Transcript MPD-560, Topic 1. - Jonathan Weaver's Home Page

Biomimicry
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Tools for Innovation:
Biomimicry
Jonathan Weaver
UDM Mechanical Engineering Department
[email protected]
Biomimicry
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References
• As noted within
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Quote
“Those who are inspired by a model other than Nature, a
mistress above all masters, are laboring in vain.”
Leonardo DaVinci
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Preface
• “Nature creates materials of an intricacy and functionality
that we can only dream of. The inner shell of Abalone is
twice as tough as our high tech ceramics. Spider silk,
ounce for ounce, is five time stronger than steel. Mussel
Adhesive works underwater and sticks to anything, even
without a primer. Bone, wood, skin, tusks, antlers, and
heart muscle - miracle materials all - are made to live out
their useful life and then to fade back, to be reabsorbed by
another kind of life through the grand cycle of death and
renewal.”
http://academic.evergreen.edu/j/jirtas12/Biomimicry.html
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Biomimicry
(or Bionics, Biomimetics, or Biognosis)
“Life has been performing design experiments on Earth’s
R&D lab for 3.8 billion years. What’s flourishing on the
planet today are the best ideas---those that perform well in
context, while economizing on energy and materials.
Whatever your company’s design challenge, the odds are high
that one or more of the world’s 30 million creatures has not
only faced the same challenge, but has evolved effective
strategies to solve it.”
http://www.biomimicryguild.com/indexguild.html
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Nature’s Laws, Strategies, and Principles
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Nature runs on sunlight
Nature uses only the energy it needs
Nature fits form to function
Nature recycles everything
Nature rewards cooperation
Nature banks on diversity
Nature demands local expertise
Nature curbs excesses from within
Nature taps the power of limits
Source: Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature, Janine Benyus
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Velcro
• Inspired by the seed burrs
that stuck to his dog,
Swiss engineer Georges
de Mestral became
inspired to create the
hook-and-loop fastener we
call Velcro
http://academic.evergreen.
edu/j/jirtas12/Biomimicry.html#
velcro
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Termite Thermal Regulation
• Incredible ability of termites to maintain virtually constant
temperature and humidity in their Sub-Saharan Africa
despite outside temperature variation from 3 °C to 42
°C
• Project TERMES (Termite Emulation of Regulatory
Mound Environments by Simulation) scanned a termite
mound, created 3-D images of the mound structure and
provided the first ever glimpse of construction that may
likely change the way we build our own buildings
• The Eastgate Centre, a mid-rise office complex in Harare,
Zimbabwe, stays cool without air conditioning and uses
only 10% of the energy of a conventional building its size
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomimicry
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Echolocating Cane
• U Leeds (in the UK) modeled
the echolocation technique used
by bats
• They adapted their results to
develop a cane for the visually
impaired
• The UltraCane is manufactured,
marketed and sold by Sound
Foresight Ltd.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomimicry
http://www.soundforesight.co.uk/new/ultracane5.htm
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Self Cleaning Paint
• The ‘Lotus Effect’ of how
lotus leaves bead water to
remain clean has inspired
a new generation of selfcleaning paints
http://www.publish.csiro.au/?act=v
iew_file&file_id=EC129p27.pdf
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Shinkansen
• Front end modeled after
kingfisher’s beak to minimize
tunnel entry/exit shockwave
• Pantograph supports have
serrations modeled after owl
plumage to reduce wind noise
Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by
Nature, J. Benyus, Perrenial NY, 2002
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Glue Clues from Geckos
• A team of biomedical engineers and materials scientists at
Northwestern U have developed a glue inspired by both
Geckos and Mussels
• They mimic the microscopic hairs of the gecko but add a
protein that mimics a protein the mussel uses to adhere to
wet surfaces
• The result is a post-it note type of adhesive that works on
wet or dry surfaces, even after being pulled away and
reattached more than 1000 times
“Glue Clues From Geckos,” Discover
Magazine, January 2008.
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Eiffel Tower
• Lattice structure inspired by the
orderly latticework of tiny ridges in
the thighbone
• Such bone-inspired latticework has
become an architectural norm today
http://www.harunyahya.com/books/science/biomimetics/biomimetics08.php
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UK Armed Forces Clothing Inspired by
Pine Cones
• It is difficult to correctly dress
for the weather and layers can
be cumbersome
• UK researchers are
investigating clothing made of
materials that react to
temperature and moisture,
much like pine cones
Source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/10/1013_041013_smart_clothing.html
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Underwater Acoustics
• Emulating dolphin’s
frequency-modulating
acoustics, EvoLogics
developed an improved
underwater acoustic telemetry
system which is used in the
Tsunami alert system in the
Indian Ocean
http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/dolphin.php
Sources: http://www.evologics.de/projects/underwater/index.html
http://www.biomimicryinstitute.org/case-studies/case-studies
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Fishbone Audio Sensor
• Tokyo Electron has created the fishbone sensor, a new type of
audio sensor using the inner working of the human ear as a
model
• Each of the 24 cantilevers of the fishbone sensor works like a
human ear membrane and picks up individual frequencies
http://www.diginfo.tv/2007/04/16/070413-bs-stc-electron-don.php
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bioWAVE
• bioWAVE was created by
BioPower systems.
