Falk Esser - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Falk Esser

Bioinspiration & Biomimetics, Feb 10, 2023

Superhero Science and Technology

Vision is a synthezoid (android or synthetic human), a member of the Avengers, and constantly str... more Vision is a synthezoid (android or synthetic human), a member of the Avengers, and constantly striving to be more human. In the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Vision is based on advanced robotics and bioengineering technologies. However, his body contains biological cells, and his external appearance consists of eyes, a mouth, a nose, teeth, and fingernails; traditional human attributes. Unlike humans, Vision does not eat as his metabolic energy requirements are met by a fictional alien artefact known as the Mind Stone. Nonetheless, given that Vision has eyes and a tongue, could he also have other organs? Does his body contain the organs for a synthetic digestive system? And if so, how would these organs meet his body’s metabolic energy needs? In this paper, we show how advancements in soft robotics (compliant robotic technologies made from highly deformable materials) can be combined to build an artificial digestive system. We consider the primary systems of the human dige...

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2018

In nature and technology peristaltic pumping systems can be found transporting various media in a... more In nature and technology peristaltic pumping systems can be found transporting various media in a simple and secure way. In the field of soft robotics different types of peristaltic pumping systems exist, most with rigid framing and complex actuators like pneumatic network (pneu-net) fluidic elastomer actuators or artificial muscles. The novel biomimetic peristaltic pumping system presented in this study is actuated by silicone-based, flexible, compliant, lightweight pneumatic ring actuators with an elliptical inner conduit. Single actuators as well as the whole peristaltic pumping system are characterized in terms of occlusion rate and volume flow rate. The characterization indicates that the developed flexible and elastic silicone-based peristaltic pump achieves sufficient flow rates and can be an alternative to conventional technical pumps.

MRS Bulletin

Because plants are considered immobile, they remain underrepresented as concept generators for so... more Because plants are considered immobile, they remain underrepresented as concept generators for soft robots and soft machines. However, plants show a great variety of movements exclusively based on elastic deformation of regions within their moving organs. The absence of gliding parts, as found in the joints of vertebrates and insects, prevents stress concentration and attrition. Since plants have no central control unit (brain), stimulus-sensing, decision-making and reaction usually take place noncentrally in the hierarchically structured materials systems of the moving organs, in what can be regarded as an example of physical intelligence. These characteristics make plants interesting models for a new group of soft robots and soft machines that differ fundamentally from those inspired by animals. The potential of such plant-inspired soft robots and machines is shown in six examples and is illustrated by examples applied in architecture and medicine. Graphical abstract

Chemical Engineering Journal, 2022

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2022

Bioinspiration & Biomimetics

As miscellaneous as the Plant Kingdom is, correspondingly diverse are the opportunities for takin... more As miscellaneous as the Plant Kingdom is, correspondingly diverse are the opportunities for taking inspiration from plants for innovations in science and engineering. Especially in robotics, properties like growth, adaptation to environments, ingenious materials, sustainability, and energy-effectiveness of plants provide an extremely rich source of inspiration to develop new technologies—and many of them are still in the beginning of being discovered. In the last decade, researchers have begun to reproduce complex plant functions leading to functionality that goes far beyond conventional robotics and this includes sustainability, resource saving, and eco-friendliness. This perspective drawn by specialists in different related disciplines provides a snapshot from the last decade of research in the field and draws conclusions on the current challenges, unanswered questions on plant functions, plant-inspired robots, bioinspired materials, and plant-hybrid systems looking ahead to the f...

Bioinspiration & Biomimetics, 2022

No abstract as it is an editorial.

The Anthropocene Review, 2021

A current trend observed in the Anthropocene is the search for bioinspired solutions. Since it be... more A current trend observed in the Anthropocene is the search for bioinspired solutions. Since it became possible to change the quality of the boundary between living and technical systems, more and more life-like technical products have been developed in recent years. Using five plant-inspired developments of motile technical systems for architecture and soft-robotics, we show how the boundary between living and technical systems undulates, shifts, perforates, blurs, or dissolves with increasing life-likeness. We discuss what causes theses changes in the boundary and how this contributes to the overall aim to achieve higher resilience, robustness, and improved esthetics of plant-inspired products. Inspiration from living systems that make efficient and economic use of materials and energy and are fully recyclable after “service time” may additionally contribute to sustainable material use, one of the major challenges in the Anthropocene.

Bioinspiration & Biomimetics, 2021

In the field of soft robotics, pneumatic elements play an important role due to their sensitive a... more In the field of soft robotics, pneumatic elements play an important role due to their sensitive and adaptive behavior. Nevertheless, the rapid prototyping of such actuators is still challenging since conventional 3D printers are not designed to fabricate airtight objects or to specify their bending behavior by combining materials of different stiffness. In order to address this challenge, a tool changing multi-material 3D printer has been constructed, which can be equipped with various print-heads fitted to the specific application. By alternately processing filaments with varying mechanical properties, a series of pneumatic elements was produced. The actuators were printed in thermoplastic polyurethane with shore hardness A70 for flexible parts and D65 for stiff parts. A novel procedure for the feature adaptation of the flow rate allowed the fabrication of vertically printed flexible membranes with a thickness of just 500 μm. This way the bending and expanding printed structures ca...

