Visual collision detector

If the question is "how to detect possible collisions and protect yourself about crashes?" LOCUSTS have an answer!

Locusts, which can consume their own weight in food each day, have a large neuron called the locust giant movement detector (LGMD) located behind their eyes. The LGMD releases bursts of energy whenever a locust is on a collision course with another locust or a predatory bird...The [European scientist] team found that the LGMD releases more energy when something is coming directly at the locust.

These spikes of energy, called action potentials, prompt the locusts to take evasive action. The entire process from motion detection to reaction takes about 45 milliseconds—or 45 thousandths of a second.

Locusts, like most insects, can see many more images per second than we do. This means they can react in time to things that are approaching very rapidly and so make their escape before collision,' Rind [Claire Rind, a biologist at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in England] said.

That system can be applied in automotive collision-avoidance system. 

Collision threat detection and avoidance defines a major Research and Development challenge for the automotive industry. Adaptive cruise-control systems incorporating some collision-avoidance features are offered today as pricey options on luxury cars. However, the performance of these systems is not always sufficient, and their cost is too high for wide use. Significant improvements are still needed for these systems to perform satisfactory and to become popular.



Posetd by Berta Pérez Gumà

Lotus effect

Someone already wrote a short text on the Lotus effect, but I just found this video on ABC which gives a good explanation also about the process of mimicry of this effect.

Lotus Effect on ABC

I also heard that the car and motorcycle brand BMW looked at this affect. In a paper about motorcycle technology they talk about nature as their role model. Three examples are shown: The fir cone principle, the lotus effect and the spider's web. These 3 inspired different technolgies as you can read on the following page.

Whoever wants to read a little more into the paper, just follow this link which goes deeper into the technologies applied to motorcycle suits.

BMW on nature inspired technology


Marcus Hubl

BioHaven® Floating Island  :  mimicking wetlands

BioHaven® Floating Islands are an advanced form of floating treatment wetlands. Manufactured using non-toxic recycled PET plastic and vegetated with native plants, BioHaven® Floating Treatment Wetlands float on top of the water, providing habitat for local birds and animals. Underneath the surface, a remarkable and dynamic process takes place. Microbes responsible for breaking down waste and nutrients produce a sticky biofilm which grows on the BioHaven® FTW’s matrix as well as the roots hanging beneath the island. Mimicking natural wetlands, they provide a unique and cost effective solution for Habitat Enhancement, Land Restoration, and Water Quality Improvement.

 

http://www.martinecosystems.com/eco-solutions/biohaven-floating-island/

 

// Sara

Allison Alberts on biomimicry – sustainable solutions inspired by nature

Biomimicry is design inspired by nature. With 7 billion humans on Earth today – and demand for natural resources growing, while supplies remain fixed – people are looking for innovative ideas to help companies, consumers, and the environment. Scientists are realizing that many ideas for a more sustainable world can come from nature itself. The San Diego Zoo is an international center for biomimicry research. EarthSky spoke to Allison Alberts, Chief Conservation and Research Officer for the San Diego Zoo, which has set up a special biomimicry website for the public. Alberts explained:

Biomimicry studies nature’s best ideas, and applies them to solving human problems. The central ideas behind biomimicry are that nature has already solved many of the problems we’re dealing with today, and that animals, plants, and microbes are the world’s greatest engineers.

Lotus leaves inspired a new self-cleaning paint. Image Credit: matsuyuki

She gave a simple example, involving the common lotus leaf.

The microscopic structure of a lotus leaf allows water droplets to bead up and roll off, washing away even the smallest specks of dirt.

Dr. Alberts said paint manufacturers had used their understanding of the microscopic structure of the lotus to create an innovative, environmentally-friendly. and energy-saving paint called Lotusan.

Buildings painted with Lotusan actually clean themselves every time it rains, which eliminates the need for harsh chemicals or detergent.

And that is biomimicry. It’s taking inspiration from nature to create a product that’s friendly to the environment. Alberts gave another example, this time involving architectural design. She said that a shopping and office complex opened in Harare, Zimbabwe in 1996. The complex was designed by Mick Pearce, who studied termite mounds extensively before he built it. Alberts said:

Termite mounds are self-cooling. They’re actually able to maintain the temperature inside their nest to within a degree, even when the outside temperature might be fluctuating by 40 degrees or more. So by mapping the structure of the tunnels inside termite mounds, architects have been able to design highrise buildings that have no air-conditioning whatsoever, but they’re able to stay cool using only 10% of the energy of a conventional building of the same size.

Termite mounds, which are self-cooling, inspired highrise buildings with no air-conditioning. Image Credit: Nigel Paine

Dr. Alberts added that because the San Diego Zoo has tens of thousands of plants and animals at its fingertips, it’s in a unique position to help experts – for example, chemists, engineers, and architects – on biomimicry projects. These projects will make for a more sustainable world, she said.

Our core mission is to benefit wildlife and we’re really most interested in the types of bio-inspired designs that have a positive outcome for the environment – less pollution, that kind of stuff.

She said that, in April of 2011, the San Diego Zoo will host the 3rd annual Biomimicry Conference. At this 2011 conference, a number of important speakers will focus on how innovative nature-based solutions can be used to solve industry problems.

