Mechatronics Journey and Project Management of Arthropod Robots Design and Development

Bioinspired design (BID) is revolutionizing mechatronics by integrating biological principles to enhance adaptability and efficiency. This study introduces a structured methodology—retrieval, mapping, and abstraction—to systematically translate biological phenomena into engineering innovations. Retrieval explores biodiversity to identify functional analogies, leveraging comparative methodologies for insight. Mapping converts biological mechanisms into technological applications, overcoming complexity through analytical models. Abstraction extracts core principles from biological insights, reformulating them into versatile engineering strategies. A bibliometric analysis of arthropod-inspired robotics demonstrates BID’s impact on mechatronic systems. Reviewing studies from over 30,000 publications, this research categorizes robotic constructs by operational environments—terrestrial, aquatic, aerial, and multimodal— emphasizing modular architectures and multi-axis articulation for enhanced adaptability. Insect-inspired designs dominate (53.8%), with significant contributions from institutions in the United States, China, Singapore, and Japan. Innovations such as origami-based deployable structures and direct-drive actuation affirm BID’s potential in applications ranging from planetary exploration to autonomous navigation. This study establishes BID as a foundation for next-generation mechatronics, driving advancements in robotic dexterity, efficiency, and resilience.