The bioinspired design process takes inspiration from the natural world to develop solutions to challenging technological problems. By understanding the functional mechanisms behind the solutions found in nature, and translating these mechanisms into abstract design principles, we can fabricate synthetic systems that address the relevant issues. The Form & Function group enables the BioInspired Institute to encompass functional aspects of biology at the whole organism level for the design of high-performance machines and dynamic materials on the spectrum of scale from microns to meters.
BioInspired at Syracuse University brings together internationally recognized research strengths in biological locomotion and functional dynamics. Areas of expertise include:
- Animal Behavior
- Materials, Machines, and Materials
- Dynamics of Aquatic Locomotion
- Dynamics of Terrestrial Locomotion
- Human Performance
Our goal is to develop complementary expertise in the following areas:
- Sensor design: Accurately measuring the mechanics and dynamics of animal and human performance
- Mechanics of locomotion: Characterizing the fundamental dynamics of how organisms interact with their environments for optimal function
- Multiscale modeling: Developing theoretical models that can predict the performance of biological systems on scales from molecules to populations
- Bioinspired fabrication and actuation: Designing and fabricating models and mechanisms that can recreate, or improve upon, the forms and function of natural systems