Animals and electrical sciences a complex relationship based on suggestion and inspiration

It may be self-evident to say that the engineering designs of vehicles and aircraft are technically inspired by the shapes of birds and animals, and that major companies such as Airbus and Boeing employ techniques that mimic nature in the manufacture of aircraft heads, wings and tails.

But it is strange to say that such a thing applies to the sciences of electricity and energy. How can nature imitate the generation of electricity, and what is the relationship of animal bodies and behaviors to pure sciences that include the complexities of voltages, currents, etc., and from what nature did scientists draw their ideas and information?

The discussion is in detail, and before starting, we will take a look at the electric eel (or the Amazon gun), one of God’s miraculous creatures, which inspired the physicist “ Alexandro Volta ” to create the first storage battery in history, and thanks to it we have batteries today. This Volta has its name associated with the unit of electrical potential, “volt,” in the International System of Units in his honor.

When talking about the production of electricity in water animals, there are seahorses, swordfish, sharks, and a number of water snakes . Snakes have tremendous electrical capabilities, as they have electrical cells inside their bodies, and when dissected, they appear in stacked, parallel columns that are in fact modified cells either from muscles or nerve connections. It's not without complexity, I know that.

As for the male and female colleagues of water snakes, such as the shark ; One of its relationships with electricity is in the production of ions. For further clarification, in the process of breathing, electrons are exhaled from the mouths and gills of fish. The shark, for example, has enormous sensors and sensors with which it can perceive what is going on in its surroundings by sensing the ions produced by the organisms around it, and in this way it achieves its goal.

The blue whale, for example, dives below its prey and releases dense waves of air bubbles, forming a net-like shape.  In whale behavior, these bubbles facilitate catching and thus an easier meal and a larger quantity of fish

Bodies and anatomy are not the only ones that are inspiring. Animal behaviors are very precise sciences that inspired electrical scientists, who after extensive studies turned them into algorithms (algorithm: a set of mathematical, logical, and sequential steps necessary to solve a problem).

We return to the behavior of animals, and we start with fish, where scientists turned their behavior into algorithms that were used to improve electricity systems with their various parts and functions. This blue whale , for example, dives below its prey and releases dense waves of air bubbles that form a net-like shape. In whale behavior, these bubbles facilitate catching and thus an easier meal and a larger quantity of fish.

As for electricians, what this sea prince is doing is one of the sciences that can be invested in power systems. Indeed, they have designed algorithms that work to detect errors or voltage or power levels in power networks. When a malfunction occurs, the systems intervene directly and the errors are reduced, and thus the This electricity-generating meal is more accurate and has less losses, just like a whale that hunts its prey in the easiest way and with the least mistakes.

Speaking of the algorithms that electricians were inspired by the behavior of animals to improve their power systems, the gray wolf algorithm stands out . These wolves have a unique way of making decisions. There is no decision on hunting without referring to the hierarchy of command. This is how a pack of wolves behaves, which must carry out its hunt. Commitment to three main steps: searching for prey, surrounding it, and then attacking it. This logical hierarchical system in dealing with situations was inspired to solve several issues. It is useful in an environment of unknown obstacles and goals, and therefore logic in dealing with the cause is more effective in making sound decisions.

Scientists have designed an artificial neural network that mimics the style of ants, allowing it to analyze images and remember the optimal ways to move between these complex environments.

The same is true for other animals, as there are many algorithms such as: the beehive algorithm, the bat algorithm, the caterpillar algorithm, in addition to many algorithms for different types of birds, snakes, and reptiles.

As for ants, they are another story. This “small” animal has enormous and wondrous abilities that inspired scientists to make robots . After they designed robots that work to harvest weeds on farms, they faced the problem that these robots collide with dense weeds and thus cannot accomplish their tasks. Here the inspiration came from ants that are able to learn from the environment through a complex sensory and nervous system, so scientists designed an artificial neural network that mimics the style of ants. It allows you to analyze images and remember the best ways to move between these complex environments.

Experiments in these fields are still developing, and drawing inspiration from nature for various sciences has not stopped and will not end. It is one of the miracles found in the secrets of creation. Blessed be God, the best of creators.

Polar bear fur is exceptional at providing warmth within its icy environment, due to its unique structure

A Chinese research team has succeeded in mimicking the thermal properties of polar bear fur, in order to develop a new type of fiber that has proven to provide warmth when woven into a jacket.

The polar bear's fur is considered exceptional in providing warmth within its icy environment, due to its unique structure that prevents heat from escaping and provides protection for the bear's body from the cold.

During the study published on December 21 in the journal Science, researchers from the Department of Polymer Science and Engineering at Zhejiang University announced their success in drawing inspiration from this unique structure to develop the famous airgel fibers and give them the thermal properties of bear fur, attempts that had not previously succeeded due to problems in that structure. Fibers researchers have succeeded in solving.

Old material and new use

Airgel fibers are a special type of material made from "airgel", which is a gelatinous substance invented in the 1930s. The liquid component in it is usually replaced with a gas, resulting in a solid material consisting mostly of air, which is lightweight and highly porous. The fibers are created Of these by converting them into thin, flexible threads or fibres.

