The Humanoid Walking Robot (HWR) is a research platform for the study of legged and wearable robots actuated with Hydro Muscles. The fluid operated HWR is representative of a class of biologically inspired, and in some aspects highly biomimetic robotic musculoskeletal appendages showing certain advantages in comparison to more conventional artificial limbs and braces for physical therapy/rehabilitation, assistance of daily living, and augmentation. The HWR closely mimics the human body structure and function, including the skeleton, ligaments, tendons, and muscles. The HWR can emulate close to human-like movements even when subjected to simplified control laws. One of the main drawbacks of this approach is the inaccessibility of an appropriate fluid flow management support system, in the form of affordable, lightweight, compact, and good quality valves suitable for robotics applications. To resolve this shortcoming, the Compact Robotic Flow Control Valve (CRFC Valve) is introduced and successfully proof-of-concept tested. The HWR added with the CRFC Valve has potential to be a highly energy efficient, lightweight, controllable, affordable, and customizable solution that can resolve single muscle action.

Highly effective and power efficient biological mechanisms are common in nature. The use of biological design principles in engineering domain requires adequate training in both engineering and biological domains. This requires cooperation between biologists and engineers that leads to a new discipline of biomimetic science and engineering. Biomimetic is the abstraction of good design from nature. Because of the fact that biomimetic design has an important place in mechatronic applications, this study is directed towards biomimetic design of grasshopper-like jumping mechanism. A biomimetic design procedure is developed and steps of the procedure have followed through all the study. A literature survey on jumping mechanisms of grasshoppers and jumping robots and bio-robots are done and specifically apteral types of grasshoppers are observed. After the inspections, 2D and 3D mathematical models are developed representing the kinematics and dynamics of the hind leg movements. Body-femur, femur-tibia and tibia-ground angles until take-off are obtained from the mathematical leg models. The force analysis of the leg models with artificial muscles and biological muscles are derived from the torque analysis. A simulation program is used with a simple model for verification. The horizontal displacement of jumping is compared with the data obtained from the simulation program and equation of motion solutions with and without air resistance. Actuators are the muscles of robots that lead robots to move and have an important place in robotics. In this scope, artificial muscles are studied as a fourth step of biomimetic design. A few ready-made artificial muscles were selected as an actuator of the grasshopper-like jumping mechanism at the beginning of the study. Because of their disadvantages, a new artificial muscle is designed and manufactured for mini bio-robot applications. An artificial muscle is designed to be driven by an explosion obtained due to the voltage applied in a piston and cylinder system filled with dielectric fluid. A 3.78-mm diameter Teflon piston is fitted with a clearance into a Teflon cylinder filled with a 25.7- mm fluid height and maximum 225 V is applied to the electrodes by using an electrical discharge machine (EDM) circuit. The force on the piston is measured by using a set-up of Kistler piezoelectric low level force sensor. The data obtained from the sensor is captured by using an oscilloscope, a charge meter, and a GPIB connecting card with software, Agilent. From the experiments, the new artificial muscle force is about 300 mN giving a 38:1 force to weight ratio and percentage elongation is expected to be higher than that of the natural muscles and the other artificial muscles. From the force analysis of the leg model, it is shown that the measured force is not enough alone for jumping of an about 500 mgr body. An additional artificial muscle or a single muscle designed with the same operating principle giving higher force to weight ratio is recommended as a future study.

Biomimetic design uses biological analogies to produce innovative engineering solutions. However, designers face challenges in identifying useful biological analogies and correctly applying the analogies identified to design solutions. To overcome these challenges, this thesis proposes the use of causally related functions in biomimetic design. Causally related functions describe how a desired function is enabled by another function. To support the use of causally related functions, a set of tools was developed. First, the causal relation template and mapping techniques (one-to-one mapping instructions and problem-independent scenario mapping) were devised to assist designers to identify and apply causally related functions from descriptions of biological phenomena. In pen-and-paper experiments with senior undergraduate engineering students, the causal relation template, if used correctly, facilitated the development of design concepts that were analogous to biological phenomena provided as sources of analogy. In addition, the mapping techniques reduced the percentage of participants who made non-analogous associations from biological phenomena to develop design concepts. Another tool developed was the causal relation retrieval method. The method uses syntactic information in natural language sentences to explicitly identify causally related functions. A modified verbal protocol study with graduate engineering students revealed that the retrieval method increased the likelihood of locating biological phenomena relevant to given design problems compared to a single verb-keyword search method. Also, the search matches located with the retrieval method were more likely to facilitate functional association to develop design concepts. These results demonstrate that the knowledge structure of causally related functions can support both the identification of relevant biological phenomena in natural language text and use of analogical reasoning between the biological phenomena and design solutions. The causal relation template and mapping strategies developed contribute to the field of biomimetic design as training methods for designers; and the causal relation retrieval method could serve a technique to bridge the gap between the natural language approach and the modeling approach to biomimetic design.

