Analysis of Pollination Process Between Flowers and Honeybees to Derive Insights for the Design of Microrobots

By Pratap Sundar, Chandan Chowdhury, Sagar Kamarthi
MDPI AG

DOI

scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=IiONWy4AAAAJ&citation_for_view=IiONWy4AAAAJ:u5HHmVD_uO8C

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Citation

Sundar, Pratap., Chowdhury, Chandan., Kamarthi, Sagar. (2024). Analysis of Pollination Process Between Flowers and Honeybees to Derive Insights for the Design of Microrobots MDPI AG scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=IiONWy4AAAAJ&citation_for_view=IiONWy4AAAAJ:u5HHmVD_uO8C.

MDPI AG, 2024

Abstract

Abstract: Pollination is a crucial ecological process with far-reaching impacts on natural and agricultural systems. Approximately 85% of flowering plants depend on animal pollinators for successful reproduction. Over 75% of global food crops rely on pollinators, making them indispensable for sustaining human populations. Wind, water, insects, birds, bats, mammals, amphibians, and mollusks accomplish the pollination process. The design features of flowers and pollinators in angiosperms make the pollination process functionally effective and efficient. In this paper, we analyze the design aspects of the honeybee-enabled flower pollination process using the axiomatic design methodology. We tabulate functional requirements (FRs) of flower and honeybee components and map them onto nature-chosen design parameters (DPs). We apply the “independence axiom” of the axiomatic design methodology to identify couplings and to evaluate if the features of a flower and a honeybee form a good design (i.e., uncoupled design) or an underperforming design (i.e., coupled design). We also apply the axiomatic design methodology's "information axiom" to assess the pollination process robustness and reliability. Through this exploration, we observed that the pollination process is not only a good design but also a robust design. This approach to assessing whether nature’s processes are good or bad designs can be valuable for biomimicry studies. This approach can also inform design considerations for bio-inspired innovations such as microrobots.

Chandan Chowdhury is a Professor of Operations Management and Information Systems (Practice) at the Indian School of Business (ISB). He is also the Executive Director of the Munjal Institute for Global Manufacturing and the Punj-Lloyd Institute of Infrastructure Management at ISB.

Additionally, Professor Chowdhury serves as a Member of the Board of Governors at IIM Sambalpur and Lamrin Tech Skills University.

Before joining ISB, Professor Chowdhury worked in the corporate sector and was associated with three major multinational companies, where he held positions such as Managing Director and Country Manager. He served Dassault Systèmes for over five years, initially as Managing Director, India Geo, and subsequently as Vice President, Global Affairs.

During his last academic appointment, he was Professor, Dean (Academy), and Chairman of the Board of Research at IIM Mumbai (formerly known as NITIE- National Institute of Industrial Engineering, established as a joint initiative between the United Nations and the Government of India in 1963).

He is passionate about leveraging technology to make the world a better place. He served as an expert panel member at NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India, Government of India), helping to develop the Manufacturing India@2035 roadmap. He is also Chairman of the Technical Committee (Management and Productivity) at the Bureau of Indian Standards.

Professor Chowdhury is currently leading several research projects of national importance, such as ‘A Decade of Infrastructure Development in India: trends and Insights’, ‘Challenges and Opportunities for accelerating MSME’s growth’, ‘Making India a Skill Capital of the World,’ ‘India’s readiness for the 4th and the 5th Industrial revolution,’ and ‘Future of Jobs’.
He holds an MS in Mechanical Engineering from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, and a PhD from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Budapest University of Technology and Economics.

He holds an MS in Mechanical Engineering from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, and a PhD from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Budapest University of Technology and Economics.

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