TATuP - Zeitschrift für Technikfolgenabschätzung in Theorie und Praxis, 2021

In an era of ever faster and more momentous technological development, both technology assessment... more In an era of ever faster and more momentous technological development, both technology assessment and transdisciplinary interventions are in danger of structurally lagging behind the speed of innovation. This paper proposes a new tiered approach to technology assessment at low Technology Readiness Levels that enables a both rapid and concerted interdisciplinary science response to this Great Acceleration. Covering sustainability, ethics, and consumer issues, this approach encourages and enables the innovators themselves to conduct assessments embedded in the innovation process as early as possible. Suitable tools for early engagement that help facilitate development-integrated assessments are introduced and described. The design and use of these instruments in the field of basic research is illustrated using the Cluster of Excellence livMatS as an example.

Biomimetics

The field of plant-inspired robotics is based on principles underlying the movements and attachme... more The field of plant-inspired robotics is based on principles underlying the movements and attachment and adaptability strategies of plants, which together with their materials systems serve as concept generators. The transference of the functions and underlying structural principles of plants thus enables the development of novel life-like technical materials systems. For example, principles involved in the hinge-less movements of carnivorous snap-trap plants and climbing plants can be used in technical applications. A combination of the snap-trap motion of two plant species (Aldrovanda vesiculosa and Dionaea muscipula) has led to the creation of a novel motion sequence for plant-inspired robotics in an artificial Venus flytrap system, the Venus Flyflap. The novel motion pattern of Venus Flyflap lobes has been characterized by using four state-of-the-art actuation systems. A kinematic analysis of the individual phases of the new motion cycle has been performed by utilizing precise pn...

Transport velocities of single droplets applied onto the skin of Moloch horridus</i&g... more Transport velocities of single droplets applied onto the skin of Moloch horridus. Transport was characterised by direction: rostral (black), caudal (grey) and the average of lateral (light grey). A) Dorsal. B) Ventral.

video of water transport on dorsal body side

video of water transport on ventral body side

In nature and technology fluids are often transported directionally via pumping systems. Technica... more In nature and technology fluids are often transported directionally via pumping systems. Technical pumps often show signs of wear caused by abrasion of moving parts, erosion and fluid impurities, which can result in damage and excessive noise in the system. Pumping systems for electric cars (in e.g. cooling systems) should emit little noise as combustion engine noise, which normally ‘masks’ the noise caused by pumping systems, is missing. The biological peristaltic pumping principle was identified as having the highest biomimetic potential in terms of space requirements and transport capabilities (flow rate, pressure and transported media) for a transfer into silent and safe pumping systems. The peristaltic pumping of the esophagus directionally transports various media in a simple, silent and secure way and was therefore used as a biological role model for abstraction and technical implementation. For the present study, a biomimetic tubular pump was developed allowing for a simple,...

Moisture-harvesting lizards, such as the Australian thorny devil Moloch horridus</i&g... more Moisture-harvesting lizards, such as the Australian thorny devil Moloch horridus, have remarkable adaptations for inhabiting arid regions. Their microstructured skin surface, with channels in between overlapping scales, enables them to collect water by capillarity and passively transport it to the mouth for ingestion. We characterized this capillary water transport for live thorny devils using high-speed video analyses. Comparison with preserved specimens showed that live lizards are required for detailed studies of skin water transport. For thorny devils, there was no directionality in cutaneous water transport (unlike Phrynosoma) as 7 µl water droplets applied to the skin were transported radially over more than 9.2 mm. We calculated the total capillary volume as 5.76 µl cm−2 (dorsal) and 4.45 µl cm−2 (ventral), which is reduced to 50% filling by the time transportation ceases. Using µCT and SEM of shed skin to investigate capillary morphology, we found that the channels are hierarchically structured as a large channel between the scales that is sub-divided by protrusions into smaller sub-capillaries. The large channel quickly absorbs water whereas the sub-capillary structure extends the transport distance by about 39% and potentially reduces the water volume required for drinking. An adapted dynamics function, which closely reflects the channel morphology, includes that ecological role.

Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems, 2019

In our project we aim to develop living, adaptive and energy-autonomous material systems that sho... more In our project we aim to develop living, adaptive and energy-autonomous material systems that show dynamic, life-like and non-equilibrium (energy) features. Our demonstrators represent a first step towards future implementation of novel technologies into industrial products and everyday life applications. In this study, we present bioinspired demonstrators which not only incorporate the actuation principles and motion behaviors of two carnivorous plant species (Venus flytrap and waterwheel plant), but also show adaptive responses to different environmental triggers. The presented actuator systems are the first to successfully implement several plant movement actuation and deformation systems into one versatile adaptive technical compliant mechanism.