TheBiological

DesignProcess

Content adapted from:Nagel, J.K.S., Nagel, R.L., Stone, R.B. & Mcadams, D.A., 2010. Function-based, biologically inspired concept generation. Artificial Intelligence for Engineering Design, Analysis and Manufacturing, 24, 521-535.

Today’s Journey Customer driven design process

Process Example

Bio driven design process Process Activity Example

Bio-Inspired Concept Generation Approaches

Customer-Driven Design Process This method assumes that there is a

specific function that the designer wishes to perform

The process is focused on determining the biological systems that need to be considered for inspiration

Customer driven is standard for engineering design (ME382, ME383, ME418, ME419, ME611....)

Process – Step 0 Formulate problem statement Generate House of Quality (HoQ)

Customer needs Customer requirements Engineering requirements

Daily Design Problem Problem Description: Many young people have not learned to

cook while growing up and feel overwhelmed by the many steps that go into preparing a dish from scratch. One specific pitfall is the flavoring of a dish. The wrong amount or combination of spices can ruin it. In addition, more experienced cooks would like to venture out and start cooking a more diverse set of dishes. They are looking for assistance in flavoring these unfamiliar dishes. For example, for an American cook, these could be Indian, Chinese, Italian, or Mexican dishes.

Daily Design Problem Problem Description: Therefore your task is to develop a

flavor-composing device - a device that automatically measures, combines, and dispenses spices. As this is a complex task, you will only develop the mechanical aspect of the flavor-composing device. Others are responsible for controls, programming, and the combination of all other results.

What are the customer needs?

Process – Step 1 Create a conceptual functional model of

the desired engineering system This should be a high level, abstract

model of the engineering system to be developed

This process is something we have already seen

NOT the biological functional model

Daily Design Problem Problem Description: Therefore your task is to develop a

flavor-composing device - a device that automatically measures, combines, and dispenses spices. As this is a complex task, you will only develop the mechanical aspect of the flavor-composing device. Others are responsible for controls, programming, and the combination of all other results.

What key functions are required?

Process – Step 2 Map functions to biological systems

MEMIC or Morphological Matrix can be used if the database contains biological systems

DANE AskNature Use Engineering to Biology Thesaurus to

translate to biological terms BioSearch Index of your favorite biology textbook

Daily Design Problem Problem Description: Therefore your task is to develop a

flavor-composing device - a device that automatically measures, combines, and dispenses spices. As this is a complex task, you will only develop the mechanical aspect of the flavor-composing device. Others are responsible for controls, programming, and the combination of all other results.

What biological systems can map to those key functions?

Process – Step 3 Explore the most promising solutions in more

depth for inspiration Read the repository entry, if available Again, biological text is useful Google

Create a functional model of the biological system in order to see the connections to engineering designs

Process – Step 4 Identify novel solutions and combine

with solutions for various other functions to create an engineering system

Example

Heat Exchange Case Study Heat exchanger design for hydrogen

vehicles Filling creates heat Heat reduces efficiency of absorption,

increasing filling time Need is for small scale heat exchanger

Fins are too large

[http://rdmag.com/News/2010/02/Manufacturing-Materials-Engineering-Purdue-Heat-exchanger-tech-crucial-to-new-automotive-hydrogen-storage-system/]

Functional ModelFueling Stage

Discharge Stage

Bio Keyword Selection Distribute

Thermal Energy is the Main Function

Distribute has the key word exchange

For example, searching exchange in the Bio Search database…

Results: Exchange1. Heat exchange between the internal

environment and the skin occurs largely through blood flow.

2. Because heat is exchanged between blood vessels carrying blood in opposite directions, this adaptation is called a countercurrent heat exchanger. It keeps the heat within the muscle mass, enabling the fish to have an internal body temperature considerably above the water temperature.

Results: Exchange3. Abscisic acid also regulates gas and water

vapor exchange between leaves and the atmosphere through its effects on the guard cells of the leaf stomata. Open and close flower Cutting supply to leaf so it drops

4. The movement of ions into and out of cells is important in many biological processes, ranging from the electrical activity of the nervous system to the opening of pores in leaves that allow gas exchange with the environment.

Results: Exchange5. As in other air-breathing vertebrates, air

enters and leaves a bird's gas exchange system through a trachea (commonly known as the windpipe), which divides into smaller airways called bronchi (singular bronchus).

Results: Exchange6. Both ectotherms and endotherms can alter the

rate of heat exchange between their bodies and their environments by controlling the flow of blood to the skin. The skin is the interface between the internal and the external environment, and heat exchanges that alter body temperature across this interface.

7. Leaves exchange gases, including water vapor, with the environment by way of the stomata.

Results: Exchange8. When an animal breathes, it does work to

move water or air over its specialized gas exchange surfaces.

9. External gills are highly branched and folded elaborations of the body surface that provide a large surface area for gas exchange with water. Because they consist of thin, delicate membranes, they minimize the length of the path traversed by diffusing molecules of O2 and CO2.

Results Ideas of continuous, circular flow, from

the bird (result 5) were adapted for a heat exchanger design.

Biology-Driven Design Process This method assumes a biological

system that performs a function that the engineer wants to emulate as a starting point

The process is focused on abstracting the biological system so that the designer can then use the functional model to inspire an engineering design concept

Bring the biology in upfront Typical design process

Process – Step 11. Generate functional model of the

biological system of interest We saw this last class

Process – Step 22. Solve each function with multiple

solutions (Design repository, Analogical transfer, or other)

The MEMIC software from the OSU Design Engineering Lab is useful for this step http://repository.designengineeringlab.org:808

0/view/MEMICv2-2.zip Additionally, a morphological chart search

may be useful http://repository.designengineeringlab.org:808

0/view/searchmorph.jsp

Process – Step 2

Morphological chart search

Process – Step 2 The function solutions found in this step

are limited to solutions found in the design repository and solutions that the user can determine from past experience

If the design repository has limited data and/or the user is inexperienced, this step can be very difficult

Future expansion of database knowledge may make this step much simpler

Process – Step 3 Review potential solutions and

generate concepts by combining solutions for each individual function in different ways

At this point, engineering judgment must be used to determine which overall solutions are viable and which are not

This is not an exact science… Some functions may not be needed in an

engineering solution, while others may need to be added

This step relies heavily on the engineer’s knowledge, judgment, and imagination, like most design work

Case Study: Lichen

Case Study: Lichen MEMIC and the Morphological Matrix

tool were used to generate solutions for each function

Results of MEMIC and Morphological Matrix searches for each function

Case Study: Lichen Excess thermal energy and

excess electrical energy can be used by the home or business using this device

Liquid acts as lens and filter for solar energy

Pump cycles water through exchange tank where thermal energy can be removed or added to keep the liquid at optimal temperature