What is Bionics?
"Bionics" is the study of living systems with the intention of applying their principles to the design of engineering systems.
Bionic engineering has become an interdisciplinary research area which integrates biology, materials science, mechanics, informatics, tribology, and other related subjects.
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The word bionic was coined by Jack E. Steele in 1958, possibly originating from the Greek word βίον, bíon, pronounced [bi:on] ("bee-on"), meaning unit of life and the suffix -ic, meaning like or in the manner of, hence like life. Some dictionaries, however, explain the word as being formed as a portmanteau from biology + electronics. It was popularized by the 1970s television series The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman, which were influenced by Steeles work, and feature humans given superhuman powers by electromechanical implants.
The transfer of technology discovered in lifeforms, according to proponents of bionic technology, desirable because evolutionary pressure typically forces living organisms, including fauna and flora, to become highly optimized and efficient. A classical example is the development of dirt- and water-repellent paint (coating) from the observation that the surface of the lotus flower plant is practically unsticky for anything (the lotus effect).
The term "biomimetic" is preferred when reference is made to chemical reactions. In that domain, biomimetic chemistry refers to reactions that, in nature, involve biological macromolecules (for example, enzymes or nucleic acids) whose chemistry can be replicated using much smaller molecules in vitro.
Examples of bionics in engineering include the hulls of boats imitating the thick skin of dolphins; sonar, radar, and medical ultrasound imaging imitating the echolocation of bats.
In the field of computer science, the study of bionics has produced artificial neurons, artificial neural networks, and swarm intelligence. Evolutionary computation was also motivated by bionics ideas but it took the idea further by simulating evolution in silico and producing well-optimized solutions that had never appeared in nature.
It is estimated by Julian Vincent, professor of biomimetics at the University of Baths department of mechanical engineering (Biomimetics group), that "at present there is only a 12% overlap between biology and technology in terms of the mechanisms used".
http://www.isbe-online.org/bionics.asp
