Car theft is still very common in urban areas. While many car alarm systems use loud noise to draw attention, they can be overridden and are not much of a deterrent to those committing the thefts. Recovering stolen automobiles is a difficult task for law enforcement and their already busy schedules do not afford them much time or energy to put into these searches, so it would be most effective to stop the crimes from taking place in the first place.
Biomimicry Idea:
When disturbed by predators, garter snakes release a foul odor that makes them completely unappealing to their attackers. By creating a system that allows automobiles to release a disgusting, pungent smell when broken into, nauseated car thieves would be forced to rethink their decision to commit such crimes. It would be important to use a chemical compound that is strong enough to make humans feel ill, yet would not permanently stain the interior and spoil the driving experience for its rightful owner.
Humans are not able to climb vertical surfaces easily.
Biomimicry Idea:
Mimic a caterpillars feet to be able to climb different slippery surfaces.
How do the caterpillars climb trees?
Caterpillars have two types of legs. The first are called thoracic legs which help the caterpillar grasp its food. The other type of legs are called prolegs. These legs help the caterpillar climb vertical surfaces because they have small hooks on them.
Ice climbing shoes allow a person to climb vertically. This equipment mimics how caterpillars use the hooks on the bottom of their feet to climb trees.
Another part of ice climbing gear that mimics how caterpillars are able to climb trees are ice climbing pics.
These pics allow a person to be able to have a grip on the slippery ice.
Looking at the legs of a caterpillar you can see how the ice picks mimic their structure.
A way to improve the design of the ice picks and make them more like a caterpillar leg would be to add more long hooked spikes. Here is an idea of what that would look like: notice the long hooks
By increasing the number of spikes and making them longer the ice pick will have a better grip on the ice.
My idea is to help poor villages/cities have clean, fresh water. By using the ocean as a source of fresh water it could end the water crisis. First, although the ocean could be miles away from the village, a transport system could be built. Underground trenches will connect with the ocean water that lead to the villages. The other issue is salt which is hard to filter out of water. To rid the ocean water of its salt, a filtration system will be placed at the beginning of the transport system. The connected streams will be in the shape of a honey comb, connecting to each village/city. Every few miles there will be another stronger filter in the stream to catch any impurities along the way.
The honeycomb water system.
Real life Invention: The filter.
In this invention, the most important part is the filter. This was my idea, if there was a sort of loop that the ocean water goes in and on the other side of the loop, synthetic plasma gets put in and takes out the salt water (while the water is still traveling through the loop),and puts the salt back into the ocean. Now, we have clean fresh water traveling through the villages and saving tons of lives.
My salt water filter idea.
Oak island solution: How the water gets transported to the villages:
Just like some animals, some plants also contain vascular tissues (xylem), which transports water and minerals up from the roots to the leaves, and phloem, which transports sugar molecules, amino acids, and hormones both up and down through the plant. My water system will soak up the water from the ocean using the same idea as the xylem tubes in the tree that soak up water from the roots. The xylem like tubes will move through the village in a honeycomb pattern and release the water with little leaf like structures that can open and shut to let the water out when needed. ( In leaves these structures are called Stomata )
Xylem soak up water from the roots. The water can escape through little holes in the leaves that open and shut. When the holes open more water is pulled up the xylem tubes because there is less pressure in the leaves than near the roots
Research:
Places in the world that will benefit from this invention: Tijuana a mere 60 miles from San Diego and has thousands of people who are lacking basic infrastructures and potable water. Other places in the world such as 3rd world countries suffer the greatest water crisis. 3.6 million people die each year from water related diseases. Out of those deaths, 98% come from those 3rd world countries, Africa, Turkey, Syria and others to name a few.
I’m trying to solve how to remove small objects that are stuck in small spaces.
Biomimicry Idea:
Mimic a honey bee. A honey bee helps solve this problem by biting onto plants and vibrating their wings at 400 beats per second. My device is a small hand held device that has a small motor. To get objects out of small places it will vibrate like a bee. As it vibrates, the machine’s two prongs will attach to the item that the object is stuck in and will help the object shake out from where it is stuck.
How does nature help a honey bee get pollen?
Nature helps a honey bee get pollen. Like the tomato flower, the bees have to latch on with their teeth and vibrate using their wings to shake pollen out. The honey bees shake all the pollen onto their hind legs and take it back to their nests to feed the larva so that they grow into more honey bees.
mikimedia commmons
Only bumblebees and certain other insects can get this pollen out. In every case, the method is the same: the pollinator grabs the tube with its jaws and starts vibrating hundreds of times a second.
“It has to hold on, because the vibrations are so strong that otherwise it could come flying off the flower,” claims Mario Vallejo-Marín of the University of Stirling in Scotland.
The animals produce a peculiar buzz with this technique. They’re creating resonating vibrations to loosen the pollen grains inside pollen tubes. “The bees are turning themselves into living tuning forks,” said Dr. Buchmann.
The bees cause the pollen grains to bounce up and down in the tube and then gain so much energy they blast out in a cloud that coats the bee. As it flies off, the insect gathers the grains out of its fur and tucks most of them in wet clumps on its legs. It can later feed the clumps to larvae back at its hive.
