in polymer replica – caused by surface architecture

regions than in the UV-reflecting areas. A compara-

tive characterization of the micromorphology of the

UV-reflecting and UV-absorbing areas showed that,

in principle, a hierarchical surface structure results in

more absorption. Therefore, the results of our experi-

ments demonstrate the structural-based amplification

of UV-reflection and provide a starting point for the

design of bioinspired antireflective and respectively

strongly absorbing surfaces.

Anna J. Schulte, Matthias Mail, Lisa A. Hahn and Wilhelm Barthlott, University of Bonn, Germany

Figure: The three model species analyzed in the visible spectrum (left) and UV-regime (right): Bidens ferulifolia (a), Rudbeckia fulgida (b) and Erodium manescavii (c).


22 Newsletter

Water assisted biomimetic synergistic process inspired water-jet rewritable paper

Although we live in

an age dominat-

ed by electronic

displays, paper prints still

play a crucial role in daily

lives. However, most pa-

per and ink are discarded

after being used once, leading to huge environ-

mental problems including deforestation, solid

waste and pollution. Rewritable paper, which is

reusable without additional inks for printing, is

an attractive alternative approach to alleviating

these environmental problems.

Inspired by biochemical reactions stimulated

by water-networks, Dr. Sean Xiao-An Zhang’s

team of Jilin University have focused on rewrit-

able paper that can be printed with water. In

2014, they achieved water-jet rewritable paper

(WJRP) based on hydrochromic oxazolidine and

Xiao-An Zhang, Jilin University, China

demonstrated new printing technology (Nat.

Commun. 2014, 5, 3044). Recently, they broad-

ened the scope of hydrochromic system from

initial mono-dyes to a synergistic binary-system

involving water assisted biomimic proton deliv-

ery. The binary system, which supramolecularly

bounded the acidochromic dyes with mild devel-

opers, accomplished surmountable black WJRP

and can easily expand to various hydrochro-

mic colours within entire visible range without

complicated structural modification of known

dyes (Nat. Commun. 2018, 9, 4819). Multi-col-

or prints were also achieved by them through

ingenious design of molecular switches (ACS

Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2018, 10, 40838−40843;

Chem. Eur. J. 2018, 24, 12539 – 12545).

Schematic diagrams of the structure of hydrochromic dyes based water-jet rewritable paper and water-jet printing technology as well as pints with different colors.

ISBE 2019 NewsletterHighlights of Research

Newsletter 23

Joint simulator a biomimetic way for artificial joints in-vitro evaluation and investigation

Prof. Zikai Hua and his group in Orthotek laboratory Shanghai University

has been working on the mechanical testing of artificial joints since 2005.

Recently, Orthotek lab has announced the success in developing their own

knee and hip joint simulators (Figure 1). These bionic frames could reproduce the

kinematic and dynamic performance of human knee and hip joints, including gait,

up/down stairs, jogging etc (Fig 2).

Zikai Hua, Yizhou Song, Haili Jia, Shanghai University, China

Figure 1 Knee and hip joint simulators in Orthotek lab

H u m a n j o i n t s a r e

amazing junctions between

bones, which provide the

load transfer and stability of

human body. By longtime

evolution, the biomechani-

cal performance of human

jo ints has become very

complicated, which attracts

many scientists’ interests.

Based on those findings, Or-

thotek engineers design and

setup such biomechanical

frames. (a) Hip gait


24 Newsletter

(c) Knee upstairs

Orthotek lab focuses

on the advanced testing

technologies on medical

implants. Artificial joints, as

an important joint replace-

ment orthopedic implants,

have to be well evaluated

and validated for safety and

effectiveness. So, precisely

and effectively reproducing

joint motions in vitro, pro-

vide a solid support in the

field of Biomechanics and

Biotribological evaluation of

the artificial joint products.

Prof. Hua said ‘Luckily,

we finally made it, now our

lab has over 40 simulators

installed. The simulators

and our testing methodol-

ogies passed international

accreditation service (IAS)

on site audit and review.

Wear data of many new ar-

tificial joint prostheses have

been recognized by Food

and Drug Administration

in different countries. We

do believe a well bionic de-

sign of joint testing frames

will give the manufacturers

more confidence in the de-

velopment of high-quality

joint products.’

(b) Knee gait

Upcoming Activities ISBE 2019 Newsletter

Newsletter 25

2020 International Workshop on Bionic Engineering 4th International Workshop on Biorobotics & Bioengineering

10-12 June 2020 Manchester, UK

The joint 2020 International Workshop on Bionic Engineering (IWBE 2020) and the 4th

International Workshop on Biorobotics & Bioengineering will be held in Manchester, UK, June

10-12, 2020. The Workshop is supported by the International Society of Bionic Engineering

(ISBE) and aims at providing a forum for researchers in bionic engineering, biorobotics and

bioengineering from around the world to exchange their ideas and share the latest achievements. The

dominant theme of IWBE 2020 is “Biorobotics & Bionic Healthcare Engineering”.

