Biomimicry
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Nature inspired innovation
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Want to Build an Organization That Lasts? Create a Superorganism

Want to Build an Organization That Lasts? Create a Superorganism | Biomimicry | Scoop.it
"[...]It’s simple math. Like dinosaurs, organizations keep getting bigger, but they need huge bones to support the weight of all that complexity. The more weight, the more bones; the more bones, the more weight. It’s a catch-22. Management is the ponderous skeleton that keeps organizations from collapse. But as they grow, the costs of management rise, and the ability to adapt declines. When sudden change comes, there’s not much a company can do—it’s a sitting duck (or dinosaur) for the next cosmic collision. Hierarchies can only scale so much—we can’t grow bigger bones forever.[...]"

Photo details: By JJ Harrison (jjharrison89@facebook.com) (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
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5 Natural Air-Conditioning Designs Inspired by Nature

5 Natural Air-Conditioning Designs Inspired by Nature | Biomimicry | Scoop.it

"With heat waves gripping much of the planet, electricity grid operators are sweating even more than their customers. Air-conditioning uses a tremendous amount of energy, but a new group of designers think they can solve the problem by mimicking Mother Nature's craftiness."

 

 

David Parr's comment, July 9, 2013 6:35 AM
Interesting thing about birds is their two-phase lungs. I did the first steps of analysis on adapting that kind of system to a building scale heat exchanger last year.
David Parr's curator insight, July 9, 2013 6:36 AM

Interesting ideas, though being inspired by tornadoes and hurricanes should be 'meteomimicry'. Also, I've always found bird's two phase lungs a more interesting model than their feet.

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Termite-like Robots Can Construct Buildings wWith no Central Leader

Termite-like Robots Can Construct Buildings wWith no Central Leader | Biomimicry | Scoop.it

"Insects don’t have the capacity to reason, and yet some are capable of building complex structures and executing complex foraging expeditions with no central organizing. That’s why researchers recently sent ants to the International Space Station and will observe how the change in gravity affects the ants’ ability to organize. At Harvard, scientists are taking their inspiration from termites, which can spend generations building mounds that stretch multiple feet into the air. On Thursday, a research team revealed a crew of iPad-sized robots that can build structures with no input from a central leader."

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