Biomimetics

Biotechnology and Molecular Biology Reviews Vol. 4 (2), pp. 042-048, April 2009 Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/BMBR ISSN 1538-2273 © 2009 Academic Journals

Standard Review

Review on application of biomimetics in the design of agricultural implements
Benard Chirende1 and Jianqiao Li2*
Key Laboratory for Terrain-Machine Bionic Engineering (Ministry of Education), JilinUniversity, Changchun 130022, P.R. China.
Accepted 24 February, 2009

This paper aims at reviewing the application of biomimetics in design of agricultural implements. Most of the biomimetic works done were aimed at investigating the effect of non-smooth surfaces on soil resistance based on soil burrowing animals. The characteristics of soil-burrowing animals for improved soil scouring andtheir mechanism for reducing soil adhesion and friction are discussed. From past research works, it can be concluded that non-smooth surfaces can generally reduce soil resistance however the extent of reduction is still a gray area. The main factors affecting soil adhesion like the nature and properties of the soil, the properties of the soil-engaging component surfaces and the experimentalconditions which are difficult to replicate, could be the explanation for inconsistencies in the extent of soil resistance reduction. Generally, when applying the concept of non-smooth surfaces in biomimetic implement design, general factors considered in arranging non-smooth structures are distribution of normal stresses, choice of non-smooth type and material, soil motion tracks during operation andchoice of non-smooth convex parameters. Key words: Biomimetics, anti-friction, anti-adhesion, soil resistance, burrowing animals. INTRODUCTION The anti-adhesion and anti-friction functions of a soil burrowing animal body surface against soil are an inevitable outcome of evolution and adaptation over millions of years. The body surface morphology of these animals have non-smooth units such asconvex domes, con-cave dips, ridges or wavy structures, which play important roles in their anti-soil adhesion and anti-friction functions. The soil-burrowing animals’ soil adhesion techniques have led to some improvement of conventional methods for reducing soil adhesion like in the design of implement surface shapes, selection of surface materials for soilengaging components and application ofelectro-osmosis, magnetic fields, vibration and lubrication in implement design. These soil burrowing animals prevent soil from sticking to their bodies because of evolution of their biological systems through exchange of matter, energy and information with soil over centuries. They can comfortably move in even clay soil without soil sticking to their bodies. Soil-engaging tools have been designedbased on these features of living organisms which are efficient in biomimetic anti-adhesion, anti-friction and anti-abrasion against soil (Tong et al., 2004). Different biomimetic designs were found to have different effects on improving implement performance against soil resistance. Characteristics of soil-burrowing animals Soil-burrowing animals include animals such as dung beetle, ground beetleand mole cricket living in soil and also those which dig burrows in earth without necessarily living in it such as house mouse, yellow mouse and pangolin. The living surroundings of these soil animals are very different from those of animals living on land and in water. It is generally more difficult for animals to move in soil especially when the soil is moist and this has led to*Corresponding author. E-mail: jqli@jlu.edu.cn. Tel.:+86-43285095760-8407. Fax: +86-431-85095575-8402.

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(a) Stereoscopyimage of the clypeus and pronotum of a female dung beetle Copris ochu Motschulsky. (b) Stereoscopy image of the pronotum of a male dung beetle Copris ochus Motschulsky. (c) Scanning electron microscopy image of the convex domes on pronotum cuticle surface of...