Biomimetic design uses biological analogies to produce innovative engineering solutions. However, designers face challenges in identifying useful biological analogies and correctly applying the analogies identified to design solutions. To overcome these challenges, this thesis proposes the use of causally related functions in biomimetic design. Causally related functions describe how a desired function is enabled by another function. To support the use of causally related functions, a set of tools was developed. First, the causal relation template and mapping techniques (one-to-one mapping instructions and problem-independent scenario mapping) were devised to assist designers to identify and apply causally related functions from descriptions of biological phenomena. In pen-and-paper experiments with senior undergraduate engineering students, the causal relation template, if used correctly, facilitated the development of design concepts that were analogous to biological phenomena provided as sources of analogy. In addition, the mapping techniques reduced the percentage of participants who made non-analogous associations from biological phenomena to develop design concepts. Another tool developed was the causal relation retrieval method. The method uses syntactic information in natural language sentences to explicitly identify causally related functions. A modified verbal protocol study with graduate engineering students revealed that the retrieval method increased the likelihood of locating biological phenomena relevant to given design problems compared to a single verb-keyword search method. Also, the search matches located with the retrieval method were more likely to facilitate functional association to develop design concepts. These results demonstrate that the knowledge structure of causally related functions can support both the identification of relevant biological phenomena in natural language text and use of analogical reasoning between the biological phenomena and design solutions. The causal relation template and mapping strategies developed contribute to the field of biomimetic design as training methods for designers; and the causal relation retrieval method could serve a technique to bridge the gap between the natural language approach and the modeling approach to biomimetic design.

The study explores the possibility that a transition zone can become a ‘filter’ that surrounds an urban core. As a filter, the transition zone can regulate and rehabilitate ecosystem services to support human well-being. The main research question focusses on how eco-systemic development can act as a filter while supporting human well-being. The two sub-questions concern (a) how architecture can become a buffer between urban and suburban areas in Pretoria, and (b) how architecture can aid in ecosystem rehabilitation to regenerate urban and human well-being. Through the research done in this study, it is evident that transitional zones around city centres are commonly derelict and unsafe. Human well-being is under pressure as a result of the increasing degradation of ecosystem services, which is brought about by human misuse and urban densification. As cities and human populations grow, urban cores expand. This expansion results in constant re-zoning as well as the demolition and degradation of existing spaces (Preston, 1966:240). Basic human well-being is dependent on successful ecosystem services and the biodiversity of urban environments (Bolund & Hunhammar, 1999:299). This study aims to identify, reintroduce and rehabilitate ecosystem services on an urban edge to facilitate the health and well-being of the community living there. The study addresses three main themes, namely: (1) urban zoning and development, (2) human well-being, and (3) ecosystem-service rehabilitation and reintroduction. By analysing the themes of urban development, well-being as well as social sustainability and ecosystem services, different theories and principles are identified to provide lenses through which the dissertation will be approached. The main lens is that of Vitruvius and the principles he sets out in Ten books on architecture, which relates all design decisions back to nature. Other theories, such as Ernest Burgess’ concentric circle model and the circular economy theory, and the guidelines of the Living Building Institute led to the selection of the site, the development of the urban framework and the design of the intervention. By combining these theories with a programmatic intervention, which was derived from the site and themes, the end result aims to revive the community, the well-being of its members and to reinforce the existing development while ensuring ongoing rehabilitation of the ecosystem services. This intervention aspires to become a catalyst according to which all transition zones in urban environments can be transformed from eye sores and barriers to filters and activators. / Mini Dissertation (MArch (Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Architecture / MArch (Prof) / Unrestricted

