Bug-Inspired Biomimetics: Green Technology Articles: Eco20/20

Bug-Inspired Biomimetics

Researchers are constantly striving to learn how nature has solved certain problems, hoping they can use that information to mimic the successes of the natural world. In fact, most people, whether they realize it or not, have probably spotted modern examples of biomimetics fairly often; in eco-friendly housing developments, for example, where acts of strategic biomimicry include the use of artificial ponds, filter strips and grassy swales for storm water management. But few people ever stop to consider just how many millions of problems nature has already solved; or take time to wonder where the researches are looking when they seek solutions. So here, for your contemplation and entertainment, are some of the humble beasties currently doing their part to inspire the next wave of unique inventions.

* Parasites:

A parasite from the Southeastern United States, the Orima fly, boasts efficient antennae, as well as excellent hearing in its incredibly tiny ears. Studies of this pest are affecting hearing aid technology and steering the development of very small super-resolving directional antennas; which will mean better cell phone reception, radar imaging improvements, and precisely the sort of radio electronics upgrades that emergency servers would most highly value.

* Butterflies:

After studying the way butterfly wings shimmer, Qualcomm developed a micro-electro-mechanical IMOD device which is the essential component of their Mirasol® displays. This product takes advantage of the fact that it's easier for the human eye to see a reflected image, rather than a backlit image, because we actually perceive color by interpreting light reflected from the surfaces around us.

o Mechanizing the shimmer effect means the display requires almost no power in the pixels of the screen where the displayed color isn't changing. And movement of the reflective surfaces occurs on a nanometric scale, so the refresh rate is fast enough to play videos with no blurring.

* Termites:

Tower-building termites in Africa open and close vents into their mounds to siphon fresh air through the lower parts while warmed air escapes through the chimneys. A high-rise in Zimbabwe, called the Eastgate Centre building, was designed to mimic this air circulation design.

* Bees:

Neurobiologist Wolfgang Stürzl and his team at Bielefeld University in Germany have created an artificial bee eye with a 280-degree field of vision. Its purpose is to give a wide-angle view of the world - using just one camera - to a small flying spy bot. The lenses and dome-shaped mirror of the artificial bee eye will make a composite image for a micro-camera that can film at 25 frames per second.

All of these products and designs are not only biomimetic, they're eco-friendly, each offering a reduction in power usage over the more conventional options currently employed in the industries they inhabit. Perhaps if more folks would pause long enough to learn, they might discover nature has more to teach.