There is nothing more perfect than what nature creates. So why not learn from it and replicate those creations as technical solutions?
Recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the government to develop a plan for the development of biomimetic technologies (BMT), which includes creating scientific infrastructure, training personnel, and conducting research in this field. The implementation of the program has been entrusted to the researchers at the Kurchatov Institute.
From Wings to Biorobots
Applied science, bionics, which studies ways and principles of applying the properties and functions of living nature in technical devices and systems, emerged only in the last century. However, one of the first examples of such devices could have been the ornithopter – a flying apparatus that mimics bird wings, attempted by the famous painter and inventor of the Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci. Flying like birds had been a centuries-old dream of humanity, eventually leading to the era of aviation and space exploration.
It is also believed that the popular zipper was invented based on the structure of a bird’s feather, where the ridges are equipped with natural “hooks,” ensuring a reliable connection with each other.
Today, biomimetics primarily refers to bio- and nanotechnologies, as well as, to some extent, sciences and technologies related to artificial intelligence.
At an off-site meeting of the Committee on Science, Education, and Culture held at the Kurchatov Institute at the end of last year, Valentina Matviyenko, Chairwoman of the Federation Council, announced that Russia would establish a legal framework regulating the implementation and use of BMT.
In turn, Mikhail Kovalchuk, President of the Kurchatov Institute Scientific and Technical Council, spoke about the provisions of the Biomimetic Technologies Development Strategy in Russia. He mentioned that creating a bio-similar technosphere could solve the problem of limited access to natural resources in the world today. The use of such technologies will not harm the environment while maintaining a balance between the biosphere and technosphere, into which human activity introduces its “corrections,” according to the speaker.
Victor Ilgisonis, Director of the Department of Scientific and Technical Research and Development at the State Atomic Energy Corporation “Rosatom,” is convinced that nuclear and thermonuclear technologies should also be considered biomimetic:
“Take spent radioactive fuel from burial sites. It can be reused, extracting useful components through processing in neutron reactors.”
Later, at the Congress of Young Scientists in Sochi, within the session “Biomimetic Technologies: A New Era in Human Development,” Mikhail Kovalchuk reported that the Kurchatov Institute’s NBIC (Nano-, Bio-, Info-, Cogni-) Center is implementing a project on membrane proteins capable of influencing cellular processes. According to specialists, this direction will find application in the development of industrial biotechnologies, biosensor devices, and biorobotic anthropomorphic systems.
This implies the emergence of robots with a biological component and enhanced cognitive functions. Moreover, people or other biological objects will be able to interact with technical devices through an information interface based on semiconductor crystals – the same chips that have been widely discussed lately. It seems we can’t do without them. However, they can help solve the problems of immobile patients or assist in finding missing children and animals.
We can expect the emergence of robots with a biological component and enhanced cognitive functions
Organs from the Bank
In the Russian Scientific Center of Surgery named after Academician B. V. Petrovsky, BMT is widely used in patient treatment. As Ilya Eryomin, Deputy Director for Research at the RSCS, told “Gazeta o Rossii,” biomimetic technologies represent a step forward in the field of prosthetics.
“In our center, we actively use implanted bioprostheses, biopolymers, biobinders, biospinal cages, prostheses with a biodegradable aorta framework, as well as neuromuscular interfaces and pacemakers,” says Ilya Igorevich.
For example, if you take stem cells from a patient and place them on a framework, and then send them to a bioreactor, you can later grow a fragment of living tissue or even an entire artificial organ that will be fully compatible with the donor’s body. By printing the tissue on a 3D printer, it can be used to test medicinal drugs. If a person is allergic to a particular drug, it will be detected before it enters the body. In the future, artificially grown organs can be interconnected, fully simulating the functioning of the body of a specific patient.
As Ilyomin claims, in the near future, people will be able to submit samples of their cells and tissues to special banks so that lost or damaged organs can be easily replaced later. The problem of prosthetics and biological compatibility will be solved forever.
Nature-like technologies are a step forward in the field of organ prosthetics
Photo: ru.freepik.com
You Can’t Replace Nature
But is it worth considering biomimetic technologies (BMT) as a futuristic panacea? As it turns out, there are quite a few nuances here. Mikhail Kovalchuk points out that people generally have too little knowledge about biomimetic technologies, and many cannot form an adequate understanding of them.
“Yes, we are talking about the technological reproduction of living nature systems, which leads to a significant renewal of the energy, medical, biological, and materials science fields,” the scientist declares. “But we do not know how this will ultimately affect the quality of human life.”
On the other hand, Yuri Tkachenko, a candidate of technical sciences and associate professor at the N.E. Bauman Moscow State Technical University, believes that although technologies can artificially recreate the structure of a biological organism, it is almost impossible to recreate the living environment of living beings, including humans. After all, a living system is not a biorobot, and it cannot be pre-programmed for all its processes.
As known, even if a biological being is cloned, the clone will never be completely identical to the original since it will have a different neural structure of the brain, a different hormonal background, and so on. Only external similarity can be achieved.
“We need to intervene cautiously in natural processes,” said Gennady Onishchenko, Deputy President of the Russian Academy of Education and Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, at the recent Congress of Young Scientists. “Engaging in this area, we cannot ignore ethical issues. Before creating technologies imitating nature, we need to understand where it will lead us.”
According to Oleg Naraykin, Vice President of the Kurchatov Institute Scientific and Technical Council and Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, there may be problems with technical implementation:
“To achieve this, a very powerful technological base is required, which we currently do not have. Our center is currently working on creating a neuromind capable of controlling such a system. But the project is still in the development stage.”
So, developing BMT is necessary, but it is unlikely that it’s time to talk about creating full analogs of natural creations. All these technologies can only serve auxiliary purposes. Although it is not excluded that they will turn out to be breakthrough in many ways.
By Irina Shlionskaya