[ES] Esta investigación tiene como objeto de estudio el diseño de estrategias pedagógicas para el diseño biomimético especulativo, sumándose a las alianzas transdisciplinarias de conocimiento que se están efectuando a nivel global entre la ciencia, el arte y el diseño. Estas estrategias académicas han sido diseñadas con la visión de adaptarse a este momento transicional de la sociedad en la era del del antropoceno. A lo largo de la investigación se reflexiona ante el reto que tenemos los profesores como formadores de diseñadores, y si al desarrollar una serie de estrategias pedagógicas que estimulen los procesos cognitivos a través de herramientas transdisciplinarias, permitiendo estimular el aprendizaje y el asombro hacia la tecnología análoga de la naturaleza, e impulsar las propuestas de diseño por medio de la visión del diseño especulativo, se lograría guiar al estudiante en su proceso creativo, para dar respuestas de diseño acordes al contexto actual transicional de la sociedad, rompiendo las barreras del pragmatismo. Se pretende también alimentar la investigación en torno a las estrategias de pedagogía del diseño biomimético especulativo, permitiendo sumar al cúmulo de didácticas disponibles para los académicos y todas las personas encargadas de la entrega del conocimiento. Se plantean como preguntas de investigación: ¿los estudiantes serán capaces de hacer la transferencia del conocimiento aprendido de organismos naturales para dar respuesta a un reto de diseño?, ¿qué herramientas pedagógicas se necesitan para lograrlo?, ¿a través de qué mecanismos sería posible sensibilizar a los estudiantes de su rol?, ¿por medio de qué estrategias didácticas se podría estimular la curiosidad de los estudiantes hacia el mundo natural como mecanismo de entendimiento y aprendizaje?, ¿a través de qué enfoques se podría potencializar al diseño como herramienta para dar respuestas a los retos actuales y del futuro?, ¿por medio de qué herramientas pedagógicas se puede lograr que los estudiantes se posicionen para desarrollar propuestas de diseño de valor? Para dar respuesta a ellas se han definido tres principios básicos que permiten plantear un trayecto para alcanzar el objetivo y a la vez forman la filosofía de enseñanza: a) la multidisciplina e interdisciplina, b) el enfoque biocéntrico y c) el diseño especulativo. Se realiza una investigación-acción enfocada en casos de estudio dentro del ámbito de la Universidad de Monterrey, en México, y es desarrollada en tres fases. En cada fase se diseña y se ponen a prueba durante 5 años una serie de estrategias pedagógicas, que se van alimentando a sí mismas para establecer el rediseño del siguiente modelo, generando 3 modelos, para finalmente plantear como resultado de la investigación una serie de estrategias pedagógicas finales (Modelo final). Para la validación de la información y de los resultados se ha utilizadola heurística, el sistema cruzado entre los datos recogidos por diversos mecanismos durante el desarrollo e implementación de las estrategias y, posteriormente, por medio de la evaluación realizada por expertos de los resultados proyectuales y la observación persistente de la autora de esta investigación. Los resultados obtenidos reflejan una evolución consecuente según se realiza el diseño y replanteo de los modelos 1, 2 y 3, estableciéndose que cada modelo va demostrando resoluciones cada vez más cercanas a los parámetros deseables de los resultados proyectuales. Se confía en haber contribuido a la investigación académica para la pedagogía con enfoque en sustentabilidad, en particular para el diseño biomimético y en la resolución de futuros. / [CA] Aquesta investigació té com a objecte d'estudi el disseny d'estratègies pedagògiques per al disseny biomimètic especulatiu, afegint-se a les aliances transdisciplinàries de coneixement que s'estan efectuant a nivell global entre la ciència, l'art i el disseny. Aquestes estratègies acadèmiques han estat dissenyades amb la visió d'adaptar-se a aquest moment transicional de la societat a l'era del de l'antropocè. Al llarg de la investigació es reflexiona davant el repte que tenim els professors com a formadors de dissenyadors, i si en desenvolupar una sèrie d'estratègies pedagògiques que estimulin els processos cognitius a través d'eines transdiscplinàries, permetent estimular l'aprenentatge i la sorpresa cap a la tecnologia anàloga de la natura, i impulsar les propostes de disseny per mitjà de la visió del disseny especulatiu, s'aconseguiria guiar l'estudiant en el procés creatiu, per donar respostes de disseny d'acord amb el context actual transicional de la societat, trencant les barreres del pragmatisme. Es pretén també alimentar la investigació al voltant de les estratègies de pedagogia del disseny biomimètic especulatiu, permetent sumar al cúmul de didàctiques disponibles per als acadèmics i totes les persones encarregades del lliurament del coneixement. Es plantegen com a preguntes de recerca: els estudiants seran capaços de fer la transferència del coneixement après d'organismes naturals per donar resposta a un repte de disseny?, quines eines pedagògiques es necessiten per aconseguir-ho?, a través de quins mecanismes seria possible sensibilitzar els estudiants del seu rol?, per mitjà de quines estratègies didàctiques es podria estimular la curiositat dels estudiants cap al món natural com a mecanisme d'enteniment i aprenentatge?, a través de quins enfocaments es podria potencialitzar al disseny com