Welcome to the Biomimetics Lab!
We look to nature for inspiration.
Our aim is to reveal the biomechanical mechanisms underlying form-function relationships in biological organisms, in order to provide a better understanding of their evolution and motivate bio-inspired technical solutions for problems of societal relevance.
We combine experiments, modelling, and anatomical measurements to quantitatively understand underlying biomechanical phenomena. These phenomena inspire biomimetic designs that can be implemented in bio-inspired technologies and provide physical models that contribute to a deeper understanding of the biological systems.
Our experiments include 3D high-speed videography, materials and mechanical testing, tomographic imaging, and microfluidics. We work with live animals, like insects and cuttlefish, and biomimetic models, usually fabricated out of soft materials, like silicone and other elastomers.
Capillary adhesion of stick insects
Scientific progress within the last few decades has revealed the functional morphology of an insect’s sticky footpads—a soft, sponge-like pad that secretes a thin liquid film. However, the physico-chemical mechanisms underlying their adhesion remain elusive.
Cephalopod-inspired suction cups
Cephalopods can attach to their prey quickly and precisely using suction cups, yet the biomechanics underlying their adhesive performance remain unclear. We use biomimetic, soft robotic models to better understand their adhesive properties.
Bio-inspired design and Soft Robotics
Using molding and casting techniques, we aim to create bio-inspired suction cups to better understand their attachment mechanism.
Lab News
New European Innovation Council project on ‘bio-inspired fiber-reinforced modular walls for construction’
We aim to develop Loam Walls with Algorithmically generated 3d Natural Fibre Reinforcement (AlgoLoam), as the first completely biodegradable, made of exclusively natural materials, self-supporting reinforced light loam wall solution, totally or partially prefabricated. AlgoLoam will be developed by an interdisciplinary team of architects, material scientists, textile technology experts, biomimetics…
New publication on ‘Functional fibrillar interfaces’ in Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology
Hair, or hair-like fibrillar structures, are ubiquitous in biology, from fur on the bodies of mammals, over trichomes of plants, to the mastigonemes on the flagella of single-celled organisms. While these long and slender protuberances are passive, they are multifunctional and help to mediate interactions with the environment. They provide…
New publication on ‘Capillary adhesion of stick insects’ in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
Scientific progress within the last few decades has revealed the functional morphology of an insect's sticky footpads—a compliant pad that secretes thin liquid films. However, the physico-chemical mechanisms underlying their adhesion remain elusive. Here, we explore these underlying mechanisms by simultaneously measuring adhesive force and contact geometry of the adhesive…
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