Bio-inspired Robotics For Space Research

Ayşe Meriç Yazıcı

Research Article

Uzay Araştırmaları İçin Doğa İlhamlı Robotik

Year 2021, Volume: 1 Issue: 2, 64 - 77, 25.02.2021

Ayşe Meriç Yazıcı

Abstract

Biomimicry is an alternative approach to solve problems people may encounter in all walks of life by mimicking and being inspired by nature. Robotics and space research are of utmost importance for modern researchers. When it comes to robotics design for space environments, it is seen that the ones usually preferred for space research are mostly inspired by living beings on Earth. Bio-inspired robotic technology is being developed by studying the mechanics of living beings having been seen in our world for 3.8 billion years. The locomotion, balance, behaviour, and communication skills of terrestrial beings have thus been thoroughly studied by engineers and social scientists for decades. Undoubtedly, robotics has also made use of the systems already existing in nature like many other scientific fields and thus considered the studies in biomechanics noteworthy. When we carefully examine our ecosystem, we realize that answers to our questions and solutions to our problems are just there on the shelves of a 3.8-billion-year-old laboratory with complete background on observation and application. So far, man has been quite successful in getting data by studying a splendid variety of species as well as making use of such data to put forward solutions to terrestrial problems. In this study, it has been examined how living beings in our ecosystem can be a source of inspiration for the robotic studies in space research as well as how our knowledge of biology can be put into use in robotics so that it can contribute to space studies. The study also aims to enlighten the way biology works in the areas of design for science and technology.

Keywords

biomimicry, space exploration, robotics, ecosystem, living beings

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