Biomimicry used to sound-proof bullet trains
What if you could design better phones, clothes, buildings, improve your business network by observing micro-organisms, plants, animals and systems of nature?
Published: 29th September 2018 02:18 AM | Last Updated: 29th September 2018 02:18 AM | A+A A-
Though almost unknown in India, pioneers have already used this to make some well-known inventions, say facilitators of the workshop Seema Anand and Prashant Dhawan. (Photo| EPS)
BENGALURU: What if you could find solutions to world problems such as pollution, biodiversity depletion, poverty, unemployment by looking at nature?
What if you could design better phones, clothes, buildings, improve your business network by observing micro-organisms, plants, animals and systems of nature? This is what Biomimicry is all about, and a two-day residential workshop will tell you why this is important and how one can apply it in their jobs.
Though almost unknown in India, pioneers have already used this to make some well-known inventions, say facilitators of the workshop Seema Anand and Prashant Dhawan. The two of them are co-founders of Biomimicry India, an organisation that offers research, educational, consultancy and training services in the field of Biomimicry.
“For instance, the bullet train in Japan used to make a loud noise every time it came out of the tunnel. The inventor was an avid birder, who noticed how Kingfisher birds dive into water but make no sounds or ripples. Imitating the same phenomenon, he changed the shape of the bullet train to resemble the bird’s beak and the train became noise-free,” says Seema, adding that several such examples pertaining to industries, businesses, fashion and more will be shared at the workshop.
Both facilitators are generally asked, whether it can be applied to their lives. “People who enter our workshop often tell us, a few great people may have succeeded in mimicking nature but are sceptical about how ordinary people can apply Biomimicry in their lives. T
hat’s when we give them examples of regular industries too. For instance, wall paint and fabric colours can be made more sustainable by looking at the scales of butterfly wings and peacock feathers. In fact, the two species have only brown pigment. The multiple colours we see on them is actually caused by light refracting. Only certain wavelengths will bounce back, creating various colours on the scales of the species” says Prashant Dhawan.
The programme will include lecture sessions, bonfire gathering, nature walks, interactive games and card games, where in participants are split into teams and emulate behaviour or patterns displayed by birds, animals and plants. By the end of it, each team will have come up with a Biomimicry project idea.
The workshop will be held on September 29 and September 30, from 10 am to 5 pm in Visthar campus, Hennur.