With our amazing collection of 4,000 animals and 40,000 plants, we believe that the San Diego Zoo is ideally positioned to serve as a living laboratory for biomimicry inspiration and design, and with the 5 million guests that come to visit us each year, we have a platform for education and raising awareness about biomimicry and how it can help the environment.

She said the San Diego Zoo works with experts on a case-by-case basis to develop and use biomimicry concepts. An example: showing a company that wants to make especially emollient and sustainable body products the 125 kinds of aloe plants that the zoo has in its possession.
Alberts gave another example, involving gecko lizards. She said that if, for example, a company wanted to engineer an environmentally friendly adhesive, the San Diego Zoo would guide that company to gecko lizards. The San Diego Zoo carries about 16 different species of geckos.

Geckos' feet may inspire an environmentally friendly adhesive. Image Credit: danielguip

Dr. Alberts explained that geckos’ feet have evolved over millions of years to efficiently adhere to any surface. The microscopic structure of their toes is unique, she said, and worth studying for lessons in biomimicry that can be applied to human needs.
Our thanks today to San Diego Zoo Global – connecting people to wildlife and conservation.

by: Jaume Torras Andrés
souce: http://earthsky.org/human-world/allison-alberts-biomimicry-uses-natures-best-ideas-to-solve-human-problems-sustainably

Sunflower - new solar technology

The sunflower has found optimal space utilization for its seed head by packing of the seeds by arranging them in spirals of Fibonacci numbers. This ensures that the seeds will always be packed uniformly, and with maximum compactness. This has been researched to be used in solar power technology to reduce the required amount of land while boosting the amount of sunlight the heliostat mirrors collect.

In addition sunflowers turn throughout the day, always following the path of the sun to ensure maximum solar collection. 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8mr0R3ibPU&feature=related

posted by Cecilia Rudstrom

Making cement the way coral does it: Out of thin air

I first saw this a few years back when I visited Renzo Piano´s California Academy of Sciences Building in San Francisco. It is pretty cool. By looking at how corals work, scientist Bret Constanz has found a way to create cement from CO2 and water. This could potentially eliminate the incredible polluting process of making cement today.

The process of making this cement actually removes carbon dioxide from the air. The company Constantz founded, called Calera, has a demonstration plant on California's Monterrey Bay that takes waste CO2 gas from a local power plant and dissolves it into seawater to form carbonate, which mixes with calcium in the seawater and creates a solid. It's how corals form their skeletons, and how Constantz creates cement. Wow!

You can read the article, and watch an inspirational video on the subject here:

http://www.fastcompany.com/biomimicry/making-cement-the-way-coral-does-it-out-of-thin-air

by mikaela grassl


Webspinners' silk galleries

Webspinners (Embioptera order) are a small group of mostly tropical and subtropical insects. Their common name comes from the insects' ability to spin silk from structures on their front legs. They then use the silk to make a web-like pouch or gallery in which they live.

The silk is produced in spherical secretary glands in the tarsi of the insects' forelimbs, and can be produced by both adults and larvae. Some species of webspinners are estimated to have up to 300 silkglands: 150 in each forelimb. These glands are linked to 'setae-like cuticular process called a silk ejector', and their exceedingly high numbers allow individuals to spin large amounts of silk very quickly, creating extensive galleries. The silk web is produced throughout all stages of the webspinners lifespan, and requires very little energy output.

The ‘galleries' produced by webspinners are tunnels and chambers woven from the silk they produce. These woven constructions can be found on substrates such as rocks and the bark of trees, or in leaf litter. Some species camouflage their galleries by decorating the outer layers with bits of leaf litter or other materials to match their surroundings. The galleries are essential to their life cycle, maintaining moisture in their environment, plus offering protection from predators and elements while foraging, breeding and simply existing. The only occasion when an embiid will leave the gallery complex is when winged males fly out or wingless males walk out in search of a mate, or when females explore the area immediately surrounding them in search of a new food source. 

Webspinners continually extend their galleries into new food sources, and expand their existing galleries as they grow in size. The insects spin silk by moving their forelegs back and forth over the substrate, and rotating their bodies to create a cylindrical, silk-lined tunnel. Older galleries have multiple laminate layers of silk. Each gallery complex contains a number of individuals, often descended from a single female, and forms a complex maze-like structure, extending from a secure retreat into whatever vegetable food matter is available nearby. The size and complexity of the colony varies between species, and they can be very extensive in those species that live in hot and humid climates

How could this be applied to design? The webspinners' way of designing their galleries can be applied to designing larger-scale tensile structures, as they strive to minimize the use of material and produce the most effective structural forms.

You can experience a webspinner-like gallery yourself at Färgfabriken until next week. They have an interesting installation called TEJP Stockholm (Tape Stockholm) by Numen. 

The installation is a series of galleries hanging in the air, all made from clear packaging tape. Visitors can go inside the galleries and experience the atmosphere of the thin structure. 

Don't miss it, especially if you're going there for the miljonprogrammet Seminar tomorrow! It's super cool, fun and and educational at the same time! The installation closes on March 17th.

More information at: www.fargfabriken.se

Photos: Sara Mac Key via färgfabriken.se

// Satu