• bioWAVE is a hydroelectric
system that mimics the motion
of plants, particularly kelp, to
allow for maximum energy
absorption.
• The motion of the waves move Link to animation:
the fins, which turns a generator. http://www.biopowersystems.
• Systems are being developed for com/biowave-animation.php
250kW, 500kW, 1000kW
Sources:
capacities to match conditions in http://www.triplepundit.com/pages/mechanicalfin.php
various locations.
http://www.biopowersystems.com/technologies.php
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Honeycomb Inspired Tire
• UW-Madison and a
Wausau, Wis., company
have come up with a 37inch, bullet and bomb-proof
Humvee tire based on a
polymeric web so cool
looking there's no need for
hub caps
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Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13639_3-10098240-42.html
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Robo Grasshopper
• Small robots have a tough time
on rocky terrain
• Swiss engineers noticed
grasshoppers and locusts can
quickly cover up to three feet
of uneven ground in a single
hop
• They built a batch of microbots
that can propel themselves
eight feet into the air
Source: http://www.popsci.com/stuart-fox/article/2008-10/robo-hop
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New Medicine Inspired by Frog Skin
• U Penn scientists have developed a potent compound that
mimics molecules in frog skin that stab bacteria to death
• Bacteria are adapting to conventional antibiotics by
modifying their receptors to prevent the antibiotic from
taking hold
• Countering this new drug would require the bacteria to
fully restructure its membrane
“A Big Leap for Antibiotics,” Popular Science
Magazine, January 2008.
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Sunfish Tail Inspires Design
• MIT researchers study the tail action of sunfish to try to
develop propellerless submarines
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6924057.stm
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Mercedes-Benz Bionic Concept Vehicle
• Modeled after the boxfish, it has one of the lowest Cd’s
ever tested (0.19 for the concept car)
Source: http://www.designboom.com/contemporary/biomimicry.html
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Ford Example
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In 2005, Ford's Volvo Division developed an anticollision system based on the way locusts swarm without
crashing into one another
Source:
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/feb2008/id
20080211_074559.htm
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http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2009-03/flight-school
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Bio-Inspired Ceramics
• Ceramics are lightweight and hard, but you can't make jet
engines or automotive frames out of them because they'd
shatter like dinner plates.
• Materials scientists have looked to the porous but resilient
material called nacre that lines abalone shells and have
developed a method for manufacturing nacre-like materials
in the lab.
• The new method could lead the way to ceramic structural
materials for energy-efficient buildings and lightweight but
resilient automobile frames.
From: Technologyreview.com, Thursday, December 04, 2008
Ceramics That Won't Shatter, by Katherine Bourzac
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Bio-Inspired Ceramics (Cont.)
• The Berkeley ceramic "really shows that drawing our
inspiration from nature in order to synthesize better
materials can be very successful," says Julia Greer, a
materials scientist at CalTech.
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Play excerpt from Modern Marvels:
World’s Sharpest beginning at 53:20
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Other Designs Inspired by Nature
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Airplanes modeled after birds (wing and body shapes, falcon beak)
Morphing airplane wings that change shape according to the speed and length
of a flight, inspired by birds that have differently-shaped wings depending on
how fast they fly
Fish-inspired scales that easily slide over each other to enable the morphing
airplane wings
Boat hulls designed after the shapes of Fish
Torpedoes that swim like tuna
Submarine and boats hull material that imitates dolphin and shark skin
membranes
Radar and sonar navigation technology and medical imaging inspired by the
echolocation abilities of bats
Swimsuit, triathlon and bobsled clothing fabric made with woven ribbing and
texture to reduce drag while maintaining movement, mimics shark’s skin
http://blogs.asee.org/goengineering/biomimicry-natural-designs/
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How to Think Like a Biomimic
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Determine what you want to “do” (not “make”)
Identify key functions/purpose
Look to see how nature achieves those functions
Go observe nature’s genius and conduct research or talk to
experts to find patterns or principles which may work for
your problem
• Brainstorm , design and converse
• Refine the design
Source: Biomimicry Guild, La Cusinga, Costa Rica
Design Workshop, 2007
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Source: chicagotribune.com
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Class Exercise
• Let’s try it!