Main Topics of Interest:•Biomimetic surfaces

•Biomimetic machinery

•Biomimetic materials

•Bionic healthcare engineering

•Biologically inspired robotics

•Life-like sensing, actuation and computation

•Biomimetic design methodologies

IWBE 2020

Upcoming ActivitiesISBE 2019 Newsletter

26 Newsletter

The host city Manchester is the first industrialized city in the world and also is the second largest

city in UK . This city is best known as classical architectures, culture, musical exports, media links,

scientific and engineering outputs. Meanwhile, Manchester is outstanding for being a city of sport. Two

decorated Premier League football clubs bear the city name: Manchester United and Manchester City.

Important Dates:1st Feb 2020: Abstract submission

29th Feb 2020: Abstract acceptance notification

10th Apr 2020: Early bird registration deadline

10th June 2020: Registration

11th June 2020: Presentations

12th June 2020: Technical visiting

Submission Page: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=iwbe2020Please use the abstract template for the submission.

The abstract should be one or two A4 pages in length, may include figures and tables.


Newsletter 27

MESROB 2020

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

It is our privilege and great pleasure to invite you to the seventh edition of the International Workshop on New Trends in Medical and Service Robots (MESROB 2020), 08. – 10. July 2020 on the campus of the University Hospital Basel. Together, the city of Basel and the canton

Basel Countryside host the oldest University of Switzerland.

To allow participants profit from our experience in the field of robotics and automation in the field of

medicine, we will have pre-conference workshops from 06. – 07. July 2020 in the old University directly

at the Rhine. At this historic as well as beautiful location, participants will be able to work on practical

real-time automation systems in industrial workshops. During scientific workshops, participants will

gain insight in the current status of medical robotics and determine the need of the end-users of such

devices for the future. Pre-conference workshops will be followed by the MESROB 2020 08. – 10. July

on the campus of the University Hospital Basel.

We very much look forward to your participation and to welcoming you with open arms to Basel!

Kind regards on behalf of the

MESROB 2020 Steering Committee

Prof. Dr Georg Rauter

Chair

More information, please visit http://isbe-online.org/?mod=info&act=view&id=3845

08-10 July 2020 Basel, Switzerland

Upcoming ActivitiesISBE 2019 Newsletter

28 Newsletter

Call for Papers for Special Issue "Biomimetics from Concept to Reality"

Special Issue EditorProf. Dr. Julian Vincent Guest EditorNature Inspired Manufacturing Centre, School of Engineering,

Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK

Interests: biology, materials, fracture mechanics, biomimetics, entomology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last 20 years or so, I have several times been asked to write a comprehensive review

of biomimetics. I have resisted, because there were no effective tools giving access to biological

solutions for technologists and too few examples of successful implementation of technical

concepts and functions derived from biology. It seems that the initial bubble of excitement

has given way to a more thoughtful approach, largely because it takes so long (10 to 15

years, perhaps) to turn an idea into a technical reality. Also, in that time the topic areas have

broadened out, and more people are involved.

So, I feel no guilt or embarrassment (when did that ever happen?) in continuing to resist

writing such a review, since I am no longer able to cover such a wide field with competence.

Indeed, it concerns biology, physiology, chemistry, materials, surfaces, medicine, robotics,

mathematics, design, engineering and, I suppose, sales and marketing. These topics all have a

part to play.

There is another closed loop here, because the first journal called Biomimetics was published

in the early 1990s by Plenum, edited by myself and Professor Srinivasan. It was, of course, too

early on the scene and foundered. This time around it is all coming together.

Prof. Dr. Julian Vincent

Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information, Please visit https://www.mdpi.com/journal/biomimetics/special_issues/biomimetics_concept_reality#info


Newsletter 29

an Open Access Journal by MDPI

Biorobotics: Challenges, Technologies, and Trends

Guest Editor:

Prof. Dr. Teresa Zielinska

Institute of Aeronautics and

Applied Mechanics (IAAM),

Warsaw University of Technology,

Warsaw, Poland

[email protected]

Deadline for manuscript

submissions:

30 June 2020

Message from the Guest Editor

Dear Colleagues,

Currently observed significant progress in the

current development of powerful robots is achieved

not only due to the advanced technologies and due

to imitation of the animals’ body shape, but also due

to the application of biologically inspired methods in

design and control. Efficient methods of robot motion

generation refer to the biological and neurological

backgrounds.

Biorobotics comprises, in a creative way, the

knowledge from engineering, cybernetics, bionics,

biology, psychology, and neurology for developing the

new robot designs.

The Special Issue on “Biorobotics: Challenges,

Technologies, and Trends” will be devoted to this

fascinating and promising area. The broad thematic

rangeof papers covering the recent challenges,

technologies,and research trends will offer to readers

the knowledgeand inspirations for developing the novel

robots.

Detailed information about this issue can be found

at: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci/special_

issues/Biorobotics

Prof. Dr. Teresa Zielinska

Guest Editor

Call for Papers for Special Issue on Bio-robotics in Applied Science Journal

ISBE Newsletter

Editor in ChiefLuquan REN

Associate Editors in ChiefJianqiao LIRunmao WANG

Assistant Editor in ChiefXimei TIAN

Executive EditorYue GAO

Published by the International Society of Bionic Engineering (ISBE)

New

slet

ter

ISBE NEWSLETTER Contact - Office of Secretariat, ISBE

Address: C508 Dingxin Building, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street,

Changchun 130012, P. R. China

Tel/ Fax: +86-431-85166507

E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]

Website: http://www.isbe-online.org/

Volume 8, Issue 3&4, 2019

ISBE Newsletter

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