Motion in Nature and Biomimetic Approaches

Abstract

Living organisms move in search for food; they move to protect themselves from enemies, to search for shelter, to multiply and perpetuate the existence of their species, and for many other reasons. A great variety of motion exists in animals, plants, and bacteria. The majority of animals move by muscle contractions. Mammalians depend on their muscles to move their limbs, walk, jump, or keep a certain posture. Birds and winged insects use their muscles to fly. Sponges do not have muscles, but they are able to contract thanks to their epithelial cells. Plants move at a much slower pace compared to animals but there are several exceptions such as found in carnivorous plants. All these life forms and the ways they move offer great sources of knowledge for study of motion and implementation in the arficial world. This source of knowledge is being tapped by researchers with the use of biomimetics, and related approaches. The aim of this chapter is to introduce some of the natural mechanisms that lead to motion. Some examples discuss the biomimetic approach and its implementation for design with kinetic materials.