Looking for inspiration to jumpstart eco-friendly engineering designs? Why not let nature be your muse. Many companies, including flooring company Interface Inc., have embraced biomimicry R&D practices–in other words, taking their innovation and product design cues from Mother Nature.
Now there’s a new biomimicry database, called AskNature.org, which can help. Sponsored by 3-D design leader Autodesk, AskNature.org is a project of the Biomimicry Institute founded by author Janine Benyus. The experts at the Institute explain biomimicry as a science that studies nature’s models and then imitates or takes inspiration from these designs and processes to solve human problems. The free, online public-domain library–which founders describe as part search engine, part manifesto and part social network–features biology-inspired design strategies organized by function and explained with illustrations and in language that is relevant to designers.
So for example, if an engineer was trying to solve the challenge of how to glue to surfaces in moist environments, they might study information about barnacles, geckos and other organisms that have solved this problem within their own ecosystem.
Autodesk officials said they were interested in sponsoring the site because they view biomimicry as a revolutionary design concept that can help influence better design decisions. To that end, Autodesk product teams are currently investigating where Autodesk software can support such practices. One current example is Autodesk Seek, launched in May, which lets designers and engineers search for products based on specific performance criteria, now including biomimetic as an attribute.
Almost every automaker has had to 'pick a side' when it comes to alternative fuel options and ways to divest from a reliance on gasoline. Fiat is looking to back compressed natural gas or liquid propane as an interim solution.
Plastic may not be the most beloved of materials to the more environmentally minded, but Plasti 2012 aimed to mold a different opinion of the material in people's minds.
The rare earth element market has become steadily more rational, and new sources coming online will continue to reduce costs. Still, it is unlikely that prices will drop to their former lows.
Against a backdrop of mounting product complexity and a need to keep a lid on development costs, companies are recognizing a need to make simulation a more integral part of the design process. In response, vendors in the CAD world are building out CAE functionality as part of their CAD suites while simulation vendors are building tighter integrations to leading CAD tools. Keith Meintjes, Ph.D., Practice Manager, Simulation and Analysis at CIMdata, Inc., joins Design News CAD Editor Beth Stackpole in this radio program to explore the new face of integrated CAD and CAE, how companies are benefitting from this tighter partnership between platforms, and how integrating CAE earlier in the development cycle pays off in optimized product designs.
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