ICube-MSII seminar: Biomimetics- taming the Medici effect

Julian Vincent will give a talk in English, Friday 26th october 2018 at 2:00 PM in room A301 of the pole API building in Illkirch.

Title: Biomimetics: taming the Medici effect

Abstract: Biomimetics is a rather ill-defined area embracing biology and a range of engineering technologies. The underlying concept is that animals and plants live in the same world as we do, but are capable of many functions that we cannot do at present, or that we understand inadequately. I shall give a little history of biomimetics, including the various names that practitioners use (to help your Googling) then show some classic examples (Velcro, Lotus-effect, anti-stall devices, drag-reduction) and take you through some of my work (woodpecker hammer; wood wasp drill leading to a steerable intracranial endoscope and soil sampling in zero-gravity environments).
Finally, I shall describe briefly efforts to approach biomimetics analytically, ending with my ontology based on the concept of the trade-off, enabling problems to be analysed and quantified; common to technology and to biology - where it can describe evolution.

Bio: In 2008 Julian Vincent retired from the Chair of Biomimetics in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Bath. His MA (zoology) was from the University of Cambridge; his PhD (insect hormones) and DSc (insect cuticle) were from the University of Sheffield. He is a professional Member of the Institute of Materials, a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers. He spent most of his research career in the Zoology Department at the University of Reading, studying the mechanical design of organisms and working out ways in which aspects of the design can be used in technology. He is interested in materials science and branched out into botany, biological materials, fibrous composites, fracture mechanics, food science and, finally, biomimetics.