Biolocomotion: Ants “Walking” on water

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=A042J0IDQK4 

At time of flood ants have adapted a way in which they can survive . The ants bind together and form a spherical ball that floats on the water and moves on a constant motion using capillary forces. This movement also allows the formation of an angular motion that plays a role in keeping all the members of the floating colony together and prevent them from drowning .

This very fascinating and perfectly calculated motion might be used and mimicked in robotics.

Work cited: Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics . Walking on Water: Biolocomotion at the Interface.John W.M. Bush and David L. Hu

Posted by Berta Pérez Gumà

Some research about food...

Food is back on the agenda in pop culture and academic disciplines: TV hosts, urban planners, designers, writers, environmentalists, social activists, artists, chefs, etc. – everyone seems to be talking about it.  And they’re all saying different versions of the same thing.  In the words of writer and activist Raj Patel, “Unless you’re a corporate food executive, the food system isn’t working for you.” 

from  :  Stocking the City, by Chris DeHenzel

I have been reading through this article on Archdaily (here's the link http://www.archdaily.com/230708/stocking-the-city-a-new-archdaily-series/) about the ongoing research Chris DeHenzel (Berkeley University) will be doing on ways of food production alternative to mass production and consumption led mostly by supermarkets and multinational companies.

The article refers to many related projects, among which I found one I got particularly interested in. I am talking about Work AC’s 2008 Public Farm (PF1) project at PS1 in Queens. Here some images : 

PF1 (Public Farm One) is an urban farm concept built with inexpensive and sustainable materials recyclable after its use at P.S.1, such as cardboard tubes that form a continuous surface creating multiple zones of activity including swings, fans, sound effects, innovative seating areas, and a refreshing pool at its center, as an Urban Beach.

I found this project particularly relevant for our research because of the way it deals with feedback loops, sustainable materials and social significance.

Finally a link to the video showing the actual realization of the temporary structure!

http://www.archdaily.com/3712/

Check it out!

//Sara

SOME MORE UNDERSEA MIMICRY…

THE ROBUST GHOST PIPEFISH

OR

THE SOLENOSTOMUS CYANOPTERUS

A fish from the seahorse family that spends the day flotting upside down near an underwater plant, making it’s possible to look like her…..interesting !

Ghostpipefishes are related to pipefishes and seahorses. But we can still find many differences between them! 
A ghostpipefish’s head is held at an angle to the body, but not at such a large angle as that of the seahorse. the presence of pelvic fins, a prominent, spiny, dorsal fin, and star-shaped plates on the skin. Unlike true pipefish, female ghostpipefishes use their enlarged pelvic fins to brood their eggs until they hatch. 

They are found in tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, from Asia to Africa.
The animals, none of which are longer than 15 centimetres, float near motionlessly, with the mouth facing downwards, around a background that makes them nearly impossible to see. They feed on tiny crustaceans, sucked inside through their long snout. 

They are usually seen in pairs near algae or seagrass beds. When disturbed it will move into the vegetation. They live in open waters except during breeding, when they find a coral reef or muddy bottom, changing colour and shape to minimize visibility. The colouration is highly variable from grey, brown to bright green. The species has a very short to absent caudal peduncle.

Here you can see two males flirting with a very good looking ghost pipefish. Quite a discrete animal!


#Ines W#

How to prevent water loss?

Lichens have the answer! 

The fungal skin of lichens prevents water loss to the algae below via its dense compacted thread structure.
Lichens develop minuscule branches and grow into dense curling thickets a few inches high.
Their outer skin is formed by the compacted threads of the fungi and is sufficiently impermeable to prevent the loss of water from the partnership; beneath are the algal cells, kept moist and protected from harmful ultra-violet radiation by the fungal skin; and below them, in the centre of the structure, there is looser tissue, also provided by the fungus, where food and water is stored.

Application:

• Impermeable biological membranes for water storage tanks
• Impermeable tarps to retain soil moisture/stabilize soil in arid regions

Posted by Berta Pérez Gumà

Qatar’s giant cactus: a shining example of biomimicry

March 24, 2009 London may have The Gherkin but it’s not a patch on the cactus-inspired design for the new Minister of Municipal Affairs & Agriculture (MMAA) building in Qatar. The spectacular office building and adjoining botanical dome is a great example of biomimicry, a discipline that studies nature’s best ideas and then imitates these designs and processes to solve human problems. This increasingly prominent approach has yielded advances in fields as diverse as aerodynamics, robotic navigation, clothing design, UAVs and the detection of water pollution. It seems that architects too can learn from nature.

The design, by Bangkok-based firm Aesthetics Architects GO Group, takes its form from the hardy cactus plant with it’s ability to thrive in harsh desert climates, very apt for Qatar, a hot country covered in sand which has an average rainfall of only 3.2 inches.

The MMAA building, dubbed the cactus project has been designed with energy efficiency in mind; sun shades on the windows can be opened or closed to suit the prevailing temperature (thus mimicking the activity of the cactus which performs transpiration at night rather than during the day in order to retain water). The dome at the base of the tower will house a botanical garden which for extra green points could include an edible garden and use plants to clean up waste water.

Source:  http://www.gizmag.com/qatars-giant-cactus-biomimicry/10993/

Posted by Cecilia Rudström

Architecture studio - Exploration

That one is a Architecture Studio, called Exploration that works with the biomimicry topic.

Check it the web page www.exploration-architecture.com there are some projects really interesting.

by: Jaume Torras Andrés