Table 2. Summary of potential advances... | Emerald Publishing

Table 2.

Summary of potential advances driven by bio-inspired geotechnics

Applications	Technologies, processes and materials	Examples of possible sources of bio-inspiration
Soil penetration and excavation	Sensor deployment, tunnelling and installation of underground, utilities, foundations and soil anchors	Earth and marine worm, clam and caecilian burrowing, fish sand diving, plant root growth
Foundation and anchoring elements	Improved designs for increased capacity and reduction in material and energy use	Tree root system architecture, directionally dependent friction at snakeskin, plant root growth
Ground improvement	Improvement and stabilisation of large sites with energy-efficient technologies	Tree and grass root system architecture, marine worm sediment digestion
Materials	New materials and configurations for improved mechanical, hydraulic and thermal performance	Silk hierarchical structure, abalone shell composite structure, denticle stiffness gradient
Slope stabilisation and erosion mitigation	Protection of natural and engineered slopes and coastal and fluvial areas	Grass and tree root architecture, oyster beds
Earth moving and manipulation	Earth-moving machines and processes with increases in energy efficiency and productivity	Ant, crab and shrimp excavation and earth-moving processes, earthworm and plant root bioturbation
Renewable energy generation and regulation	Harvesting and storage of solar, wind, tidal and geothermal energy	Thermal transport in insect nests and animal burrows, plant carbon storage
Transport of water and contaminants	Design of hydraulic barriers and containment systems, ground, fluid extraction and injection	Plant evapotranspiration, leaf venations, animal circulatory systems
Filtration	Prevention of fines migration and their detrimental effects (e.g. piping, suffusion)	Semi-permeable membranes in biological tissue
Locomotion and mobility	Exploration of challenging environments (e.g. loose sand, soft clays, extraterrestrial bodies)	Snake, gecko, insect and fish locomotion

Applications	Technologies, processes and materials	Examples of possible sources of bio-inspiration
Soil penetration and excavation	Sensor deployment, tunnelling and installation of underground, utilities, foundations and soil anchors	Earth and marine worm, clam and caecilian burrowing, fish sand diving, plant root growth
Foundation and anchoring elements	Improved designs for increased capacity and reduction in material and energy use	Tree root system architecture, directionally dependent friction at snakeskin, plant root growth
Ground improvement	Improvement and stabilisation of large sites with energy-efficient technologies	Tree and grass root system architecture, marine worm sediment digestion
Materials	New materials and configurations for improved mechanical, hydraulic and thermal performance	Silk hierarchical structure, abalone shell composite structure, denticle stiffness gradient
Slope stabilisation and erosion mitigation	Protection of natural and engineered slopes and coastal and fluvial areas	Grass and tree root architecture, oyster beds
Earth moving and manipulation	Earth-moving machines and processes with increases in energy efficiency and productivity	Ant, crab and shrimp excavation and earth-moving processes, earthworm and plant root bioturbation
Renewable energy generation and regulation	Harvesting and storage of solar, wind, tidal and geothermal energy	Thermal transport in insect nests and animal burrows, plant carbon storage
Transport of water and contaminants	Design of hydraulic barriers and containment systems, ground, fluid extraction and injection	Plant evapotranspiration, leaf venations, animal circulatory systems
Filtration	Prevention of fines migration and their detrimental effects (e.g. piping, suffusion)	Semi-permeable membranes in biological tissue
Locomotion and mobility	Exploration of challenging environments (e.g. loose sand, soft clays, extraterrestrial bodies)	Snake, gecko, insect and fish locomotion