 Your new post is loading...
Your new post is loading...
"A North African company has developed what it contends is a paradigm-shifting wind turbine technology based on the flapping of hummingbird wings. Any potential paradigm shifts are down the road a bit, but based on some remarkable images and new demo videos, the clean energy machine may be the prettiest wind turbine ever invented. Developed by Tyer Wind, a startup based in Tunisia, the turbine uses biomimicry principles to replicate the mechanical action of hummingbird wings. The design is fundamentally different from standard rotor-based wind turbines because instead of converting linear motion - wind blowing across the land - into a circular motion, it converts it into a figure-eight pattern. Not only is that shape the same as the one hummingbird wings make while the birds hover, but it also generates energy on both the upstroke and the downstroke.
"Boeing Co. and NASA have found an inexpensive way to cut airline fuel bills by borrowing a trick from the world’s greatest long-distance aviators: migratory birds. By lining up cruising aircraft in a V-shaped formation favored by Canada geese, carriers would be able to produce a leap in efficiency without investing in structural makeovers or futuristic technology. The idea is to link the flying convoys safely using navigation and collision-avoidance tools that already are widely installed in cockpits."
"From a whale shark keeping unwanted freeloaders off its skin to water droplets rolling off a duck’s feathers, nature has many ingenious ways of keeping surfaces clean. The science of biomimicry, or biomimetics, seeks to harness nature’s cleverest capabilities which have taken aeons to evolve. Scientists at AkzoNobel, a global paints and coatings company, are using principles derived from nature to develop coatings that protect surfaces such as the hulls of cargo ships. And other heavy industries such as rail are experimenting with biomimicry."
The Canadian company WhalePower has granted an exclusive, worldwide, manufacturing license to TEG, a German company specialized in efficient, green forms of energy generation, to use WhalePower’s Tubercle Technology to create retrofit blade kits for wind turbines. Tubercle Technology is inspired by the flippers of Humpback Whales and can be used to improve the efficiency of turbines, compressors, pumps and fans.
"The Cabbage White butterfly may irritate gardeners with its unrelenting taste for brassicas but it may hold the key to making solar panels more efficient. A team of experts from the University of Exeter have shown that mimicking the v-shaped posture adopted by Cabbage Whites to heat up their flight muscles before take-off, can raise the amount of solar power by nearly 50 per cent. The secret appears to be the angle that the butterflies hold their wings, approximately 17 degrees from horizontal. It could even improve the effectiveness of sunbathing."
"Moving silently through the air is not just for the birds. Wind farms inspired by the stealthy flight of owls could generate more energy without annoying those who live nearby, say researchers."
"The latest development by engineers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT, Germany) is inspired by nature. To fill the porous electrodes of lithium-ion batteries more rapidly with liquid electrolyte, they use a physico-chemical effect that also provides for transport in trees. increases the throughput of battery production and reduces investment costs."
"In 2005, Mercedes-Benz revealed a concept car with a strange shape. Called the Bionic, the cartoonishly snub-nosed vehicle was modeled after Ostracion cubicus, the yellow boxfish. Car manufacturers aren’t the only ones to take inspiration from this weird coral dweller. But researchers now say engineers who mimicked the boxfish might have been misled."
"A new piece of solar technology from IBM not only provides electricity – it can desalinate water for sanitation and drinking. [...] IBM and Airlight Energy’s 30ft concrete ‘sunflower’ was inspired by the branched blood supply of the human body."
"Biomimicry provided the inventive spark for the latest, and most promising, revamp of the rechargeable battery. The rechargeable battery, which so often lets us down at the worst moments, has been due for an overhaul for some time now. Indeed, scientists have been slaving away for years on a lithium-ion battery with a longer lifespan. But who would’ve thought that the inspiration for the most promising new design would come from inside a pomegranate?"
|
Cones produced by such trees as pines, spruce, hemlock, and fir respond naturally to different degrees of humidity by opening and closing, without consuming any electrical energy in doing so. Designing window blinds based on their mechanical properties that could open and close in response to moisture — but use no energy in the process — could conserve a lot of energy.
"The habits and anatomy of birds are being used by boffins at Airbus to develop quieter and more fuel efficient planes. The aviation giant, which makes and designs wings in Broughton, Flintshire, and Filton, Gloucestershire, employs Professor Norman Wood to unlock the mysteries of the natural world to help gain a commercial advantage.
It is using so-called ‘biomimicry’ in the design of intelligent wings that react automatically to the environment, just as an eagle’s or a peregrine falcon’s do."
"Wind turbines produce 4% of the planet’s energy, but they only work well when the wind is blowing just right. Now, by drawing inspiration from the flexible wings of insects, scientists have found a way to make wind turbine blades 35% more efficient at producing energy. If commercialized, the advance could make this green technology a more viable alternative to fossil fuels in the coming years."
"Penguins release streams of lubricating bubbles from their feathers to help them surge out of the sea. Now shipping engineers and operators are looking for similar ways to reduce friction between ships and sea water, with a system that releases air to create a carpet of bubbles along the bottom of the ship."
"Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) are testing a model “whale tail” that can be attached to ships. NTNU is conducting these tests in the Marintek Towing Tank in cooperation with Rolls-Royce and the British companies Seaspeed and MOST. [...] The main goal of the whale tail is to help reduce fuel use by using wave energy to help the ship move forward."
The atomic structure of a moth’s eye and lotus leaves have inspired scientists to create a new glass coating that could increase the efficiency of solar panels by up to six per cent. “While lotus leaves repel water and self-clean when it rains, a moth’s eyes are antireflective because of naturally covered tapered nanostructures where the refractive index gradually increases as light travels to the moth’s cornea,” said Tolga Aytug, member of ORNL’s Materials Chemistry Group. “Combined, these features provide truly game-changing ability to design coatings for specific properties and performance.”"
"Have you noticed the tiny contours and crinkles on the surface of a leaf? All those folds bend and absorb light better than if it was flat, helping it receive more rays. It turns out, this same advantageous trait inspired engineers at Princeton University to use similar micro-folds to improve the efficiency of plastic solar cells in solar panels. These man-made energy-collectors are one example of the growing field of engineering known as biomimicry."
"When it comes to managing a building’s cooling and heating costs, just look up. It turns out there’s a lot to be learned from the birds and the bees, according to Toronto-based REGEN Energy. The clean tech firm co-ordinates HVAC (heating, ventilating and air-conditioning) systems by tapping into the ability of insect colonies and flocks of birds to display a greater collective intelligence."
Energy efficiency in living things often means combining material and fuel recycling with hitching a free ride. Soaring birds, drifting larvae and even prairie dogs make use of dependable physical forces in order to survive with the least amount of expended energy. Putting these principles into practice, however, demands a deep knowledge of the processes involved. Photo details: Heermann's Gull , City Wharf, Huntington Beach, California. Copyright © 2006, Alan D. Wilson. http://www.naturespicsonline.com
"Low noise levels are important in industries where the user can benefit from having the air compressor within close proximity to the work station, such as in the woodworking or automotive industry. The GA VSD+ uses a technologically advanced fan to help achieve noise levels low enough for a normal conversation to be held while the machine is running. The fan blade utilizes a design with a serrated edge that is inspired by the aerodynamic and mostly silent wings of an owl. With an aerodynamic design, the fan needs less energy to cleave through the air, making it more energy efficient."
|
