What role does biomimicry play in advancing aerospace engineering?

Biomimicry in aerospace engineering inspires innovative designs by emulating nature’s solutions, like bird flight for improving aircraft aerodynamics. It influences materials science, leading to lighter, stronger materials and energy-efficient structures. This approach also fosters sustainable practices by developing technology that mimics natural processes, reducing environmental impact and enhancing the efficiency of aircraft operations.

In the recent years, aerodynamic study and CFD simulations are undertaken to understand how light-weight bird structures take flight, such as bumblebee, honeybees, humming bird. When we analyse and visualise the wing flapping kinematics during takeoff, hovering, directional flight or manoeuvres and landing modes, we inspire to design and manufacture new aircraft wing materials and wing shape developments for UAVs and other light weight aircraft structures. It’s not only hard to trace the movements of such delicate lives and understand them, but can teach a lot of new lessons to adopt from in terms of aircraft design.

Birds are nature's aeronautical marvels, and their flying finesse has been a wellspring of inspiration for aircraft engineers. By studying how our feathered friends ride the wind with effortless grace, designers have crafted wings that morph to match flight conditions, much like a bird's own shape-shifting appendages. This avian mimicry has birthed a new generation of hyper-efficient, fuel-sipping planes. And the ingenuity doesn't stop there - engineers are even hatching plans for flapping-wing drones that could flit and dart with the agility of a sparrow. Birds may have been flying high for eons, but thanks to their example, humanity's own airborne adventures are just taking off.

The wings of birds have similarities and few differences as compared to aircraft and rotorcraft. For soaring flight, the sailplane utilizes the thermals to stay in the air, much like birds. Biomimicry has played a vital role in maximizing aerodynamic efficiency, design features such as a high aspect ratio, design of wing tips and winglets are examples of this. For flapping flight, a downstroke generates most of the lift while accelerating through the air. Leading and trailing edge vortex play an important role in flapping flight. Although flapping flight in itself has wide application in MAV; a lot of inspiration can be drawn from the downstroke in optimizing the power-lift on STOL

Bird communications - fascinatingly complex, involving a variety of vocalizations, visual signals, behaviors, songs and calls, dialects, mimicry, postures, signals, movements, and displays.

Dermal Denticles: Shark skin is covered in tiny, tooth-like structures called dermal denticles. The denticles reduce drag and turbulence by creating micro-vortices that streamline the flow of water over the shark’s body. They reduces the frictional drag, resulting in less drag. The next question should be about shark tails.

In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 25 swimming world records were broken. Out of these, 23 were by athletes who used a special swimsuit. Apart from them, 98% of the medal winners used the same swimsuit. The swimsuit's origin traces back to the university of San Diego, California, where a group of scientists came together to study the skin of sharks. There they discovered that there were microscopic patterns found on shark skin, known as dermal denticles. These denticles reduce drag and turbulence when water flows over them, allowing sharks to swim more efficiently and swiftly. When applied to aircraft surfaces, this tech (known as riblet) can lead to improved fuel efficiency and performance

Before the Wright Brothers first flight, the main inspiration of human for flying was nature. Avian and sea fishes were the main source for researchers to get idea for design of most efficient flying machines. Nowadays also many researches are going on on applying morphing technologies in new aircraft and drones designs. These techniques includes biomimetic approaches.