Design of a Bio-Inspired Optical Current Transducer

Author

Steve Eugene Watkins, Missouri University of Science and TechnologyFollow

Abstract

The natural world provides numerous cases for analogy and inspiration in engineering design from simple to complex cases. Biological systems often reveal sustainable and adaptable design principles. This research presents a function-based, biomimetic design method that is used to generate and evaluate bio-inspired sensor designs. The natural design of biological systems is examined from an engineering context using functional abstraction and representation. In this paper, the systematic method is applied to a current sensor re-design that is based on magnetically-sensitive chemical reactions found within birds. A novel approach to the standard optical current transducer is described.

Recommended Citation

S. E. Watkins, "Design of a Bio-Inspired Optical Current Transducer," IEEE HKN The Bridge, vol. 112, no. 1, pp. 34 - 42, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Jan 2016.

Department(s)

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2016 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jan 2016