By Lawrence Mingoa
University of the Philippines Integrated School
You may have seen "Million Dollar Man" or "Bionic Woman" (if you haven't, too bad). Have you wondered where they got such ideas? Well, They got their ideas from a certain field of science that deals with some unusual stuff (ex. bionic arms, "virtual pets," artificial hearts, artificial pacemakers, etc.). This is the science of bionics.
What is bionics? Bionics is the science of copying nature. Actually, those who are researching in bionics get ideas from nature, they don't exactly copy it. Cybernetics is its opposite twin, it being the science of using models to explain nature. Prosthesis is a field which specializes in replacing damaged or defective body parts with artificial ones. Bionics helped this field with the help of artificial hearts, artificial kidneys, iron-lungs, artificial hands, artificial pacemakers, and others.
How does bionics tackle problems? Here's how: First, they analyze a problem (ex. You want to make something that may help you solve such and such a problem). Next look in nature for examples that solve the problem (ex. Observe nature and see what ideas you can get from it). Finally, make something that can solve the problem.
What are its advantages? How about its limitations? Its advantage is the improvement of the processing of information, as well as the conversion and storing of energy. There's only one hitch, however. You can't copy nature exactly. It is more promising to get ideas from nature and use it to your advantage.
How did it get its name? Major Jack E. Steele, of the Aerospace Division of the United States Air Force, coined the term in 1958, giving it that name so that it could be promoted "as a new science."
Bionics first came from the idea of mimicking nature. An example of this is an invention by Jacques Vaucanson, a French mechanical engineer, which copied the duck in the aspects of swimming, flapping of wings, and quacking. Then they started getting inspiration from nature. An example of this is this drawing of a flying machine by Leonardo da Vinci. This device was inspired by the bat's wing. A similar device was built 400 years later by Clement Ader, a French engineer. But instead of flapping the wings (others did that already, and bad things happened to them...), he decided to use quill feathers for a propeller.
Bionics was first publicly announced in a congress at Dayton, Ohio, held from September 13 - 15, 1980. Even before then, bionics has been talked about before at the 12th Annual Aeronautical Electronics Conference, held on May 1960. One of the sessions "was devoted to bionics." This session was chaired by Dr. John E. Keto of the US Air Force. In this session, four papers (including one by Maj. Steele) on bionics were read. All of this was the result of a research programme at the Write Patterson Center of the US Air Force. The subject of research programme was to be named bionics.
What are the current developments in bionics? Some of them are related to prosthesis, and others are related to other fields. The list ranges from artificial eyes to artificial kidneys to talking computers to "thinking computers" to Tamagochi's and so on (for those who don't know what Tamagochi's are, they are "virtual pets" which have the advantages of any pet without the disadvantages of...well, you pet owners know. You also have the advantage of not needing any space for this "pet," as it can fit the palm of your hand).
What's to come in the near future? With what I told you on bionics, we may be facing a whole new array of inventions that are quite interesting, yet earth-friendly , in the future.
Bionics -- the science of copying nature for the benefit of mankind.