Auto-First 丨 Xu Lei
Biomimicry has a wide range of applications in real life, and the same is true in the automotive field.
Technological innovation comes from nature, as Aristotle said, "Every field of nature is wonderful." And many biomimicry designs are inspired by nature, creating many great inventions. Of course, this technology has also been applied in many ways in the automotive field.
As the inventor of the automobile, Mercedes-Benz continues to integrate interdisciplinary ideas with the technology of creation, and bionic engineering is one of many technological creations. Autometry recently combed through the examples of Mercedes-Benz's biomimicry-based application in real-life vehicles.
Mechanical bionic applications: aerodynamics - box puffers with a wind resistance coefficient of 0.06
Aerodynamic vehicles are of great significance, the car is facing the resistance of the wind, which affects the performance of the vehicle to varying degrees, and the lower the drag coefficient, the less the vehicle performance is affected.
In order to create a "bionic concept car", engineers needed to find a prototype in nature that has excellent aeronautical, safe and comfortable, and environmentally friendly performance. Through extensive research and screening, the engineers eventually found inspiration in the box fish. Living in tropical waters, the box fish has excellent hydrodynamic properties despite its boxy and angular appearance. The 1:1 model made according to the body of the fish was tested to have a wind resistance coefficient of only 0.06.
After a series of wind tunnel experiments and contour optimizations, a compact model with a length of 4.24 meters and a capacity of 4 people was created, and an ultra-low drag coefficient of 0.19, which is rare in its class.
Structural bionic applications: lightweight and high stiffness – bones are the best lightweight "engineers"
Many organisms in nature have a certain strength and stable structure. Trees and bones, for example – they all use as little material as possible to achieve the highest possible robustness.
In collaboration with experts in biomimicry, engineers are modeling to translate the principle of growth in nature into automotive engineering. And the vehicle body structure through simulation modeling, with the help of "soft area clearance" method to reduce the weight of the body by 30%, the overall structure is more solid, higher safety.
After a long period of bionic research, Mercedes-Benz created the bionic components of the VISION EQXX concept car. Inspired by the mechanical form of the mesh structure in nature, the part designs a lightweight mesh structure by using load-bearing materials and minimizing the use of materials in the unloaded parts.
With the digital simulation technology of image and polygon modeling used in the 3D gaming industry and Hollywood animation, the load position of the BIOQXX one-piece casting is quickly established, eliminating the need to determine the load-bearing process, and the product development is completed in only 4 months to form. Its individual components can be integrated to further increase overall stiffness and reduce overall weight.
BiONEQXX integrated casting and other parts of the splicing using 42 UBQ innovative material patches for sealing, the innovative material from domestic garbage, into the geometry of the optimized design, 3D printing molding, and then through a special process treatment, perfect splicing can effectively prevent water and dirt intrusion. A special bonding process that fits perfectly into the casting splices and is completely sealed, effectively preventing water and dirt from ingressing, and providing excellent stiffness and sound insulation, reducing component weight by 15 to 20 percent.
Information and Control Bionic Applications: Information Interaction and Neuromorphic Processing – Thinking Like the Human Brain and Reacting Like a Chameleon
The transmission of information between organisms is also the field of biomimicry research, and Mercedes-Benz applies the idea of bionics to the traffic scene of the science fiction world.
In order to interact with the surrounding environment, the Mercedes-Benz VISION AVTR concept car design combines the "Pandora" planet biological structure shape from the movie "Avatar", and is equipped with 33 multi-directional "bionic flaps" in the rear of the car, like the skin of a chameleon. These "bionic flaps" react with more external proximity, communicating with the driver through subtle changes.
In addition, in the real-life application of biomimicry, the brain, an important neural network for information storage and data processing, is indispensable, and the Mercedes-Benz VISION EQXX concept car has added "neuromorphic computing" to carry out information processing of interactive instructions, and jointly build a "pulse neural network" through data storage and processing elements, thereby improving processing speed and reducing energy consumption. For example, the "hot word perception" function of the VISION EQXX Concept Car Mind Reading Voice Assistant has a processing efficiency of 5-10 times that of traditional voice control.
Material bionic applications: Sustainable materials – the "leather" touch of cacti, mushrooms
In the future, in terms of vehicle materials, Mercedes-Benz will take natural materials and design as the first choice, using sustainable or plant-based materials to express the most valuable environmental responsibility and product value of this era.
The door handles of the VISION EQXX Concept are made of Biosteel fiber, a biostain with high-strength quality while also being a biodegradable pure plant silk.
The seat ribs of the VISION EQXX Concept are made of a sustainable material called Mylo, a certified alternative to vegan leather made of hyphae, the root structure of mushrooms.
Animal leather alternative Deserttex is a sustainable biomaterial derived from cactus ingredients, a combination of cactus powder fibers and a sustainable bio-based polyurethane matrix, this leather alternative is extremely soft to the touch, creating a sustainable luxury texture interior of the VISION EQXX concept car.
At Mercedes-Benz, we are committed to creating sustainable products in a sustainable way. The development of "natural technology" biomimetic engineering is a firm step in Mercedes-Benz's innovation journey. Nature's creatures have countless extraordinary abilities and adaptable body structures, and their abilities are amazing, desirable, and worth learning.