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Introduction to Biomimicry for Fluid Mechanics Students

Introduction to Biomimicry for Fluid Mechanics Students. Defne Apul and Jill Shalabi University of Toledo Department of Civil Engineering Feb. 3, 2009. You will use biomimicry in your projects.

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Introduction to Biomimicry for Fluid Mechanics Students

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  1. Introduction to Biomimicry for Fluid Mechanics Students Defne Apul and Jill Shalabi University of Toledo Department of Civil Engineering Feb. 3, 2009

  2. You will use biomimicry in your projects Part A: You will perform an experiment to measure somethingPart B: You will theoretically calculate what you would expect to see in theexperimentPart C: You will compare the results from parts A and B Part D: You will follow up with where else this phenomenon is used in natureand in existing technology

  3. What is biomimicry? • From • bios, meaning “life” + mimesis, meaning “to imitate” • Biomimicry = to imitate life

  4. Biomimicry?

  5. The “tail” of Velcro….

  6. Biomimicry Definition • Term first used by Janine Benyus in her book, Biomimicry: Innovations Inspired by Nature (1997) • Viewing nature as role model/teacher– nature has already solved many of the technological and sustainability problems that we face today - learning from nature, not about nature • Imitate nature’s processes, not products

  7. Conquest of Nature? • “Conquest” of nature has consequences in today’s scientific and social paradigms

  8. Us Linear Centralized Individualistic Independent Inflexible Singular Them Circular Decentralized Cooperative Interdependent Adaptive Redundant Us vs. “Them”

  9. Our Results • Depleted natural resources • Habitat loss • Climate change • Endangered/extinct species • Persistent bioaccumulative toxins • Dependence on petroleum • Problems!

  10. Their Results • Life creates conditions conducive to life • Energy only from sunlight • Materials synthesized at ambient temperatures using local materials • No toxic pollution • only a few of all of chemically possible structures are synthesized (humans use the entire periodic table!) • No waste • No problem!

  11. Nature as Teacher • When faced with a problem, ask the question “What organism needs to solve the same problem to survive….What Would Nature Do?”

  12. Nature as Teacher (cont’d) • Inspiration - look to nature to transform society • water • energy • materials • food • Invention - original processing starting with a natural process that solves a similar problem • Information - life adds info in the form of shape/structure

  13. Some of nature’s teachers (Let’s give them a hand…..)

  14. Whales

  15. Kingfishers

  16. Box fish

  17. Termites (Look, Ma! No air conditioning…)

  18. Seashells (Why aren’t they infinite in size?)

  19. Pros and Cons • UN Environmental Program has biomimicry project – “Nature’s 100 Best” • Habitat conservation • Copy nature’s products rather than processes • GE, Proctor & Gamble, Boeing, General Mills, Nike recruiting biologists

  20. Lotus effect

  21. Pros and Cons (cont’d) • Complexity occurs at nano- and micro-scale • Behavior cannot be deduced from a knowledge of components – the whole is greater than the sum of parts • Nature doesn’t work toward some “final” goal like we (engineers) do • Result of random experiments over thousands or millions of generations

  22. Summary • We are facing increasing pressures: • Energy • Water • Materials • Food • Nature has already “figured out” how to avoid these problems • Look to nature as a teacher/role model, but nature is not always cooperative…..

  23. “It’s no problem to apply a 0.2 Newton pre-load to a patch of gecko adhesive and drag it in a distal direction at one micron per second. But try asking a gecko to do the same thing with its foot. It’ll probably just bite you.“ – Kellar Autumn, gecko adhesion researcher

  24. Acknowledgements • Slide #4 www.wisebread.com/hitching-a-ride-on-an-airplane • Slide #5 http://estrip.org/elmwood/users/matthew/images/1105/burr3857.jpg http://www.kidsgardening.com/2005.kids.garden.news/may/burrs.jpg • Slide #6 Benyus, Janine. 1997. Biomimicry: Innovations Inspired by Nature. HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. New York, NY, 320 pp. • Slide #7 http://www.marykayemusic.com/images/Illustrations/BigBadWolf.jpg • Slide #8 http://greenasathistle.files.wordpress.com/2007/03/forks.jpg • Slide #11http://www.stpatricksguild.com/prodimg/401530.JPG • Slide #13 http://www.leopardgeckoguide.com/wp-content/gallery/geckos/gecko-feet.jpg • Slide #14 http://earthfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/whale-bump.jpg, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080707222315.htm www.animals.nationalgeographic.com • Slide#15 http://www.bioteams.com/images/nature_as_desig.jpg • Slide #16 http://www.dancewithshadows.com/auto/mercedes-benz-bionic-car-gallery.asp • Slide #17 http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/12/10/building-modelled-on-termites-eastgate-centre-in-zimbabwe/

  25. Acknowledgements (cont’d) • Slide #18 http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Seashell-on-Beach-Posters_i1100827_.htm http://www.virginpacificwater.com/whole_pipe_op_800x786.jpg • Slide #19 UN Environmental Program http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=535&ArticleID=5816&l=en • Slide #20 http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1107/1435241752_a20d75347f.jpg?v=0 http://www.aerosil.com/pub/NR/rdonlyres/65199EEB-DD68-422A-A27F-F91AF82BA85E/0/lotuseffect0005.jpg Lotus Effect:http://biodsign.wordpress.com/2008/08/27/lotus-effect-efecto-lotus/ • Slide #23 http://www.tc.umn.edu/~gambl007/geckos/gekko_gecko_mo2.jpg http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/04/biomimetics/tom-muellertext/8

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