Bionics and Space System Design

Biomimicry is a multi-disciplinary science involving a wide diversity of other domains like electronics, informatics, medicine, biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and many others. However, it is quite unusual to find key people or expertise centres that have cognition and expertise in all these disciplines as a whole. Therefore, there is a need for the establishment of a capillary network of contacts through Europe and elsewhere that will enable to reach also those academic centres, which are not much visible due to their reduced dimension or recent origin. Additionally, although some peculiar conditions characterizing space environments can be similarly encountered on earth (e.g. desert zones) and specific solutions found within these terrestrial contexts can be adapted to space conditions, there is a majority of cases, which are subject to conditions which are broadly different from those encountered on earth (e.g. gravity absence). Therefore, the biomimetic approach in the space sector results more complex and has to be considered in a multidisciplinary and crosssectorial framework to overcome barriers. The problems to be addressed to exploit the potential of the biomimicry approach in the space domain can be summarized as follows:

biomimicry has become a real science only in recent years and therefore there is no consolidated co-operation environment with space engineers.
research in biomimicry across Europe and Canada and more generally at world wide level is scattered and fragmented, it is not easy to locate the proper academic experts for a given space application.
biomimicry is a multi-disciplinary science and it requires several expertise which is difficult to locate in the same organization some databases with information about possible natural phenomena, biomimetic products, ongoing biomimetic research, biomimetic researchers, published articles exist, but they lack a systematic and a large-scale exploration of the potential of nature in view of applications in engineering especially as far as the space domain is concerned.
in current knowledge-basis the abstraction of the biological functionality is missing, therefore solutions inspired by nature are sporadic and random-governed.
space conditions are completely different from life forms habitats and space engineers are so far not fully aware of applications of biomimetics.

Therefore, the overall objectives of the study consists in the development of a co-operation platform between space and biomimicry experts in order to bridge current gaps that exist for an effective application of natural mechanisms and phenomena in space system design and to foster the development of a new generation of space systems.

This has been achieved by:

performing a comprehensive collection and review of information concerning attempts made since today in Europe and elsewhere in finding solutions through a biomimic approach, including an insight into planned research activities and trends.
developing a detailed biomimicry knowledge map that allows to identify expertise and competencies in ESA member states and elsewhere.
providing an overview of the unique characteristics and properties of various life forms found in nature (e.g. animals, plants, etc) and to ascertain whether these characteristics could be an inspiration to create innovative space systems.
conceptualising several innovative space systems and components which incorporate the design, features and mechanisms of nature's life forms.

GSP-study on biomimetics and space system design:

Outcome

Biomimetics GSP

Bionics and Space System Design

Various, P.

European Space Agency, GSP AO/1-4469/03/NL/SFe

(2003)

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BibTex

Advanced Concepts Team

Biomimetics

Bionics and Space System Design

Outcome