These fibers maintain some of the basic properties of airgel, such as their lightweight nature and great insulating capabilities, and are designed to be strong, yet very light, and are often used for their excellent thermal insulation properties.

These fibers can be woven in various industries that require lightweight, highly insulating materials, such as in materials manufactured for space purposes, as they are used in NASA spacecraft. However, in the past, there were two problems that prevented the use of these fibers in the manufacture of lightweight and voluminous clothing that provided warmth:

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1- Moisture permeability: There is difficulty in allowing moisture to pass through the material, which may cause discomfort due to the trapping of sweat or moisture next to the skin, leading to a wet and uncomfortable feeling.

2- Strength and durability: The airgel fibers initially lacked the strength and durability necessary for practical use in clothing, and were fragile and susceptible to damage. For example, they could not be washed in the washing machine, which prevented their use in daily clothing.

The guard hairs, the longer outer hairs of a polar bear's fur, have a translucent structure, and this allows sunlight to penetrate the dark skin underneath

How did the solution come from bear fur?

The researchers were inspired to solve the previous two problems by the polar bear's fur, whose structure consists of the following:

Porous core:

Each strand of polar bear hair contains a hollow or porous core. These small, air-filled cavities within the hair act as insulators, trapping air and preventing loss of body heat. Because air is a poor conductor of heat, the presence of these air pockets within the hair helps create Barrier against cold.

Dense cortex:

Surrounding this porous core is a denser outer layer, or cortex, of hair. This outer layer provides protection and durability to the hair. It serves as a shield against the harsh Arctic climate conditions, including wind and water, which helps maintain the integrity of the air pockets. Buffer inside the hair.

Transparent properties:

In addition, the guard hairs - which are the longer outer hairs of a polar bear's fur - have a transparent structure, and this allows sunlight to penetrate into the dark skin underneath. When sunlight reaches the bear's skin, it can absorb heat, which contributes to the bear's body being extra warm. general.

Researchers have produced a fiber that achieves the same warmth benefits as polar bear fur

Together, these advantages provide outstanding thermal insulation while maintaining strength and flexibility, which the researchers succeeded in emulating by using the freeze-spinning method, which is a technique used to create certain types of fibers or materials by exploiting the properties of freezing and spinning, and it consists of four stages:

1- Preparing the solution: A solution is prepared containing the material intended for spinning, and this solution usually contains specific properties that allow it to transform into a solid or fibrous structure.

2- Freezing: The initial solution is exposed to very low temperatures, which causes it to freeze quickly. This freezing process solidifies the solution and turns it into a semi-solid or gelatinous state.

3- Spinning: While the solution is in this frozen state, it is spun or processed in a way that turns it into fibers or threads, and this can include techniques such as extrusion through fine nozzles, stretching, or other methods to shape the frozen material into the desired fibrous form.

4- Post-treatment stage: Depending on the properties required for the final product, additional steps can be taken after spinning to further enhance the properties of the fiber, and this can include treatments such as drying, curing, or applying coatings to improve strength, durability, or other specific attributes.

Through this method of spinning, the researchers were able to employ the first three stages to create strong polymeric air fibers with lamellar pores. In the fourth stage, they coated them with a thin, stretchable rubber layer. The resulting coated airgel fibers achieved excellent thermal insulation performance, and were mechanically strong, making them suitable for knitting or weaving.

Chinese researchers have succeeded in turning airgel, the world's lightest solid material, into a wearable fibre

Properties of new fibers

During the study, the researchers conducted experiments on new fibers that mimic polar bear fur, and found that they were able to stretch up to 1,000% of the strain, which is a significant improvement compared to traditional airgel fibers, which achieve a strain of only 2%.

The ability of fibers to stretch at up to 1000% stress means that they are able to withstand a stretching force equal to 10 times their original length before breaking, and this characteristic is often referred to as “elongation at break”.

Fibers with high elongation at breakage have the ability to stretch significantly before reaching the breaking point, and this indicates their flexibility and ability to withstand stretching forces without immediate failure.

The new fibers also maintained their thermal insulation properties with minimal impact even after 10,000 repeated stretching cycles at 100% strain. Moreover, the fibers were washable and dyeable.

Experimental jacket additional benefits

The researchers took an advanced step by producing batches of their fibers into long strands that they used to weave a jacket. They then tested the warmth of the jacket by exposing it to temperatures as low as -20 degrees Celsius, and found that the jacket showed thermal protection that was better than similar jackets made of down. Or wool or cotton.

Aside from exceptional warmth and lightweight nature, the new airgel fibers offer many other advantages revealed by the study, including:

WATER RESISTANT: Airgel fibers are naturally water resistant, making them ideal for wet and snowy conditions.

Breathable: Despite its insulating properties, it allows for ventilation and prevents overheating and excessive sweating.

Durability: It can withstand repeated use and washing without losing its insulating properties.

Environmentally friendly: Its production has a lower environmental impact compared to traditional methods that often include poaching the polar bear to benefit from its fur, a problem that may cause an imbalance in the sensitive ecosystem in the Arctic region, where bears play a crucial role in the food chain there. Therefore, cross-border smuggling of polar bear skins or parts is prohibited under international laws such as CITES, which prohibits international trade in endangered species of wild animals and plants.