Copycat or Copy Cat?
An article titled "Biomimicry in textiles: past, present and potential. An overview" in the Journal the Royal Society Interface goes through the history and various uses of textiles throughout history. It also analyzes various species, like the spider species N. claviples and B. mori, and some of the properties of their silk, along with the properties of adhesive polymers on gecko's webbed feet. The chemical properties of spider silk and gecko adhesion mechanism were explored in the review, to try and see how people can manufacture these materials for use in textiles. Spider silk has potential applications in textile manufacture, to make lighter, tougher fabrics. Adhesive particles on gecko pads have potential applications in caulking for carpentry, plastics, and other industrial adhesives.
One hot topic right now, in the effort to slow climate change, is to create products that decompose, and are "natural" to help minimize waste production. This can be accomplished in part, by biomimicry. Biomimicry also helps to make sure that we do some part in preventing destruction in the ecosystem. We need to study these animals, and they need to be around to do that. With climate change, ecosystems around the world are at risk of collapsing. These animals need to be protected if we want to have any chance of learning about them, and using biomimicry for our use. Biomimicry could help both us, and other species in this way.
Eadie, L., & Ghosh, T. K. (2011). Biomimicry in textiles: Past, present and potential. An overview. Journal of The Royal Society Interface, 8(59), 761-775. doi:10.1098/rsif.2010.0487
Posted by "Chandler Kupris" (1)
Biomimicry is definitely one of the most interesting research topics in today's world, especially due to efforts being made everyday to make human lives better and protect our planet. There are so many human inventions and innovations inspired from the biological world around us. One interesting example of biomimicry I read about a while ago was the Shinkansen Bullet train in Japan. It is the fastest train in the world but it had some problems initially. Whenever the train exited tunnels at high speeds, due to changing pressures, it made a huge thundering noise that was a disturbance to everyone within a quarter mile radius. The train's chief engineer being an earnest bird watcher suggested that the train's front aerodynamics had to be altered similar to that of a Kingfisher's beak. Thus, the improvization made the train quieter, made it consume 15% less electricity and 10% faster. There are so many other examples like these and biomimicry is continued to being used in great marvels everyday.
ReplyDeletePosted by Veshal Venkat
That's crazy! How did you hear about that? I thought of an example that was actually an invention by a Umass professor. It's called GeckSkin. It's an adhesive based on the mechanics of how gecko's feet stick to walls.
DeletePosted by "Chandler Kupris"
I really liked this blog post! Not only do I enjoy understanding the biology behind advantageous traits that certain species possess, but I also value the physical aesthetic of structures in nature, such as a spiderweb or the symmetry of a leaf. Being able to incorporate these naturally occurring animal behaviors as a form of self expression is something that really resonates with me and would love to curate pieces of my wardrobe around that. Environmental conservation and combating climate change have also been longtime passions of mine. It is so fascinating that biomimicry is being employed to help stop climate change. Are there any specific traits from plants and/or animals that will help with designing products that will minimize waste production?
ReplyDeletePosted by Jamie Courtney
This is a great post because to me, global warming truly is the top priority for humanity. Every field of science may have a part to play in its solution, and should be putting their best efforts to the cause. I love this example not only because it's a biological solution, but because it seems to be a gateway. If we use biomimicry to solve a waste problem, what else will we expand this method to?
ReplyDeletePosted by Andrew Davis
We could use it as a solution for efficient heating and cooling, transportation, designing biodegradable plastics... the possibilities are basically endless! I think the idea of creating better heating and cooling systems is cool. It would solve a lot of problems related to the amount of energy we use to heat and cool buildings, and emitting greenhouse gases. I thought of how penguins need to keep cool in the arctic, for example. Or what about looking at how some bacteria can create polymers that turn into biofilms or nylon. Maybe we could use a similar process to create plastics that bacteria could decompose, eliminating (literally) tons of waste!
DeletePosted by Chandler Kupris