Mimic a bird leg. When a bird lands, the ankle bends and locks the toes around the tree branch so the bird can’t fall off when it is asleep. When it it unbends the ankle, the bird lets go and it can fly away
Some birds have a tendon in their legs that stop them from falling off of tree limbs. Earthquakes are a big problem, not only because they kill many people, but the remains of homes cost money to clean up or build again. I think we can use these tendon structures to build a earthquake proof buildings. We can make “tendon” cables that lock the structure in place as needed.
Helmets for professional and recreational sports do not always aid against head injuries like concussions.: Concussions caused by somewhat dangerous sports, because of helmets that could be improved upon.
Biomimicry Idea:
Mimic the woodpecker’s skull that allows its to consistently impact a tree trunk with its beak without any brain damage over long periods of time. The skull’s outer layers are strong and thick while the inner layer is filled with microscopic cylindrical projections of bone weaving together to make a spongy shock absorbent inner layer. The hyoid apperatus of the woodpecker also extends from the jaw and wraps around the back of the skull, this helps reduce the impact to the brain.
An idea would be to create an more protective football helmet that is safe from impact. Inside the helmet is a dry spongy material and cardboard for the protection. Mimicking these adaptations a “Picahelmet” could be made in order to reduce instances of concussions.
The Picahelmet adapted for a motocross helmet. Highlighted sections are features that are found under the surface of the helmet and are a result of woodpecker biomimicry. 1. mimics the woodpeckers spongy like bones in the skull. 2. mimics the woodpecker hyoid apparatus cradling the brain.
Another ideaI made a paper cache model.
What ideas for Biomimicry does the Hairy Woodpecker give you?
More on the Hairy Woodpeckers and other woodpeckers.
Where can you find a Hairy Woodpecker?
A Hairy Woodpecker like the majority of woodpeckers can be found standing foraging on the trunks and branches of trees looking for insects. They accomplish this by using a few unique tools that help them stand on the sides of trees and hammer their bills into thick bark in order to find their prey. They will also use dead trees as a nesting place.
How does a Hairy Woodpecker stand on the side of a tree?
Specialized feet with the 1st and the 4th digit placed in the back of the foot and the 2nd and 3rd being placed in the front of the foot this arrangement is known as zygodactyl. It is these zygodactyl feet that the woodpecker uses to stand on the side of a tree but they also have help from their tail feathers also known as retrices. The retrices in woodpeckers are more ridged than most bird tail feathers, they are slightly concave in order for contact to be made on the tree trunk and contain more melanin pigments at the tips of the feathers to increase its strength and durability.
Where does a Hairy Woodpecker nest?
A hairy woodpecker will excavate a nesting cavity in a dead or dying tree anywhere from 4 feet from the ground up to 60 feet. These cavities are constructed by both male and female woodpeckers who are likely to be mates from the previous year. These cavities are not just important for woodpeckers but also for secondary cavity nesters including some birds and squirrels on Oak island. Cavity dimensions; entrance: 2 inches tall by 1.5 inches wide, cavity: 8-12 inches deep with enough space for 3-6 eggs and a incubating parent.
What other woodpeckers might you see on Oak Island?
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens): The almost identical to a Hairy Woodpecker the Downy Woodpecker can be spotted among the trees as well. The Downy looks like the Hairy but much smaller. The trick for distinguishing between the two species is if the bill of the woodpecker you are observing is shorter than the heads length (Back of the head to where the bill starts) then that woodpecker is most likely a Downy.
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus): The Flicker is a woodpecker even though it primarily forages on the ground looking for insects, but it will still live in cavities in trees. This bird can be identified by its red coloration resembling cheeks, the black “bib” coloration around its neck, most of its body feathers and tops of its wings are brown with black bars or dots and the most vibrant part of the bird which is the bright orange coloration under the wings and tail feathers.
Carbon Dioxide, or CO2, is a greenhouse gas that causes warming of the Earth’s surface and acidification of the oceans. Although living organisms require CO2 for respiration and photosynthesis, there is much more CO2 present the atmosphere than there was before human industrialization. Before humans began building cities and vehicles and burning coal for energy there was less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere because these processes produce CO2 and this is a problem for the environment.
Biomimicry Idea:
Mimic an Oregon White Oak tree that takes in CO2 and produces oxygen to improve the atmosphere and help the environment recover from man-made CO2 pollution. We can use artificial trees to combat climate change and make the air cleaner for people to breathe. While some prototypes of synthetic CO2 sucking plants have already been made, it is clear that it will require a lot of time and work to bring CO2 levels back to normal. The giant white oak is a good place to start since it is so large and leafy and therefore captures a lot of CO2 from the atmosphere. The best solution of course is reducing our use of fossil fuels and reducing the C02 that is released in our atmosphere.
Artificial tree prototype (click image for source)Artificial tree prototype (click image for source)
How Does Nature Help an Oak Tree Produce It’s Own Food While Reducing Pollution and Cleaning the Air?
In areas where there are more plants, there is less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In seasons when plants are more active, such as spring and summer, there is less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This is because plants use a process called photosynthesis to make nutrients such as sugars and carbohydrates for themselves using sunlight and carbon dioxide. Oxygen is produced as a by-product of photosynthesis. To learn more about photosynthesis, watch the following video. Planting trees and vegetation of areas of high carbon dioxide levels will help. So too will sustainable living practices.
The honeycomb water system.
