Better World by Design

A Better World By Design conference has a large number of issues at hand. I didn’t’ attend a Better World by Design- RISD/Brown 08’, but listening and reading about the material presented at the conference really intrigued me. There were so much about design I was out of tune with. I came home from the conference and started to research more about the topics listed in ID history blog provided by Nancy.

I reoccurring theme of inspiration by nature was particularly intriguing. By using mimicry of animal parts, scientists and designers have been able to create enhanced aircrafts, boats, as well as other things. By using the found technologies we have found a more efficient way of doing things.

Humpback whales have incredible agility. Scientists suspected it was due to the bumps on the leading edges of their flippers (hydrodynamic edge). If the mimicry of these bumps were to be used we could create more stable airplane designers (fighter jets for less stall and more safety), submarines with greater agility, and turbine blades that capture more energy from the wind and water (more efficient ceiling fans). The possibilities are endless. http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/20379/page2/

Shark have a high movement efficiency. Scientists have found that the shark’s skin is the key role in this ability. Their skin has a course texture. It is because it is made up of small individual scales called herman denticles. They are otherwise known as “little skin teeth”. These scales with longitudinal grooves help minimize water turbulence produced when fast water moving over smooth surfacesoccur. These grooves reinforce the flow direction of water, as well as prevent marine organism contact when they are moving through water.

Scientists and designers have found a way to mimic a shark skin’s texture. They have used it on the coating of boat surfaces. This helps boats also to prevent organisms from attaching themselves on the boats surface. This improves the boat’s energy efficiency, as well as reduces the use of toxic chemicals (when cleaning the boat).

This biomimicry has also improved the swimming business by being able to create swimsuits swimmer to increase speed. Along with these applications, there are numerous other technologies being developed. There are more nature inspired products to come and I am excited to see what the results will be.

http://www.biomimicryinstitute.org/