The Role of Insects in Medical Engineering and Bionics
Towards Entomomedical Engineering
Jette Bloemberg (TU Delft - Medical Instruments & Bio-Inspired Technology)
Cesare Stefanini (Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna)
Donato Romano (Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna)
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Abstract
Insects are important agents in ecosystems. Their diverseness and developed coping mechanisms also make them interesting for direct application and as a source of inspiration in medical engineering. We summarized the main contribution of insects in biomedical applications. Medical centers in North America, and Europe use fly larvae for maggot therapy to remove necrotic tissue, decrease infection risk, and improve wound healing. Ant mandibles are used as a suturing technique by African tribes and as sources of inspiration for surgical clamps. Both the mosquito fascicle and the wasp ovipositor are sources of inspiration for the design of medical needles. Herein, a new research field called 'entomomedical engineering,' is proposed. We define entomomedical engineering as the branch of engineering that uses insects either directly or as a source of inspiration to design and develop medical treatments or instruments. In addition, we want to emphasize the importance of preserving insects because of their function in the ecosystem, medicine, and medical engineering.