Transcript Biomimicry - UTCarbonFootprint

By: Ken Samoei, Jon Lockie, Rachel Beres, Cory Williams,
Andrew Kulikowski, and Chad Pietkowski
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Biomimicry, is an innovative process which
generally comes from one of two directions.
• The innovator sees a process in nature and
connects it to an existing technology or problem.
• Other times, the innovator studies an existing
design problem and turns to nature for help
 Qualcomm looked towards the
unique properties of butterfly
wings to improve display
technology. These highly
developed structures reflect
light so that specific
wavelengths interfere with each
other to create bright colors.
 This same principle was
applied to cutting-edge
display technology to make
brighter, more readable,
lower-power displays in
mobile devices
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Humpback whale bumpy skin
• Surprising agility in the water compared to size
• 25-30 mph underwater
• Cuts down on drag through the water
32% less drag
 8% increased lift in their movement through
air or water
 20% increase in efficiency
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For mobility
• Insect-like ability to cover various terrain
• Climb different surfaces
• Better stability
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Insect eyes
• Greater resolution
• Panoramic range for small places that other animals
can not get to
• Ability to adapt to changing environments
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Delicate 60cm wingspan
• Used to explore non-steady-state airflow
• Designed to investigate how small creatures, like
insects can stay in flight
 Despite their small size, high wing speed and very
small wingspan
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This robot was designed by Michael
Dickinson in 1999 modeled after the common
fruit fly
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Invented By Ben Franklin in the 18th century
Flippers closely resemble the webbed feet of a
frog.
Allow for more efficient movement through water
Self-Healing Plastics
Mimics the body’s power to heal itself after
inflicted with a scrape or cut
This light weight composite material is still
being developed
 Current studies are looking in to utilizing
this material for planes, cars, and spacecraft
How Self-Healing Plastics Work
The material is made of hollow
fibers that contain an epoxy
resin that is released if these
hollow fibers undergo stress.
The resin bonds to fill the void
of the damaged material and is
nearly as strong as the original
product.
The tape is a material
covered with
nanoscopic hairs that
mimic those found on
the feet of gecko
lizards.
 These millions of tiny,
flexible hairs exert van
der Waals forces that
provide a powerful
adhesive effect.
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The synthetic hairs have to
be soft and flexible enough
to attach to uneven surfaces
but not so weak that they
would break easily or bunch
together.
 The substrate that the hairs
are mounted on also have to
be sufficiently flexible for
the material to work.
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Associated Press. "If the suit fits…" CNN Sports
Illustrated. July 2, 2000.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/news/200
0/07/02/bodysuit_craze_ap/
Benyus, Janine M. "Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired By
Nature." Harper Perennial. 1997.
"Biomimicking Sharks." Biomimicry Institute. (June 13,
2008) http://www.biomimicryinstitute.org/homepage-content/home-page-content/
biomimicking-sharks.html
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DISQUIS, “The 15 Coolest Cases of Biomimicry.” Brainz.
(2009-2010). 8 February 2010. <http://brainz.org/15coolest-cases-biomimicry/>.
Beer, Randall D., “Biologically Inspired Robotics.” Scholar
pedia. (January 2010). 8 February 2010.
<http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Biologically_inspired_r
obotics#Two_Examples>.
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http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn3785
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http://brainz.org/15-coolest-cases-biomimicry/
http://swimsuits.lovetoknow.com/Who_Inven
ted_Swimming_Flippers
 http://californiaherps.com/frogs/id/backfeet
noclaws.jpg
 http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg277
/andrew388/flippers.jpg
 http://brainz.org/15-coolest-casesbiomimicry/
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selfhealing_plastic
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