a eina per donar respostes als reptes actuals i del futur? Per mitjà de quines eines pedagògiques es pot aconseguir que els estudiants es posicionin per desenvolupar propostes de disseny de valor? Per donar-hi resposta s'han definit tres principis bàsics que permeten plantejar un trajecte per assolir l'objectiu i alhora formen la filosofia d'ensenyament: a) la multidisciplina i interdisciplina, b) l'enfocament biocèntric i c) el disseny especulatiu. Es realitza una investigació-acció enfocada en casos d'estudi dins l'àmbit de la Universitat de Monterrey, a Mèxic, i es desenvolupa en tres fases. A cada fase es dissenya i es posen a prova durant 5 anys una sèrie d'estratègies pedagògiques, que es van alimentant a si mateixes per establir el redisseny del model següent, generant 3 models, per finalment plantejar com a resultat de la investigació una sèrie d'estratègies pedagògiques finals (Model final). Per a la validació de la informació i dels resultats s'ha utilitzat l'heurística, el sistema creuat entre les dades recollides per diversos mecanismes durant el desenvolupament i la implementació de les estratègies i, posteriorment, per mitjà de l'avaluació realitzada per experts dels resultats projectuals i l'observació persistent de l'autora d'aquesta investigació. Els resultats obtinguts reflecteixen una evolució conseqüent segons es realitza el disseny i replanteig dels models 1, 2 i 3, establint-se que cada model va demostrant resolucions cada cop més properes als paràmetres desitjables dels resultats projectuals. Es confia haver contribuït a la investigació acadèmica per a la pedagogia amb enfocament en sustentabilitat, en particular per al disseny biomimètic i en la resolució de futurs. / [EN] This research has as its object of study the design of pedagogical strategies for speculative biomimetic design, adding to the transdisciplinary knowledge alliances the Estrategias pedagógicas adaptativas:Un enfoque en el diseño biomimético especulativo.at are taking place globally between science, art and design. These academic strategies have been designed with the vision of adapting to this transitional moment of society in the era of the Anthropocene. Throughout the research, we reflect on the challenge that teachers have as trainers of designers, and if by developing a series of pedagogical strategies that stimulate cognitive processes through transdisciplinary tools, allowing to stimulate learning and wonder towards technology. analogous to nature, and promoting design proposals through the vision of speculative design, it would be possible to guide the student in his creative process, to give design responses in accordance with the current transitional context of society, breaking the barriers of pragmatism. It is also intended to feed the research around the pedagogy strategies of the speculative biomimetic design, allowing to add to the accumulation of didactics available for academics and all the people in charge of the delivery of knowledge. They are posed as research questions: will students be able to transfer the knowledge learned from natural organisms to respond to a design challenge? What pedagogical tools are needed to achieve it? Through what mechanisms would it be possible? Make students aware of their role? Through what didactic strategies could students' curiosity towards the natural world be stimulated as a mechanism for understanding and learning? Through what approaches could design be potentiated as a tool for Give answers to current and future challenges? By means of what pedagogical tools can students be positioned to develop value design proposals? In order to respond to them, three basic principles have been defined that allow us to propose a path to achieve the objective and at the same time form the teaching philosophy: a) multidiscipline and interdiscipline, b) the biocentric approach and c) speculative design. An action-research focused on case studies is carried out within the scope of the University of Monterrey, in Mexico, and is developed in three phases. In each phase, a series of pedagogical strategies are designed and tested for 5 years, which feed themselves to establish the redesign of the following model, generating 3 models, to finally propose a series of strategies as a result of the investigation. final pedagogical (Final Model). For the validation of the information and the results, heuristics have been used, the crossed system between the data collected by various mechanisms during the development and implementation of the strategies and, later, through the evaluation carried out by experts of the project results and the persistent observation of the author of this investigation. The results obtained reflect a consistent evolution as the design and reconsideration of models 1, 2 and 3 is carried out, establishing that each model demonstrates resolutions that are closer and closer to the desirable parameters of the project results. It is hoped to have contributed to academic research for pedagogy with a focus on sustainability, in particular for biomimetic design and futures resolution. / Chi Muñoz, K. (2023). Estrategias pedagógicas adaptativas. Un enfoque en el diseño biomimético especulativo [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/195435