ESL 30/NCESL 39: Project 4 by Emily Packer https://padlet.com/emilypacker/kou4a9mh6mqrfbd2 Design and Engineering en-us 2021-08-19 18:15:43 UTC 2025-10-26 16:32:24 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f9f5.png Emily's Project 4: Submarines and Whales emilypacker https://padlet.com/emilypacker/kou4a9mh6mqrfbd2/wish/1686530964 I researched the connection between submarines and whales! A submarine is a device that allows humans to go deep into the ocean, thereby closing the gap between what we know and what we wish to know about the sea. The ability to explore the deep sea has given us powerful insights into a world that used to live only in our fantasies. Submarines were originally manufactured based on the shape of whales. Designers also had the foresight create appliances to mimic whales' sonar systems to help submarines maneuver under water. Although submarines are heavy, they are also portable. Their rigid exterior provides safety for the crew inside as they explore the deep sea. How cool!]]> 2021-08-19 18:26:08 UTC https://padlet.com/emilypacker/kou4a9mh6mqrfbd2/wish/1686530964 Erin's Project 4 : Burrs and Velcro https://padlet.com/emilypacker/kou4a9mh6mqrfbd2/wish/1922176229 One thing people have invented inspired by nature is Velcro. In 1948, George de Mestral, a Swiss engineer, observed burdock thorns on his dress and his dog. Inspired by the claw thorns of thistles, it was manufactured and widely used. I think that such an outstanding invention was made with his great insight and fantasy. Had he foreseen that this invention would be very useful throughout life? Velcro is a vital material widely used throughout life. Velcro is lightweight and has good adhesion, so it is available on a fraction of medical devices. (eg, the attachment surface of a blood pressure monitor, waist or knee protector). It is also used in household appliances. (For example, it is also used to organize electric wires, and it is also used to attach and detach a mop from a mop cleaning device.) Velcro is light and is widely used in portable items. Recently, the new Velcro is developed to make it possible to suspend heavy objects such as fire extinguishers.]]> 2021-12-01 07:12:38 UTC https://padlet.com/emilypacker/kou4a9mh6mqrfbd2/wish/1922176229 Jeff's Project 4 : Spiderweb inspired bird-safe glass https://padlet.com/emilypacker/kou4a9mh6mqrfbd2/wish/1922197697 I researched Spiderweb inspired bird-safe glass. According to statistics, hundreds of millions of birds collide with the glass walls of buildings every year. So this safety glass is vital. Of course, from a bird's point of view, clear glass is not a physical obstacle. To solve this problem, the German company Arnold Glas manufactures and creates a safety glass called Ornilux, inspired by spider silk. Cobwebs foresee the way of reflecting UV light so that birds can see and predict. The glass is rigid and coated with a pattern of various stripes that reflects UV rays like a spider's web. Although glass looks smooth and transparent, it actually has unique, invisible properties that allow birds to see obstacles ahead and avoid collisions. Thereby, this glass helps the bird avoid it. Dr. Hans-Willy Ley of the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology conducted experiments testing the effectiveness of glass in avoiding spear strikes. The results showed that an overwhelming 76% of birds were able to recognize and avoid glass with a UV reflective pattern. Nonetheless, 24% of birds didn’t recognize the glass and hit it. But most of the glass structures and windows that dominate the modern world kill hundreds of millions of birds worldwide. Gradually increasing the use of this glass can protect many birds. It will be possible as long as this glass production is not suspended. Even if it costs a lot of fund, this good insight made it possible to replace all the glass with this safety glass.

]]> 2021-12-01 07:28:25 UTC https://padlet.com/emilypacker/kou4a9mh6mqrfbd2/wish/1922197697 Sato's Project 4: Injection Needles and Mosquito commonnatural https://padlet.com/emilypacker/kou4a9mh6mqrfbd2/wish/1923290425 I looked into the relationship between injection and mosquitos. Injection is a device that forces a liquid medicine into people’s body. It is vital for people to protect themselves from severe disease. No one likes needles; nevertheless, people undergo some vaccination when they are in the particular phase. Isn’t it amazing if we feel a fraction of agonist experience when we get an injection!? Mosquitos are able to puncture the skin vertically without causing pain. They are able to do this due to their use of saliva to numb the feelings. A researcher had a biological interest in the evidence, and they foresaw the increase of a patient's well-being by the innovation.
The engineer that has great insight will be required to design the structure of the needle, thereby making it as effective as possible. They are still working on it. This example of biomimicry reduces the pain of injections;moreover, it could increase vaccination rates that lead to greater longevity.

