FEBRUARY 1 2008
AMERICANWAY 53
AW
Whenshe’snotcontributing topublicationssuchas
Smithsonian
,
Sierra
, and
National Wildlife
, Brooklyn-based writer
HEAtHER
MIllAR
has fun trying to tiptoe like a cat and swim like afish.
Hundredsofbiomimeticproductsandproj-
ectsarenow inthepipeline.Herearesome
thatareclosetomarketoralreadythere.
aPDA screen that uses
little power and actually
gets brighter in sunlight.
Swimlike
aShark.
Sharks can slice through
thewater quickly
because their skin is
coveredwithhydrody-
namic ridges that reduce
drag. Speedo created
theFastskinbodysuit,
modeledon the shark,
and it has revolutionized
elite swimming. TheU.S.
Navy, usinga similar
concept, hopes toapply
a sharkskin-like coating
below thewaterline of
shiphulls to increase fuel
efficiency and to reduce
thegrowthof barnacles
andalgae, which can
slow ships and reduce
theirmaneuverability.
keepcool
likea
termite.
It’s hot inZimbabwe—
really hot. Temperatures
often crest 100degrees
Fahrenheit there. So
when the architecture
firmArup landed a
contract to design an
energy-efficient office
building in the capital
of Harare, it looked to
termites for inspiration.
African termites build
huge earthenmounds
that always remain at
exactly87degrees Fahr-
enheit, despite external
temperatures that range
widely, from35 to 104
degrees Fahrenheit.
Usingpassive-cooling
underground tunnels,
hoodedwindows,
variable-thicknesswalls,
and light-coloredpaints,
theEastgate complex’s
two9-story towers
remain cool without air
conditioning.
pumpwater
like itwantS
toflow.
Scientists have studied
fluidmechanics since
the days of Leonardo da
Vinci. JayHarman, CEO
of PaxScientific, asked:
“If liquids alwayswant
tomove in a particular
way, couldwe design
pumps, fans, and impel-
lers that build on this
concept?” Using this
“streamlining” idea, the
company has designed a
line of industrial equip-
ment that it says uses
30percent less energy.
flySilently,
likeanowl.
Owls canflywithout
making noise because of
frayed feathers on the
edges of theirwings.
These special feathers
break up turbulence
and, as a result, reduce
sound. Scientists at the
University of Southamp-
ton inEngland hope to
copy this feather design
and use it to create
quieter aircraft.
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