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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/23/velcro-bullet-trains-and-robotic-arms-nature-mother-of-invention-aoe>
"Over millions of years of evolution, nature has worked out solutions to many
problems. Humans have arrived late in the day and pinched them. For example,
Velcro was invented after a Swiss engineer marvelled at the burdock burrs that
got stuck to his dog’s fur; the idea for robotic arms came from the motion and
gripping ability of elephant trunks, and the front of Japan’s bullet trains
were redesigned to mimic a kingfisher’s streamlined beak, reducing the sonic
boom they made exiting tunnels.
There are different types of mimicry, the most straightforward is the simple
idea of copying something that exists in nature. Buildings are an obvious
example, as outlined by research published in Nature. The Beijing national
stadium is inspired by a bird’s nest, the Lotus Temple in India is shaped,
unsurprisingly, like a lotus and the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai is shaped like a
palm tree.
Next, there is mimicry of both design and function, such as camouflage dress
being inspired by nature’s ability to disguise itself. Then there is mimicry
solely for function, for example the blades in noiseless fans are modelled on
whale fins and gecko tape on the lizard’s sticky feet.
Our ability to copy nature is becoming more sophisticated thanks to advances in
nanotechnology. The atomic force microscope, invented in the 1980s, uses a
probe with a very sharp tip 1,000 times smaller than a width of hair and can
closely scan sample materials. This has facilitated the development of
biomimicry, which allows better replication of natural materials than ever
before."
Via Esther Schindler.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