]]> 2021-12-01 16:56:43 UTC https://padlet.com/emilypacker/kou4a9mh6mqrfbd2/wish/1923290425 Stella's Project 4: Airplanes and Birds https://padlet.com/emilypacker/kou4a9mh6mqrfbd2/wish/1925910201 I researched the connection between airplanes and birds! Flying in the sky like a bird had been a forever fantasy for humans.  The vital breakthrough has to be able to take off vertically, nonetheless the gravity of the earth.  Designers and engineers studied and got the insights of birds, so they designed and manufactured airplanes, the devices that allow humans to travel by air. The design of airplane wings is inspired by birds, so the rigid airplanes can minimize the fraction and utilize the air flow to fly in the air. Thereby human's fantasy of flying in the air has come true. Thanks to the designers and engineers, and ultimately to the birds, the perfect natural design, so we can travel all over the world. ]]> 2021-12-02 19:08:35 UTC https://padlet.com/emilypacker/kou4a9mh6mqrfbd2/wish/1925910201 Robotic Arms Inspired from the Elephants Trunk https://padlet.com/emilypacker/kou4a9mh6mqrfbd2/wish/1926168886 I selected this device because I like the combination of biological insight and excellent manufacturing. The arm is made of rigid parts which restrict movement. It really looks like an elephant arm nonetheless it have some differences on it. For example, it is made of the plastic discs and uses compressed air to bend in any fashion much like an elephant’s trunk. This robotic arm is not portable, thereby it’s a bad new, but it can foresee a lot of help in work factories. I think the technology are forthcoming about new inventions who are turning technology fantasies into realities. ]]> 2021-12-02 22:09:30 UTC https://padlet.com/emilypacker/kou4a9mh6mqrfbd2/wish/1926168886 Diego's Project 4: Bullet Trains https://padlet.com/emilypacker/kou4a9mh6mqrfbd2/wish/1928505627 I chose this device because it is interesting and vital for people to have other alternatives of traveling vertically long distances and thus reduce the fraction of time going from one place to another. Inspired by the kingfisher bird, Scientifics got the insights of this bird, so they invent and manufactured this rigid bullet train with speeds that excess the 300km/h; All this started as a fantasy and now it have become reality. Currently there's only a few bullet trains in the world, but I think that gradually in a not very long future is going to be a means of fast ground transportation necessity, nonetheless I think that's going to be in a couple of years.


]]> 2021-12-04 06:23:03 UTC https://padlet.com/emilypacker/kou4a9mh6mqrfbd2/wish/1928505627 Jessica Nguyen Project 4: Butterfly wings inspire a better way to absorb light in solar panels https://padlet.com/emilypacker/kou4a9mh6mqrfbd2/wish/1928545587 Today, a lot of research is inspired by biological. Thereby, many devices have been built based on animals in the wild, such as whales and wind turbines, kingfishers and the shinkansen train, lotus and oil repellents, etc. But the one that impressed me the most is how scientists manufacture solar panels inspired by butterfly wings. The wings of a butterfly have inspired a new type of solar cell that can harvest light twice as efficiently as before and could one day improve our solar panels. Scientists studied the black wings of the rose butterfly and copied the structure to create thin solar cells that are more efficient. Unlike other cells, these can absorb a lot of light regardless of the angle and are easy to make. Scientists led by Radwanul Siddique, a bioengineer at the California Institute of Technology, looked at wings under an electron microscope and created a 3D model of the wings’ nanostructures. The wings are built from tiny scales covered in randomly spaced holes. The holes are less than a millionth of a meter wide, and they help scatter the light and help the butterfly absorb heat. The holes are random in size, gap, and shape. Although Siddique is now at CalTech, he did this research as part of his doctoral work in Germany, and some members of his old lab have already received funding from the German Research Foundation to work on solar cells and LEDs. Solar energy is very popular today; many appliances use this energy source because they are close to nature and easy to use. With the insight of science, gradually, there will be inventions inspired by nature that are beneficial and not harmful to the environment. There is no need to imagine great things; what surrounds us can also inspire us to foresee the future. Nature has shown us its magic through the wonderful inventions of science.

]]> 2021-12-04 07:44:20 UTC https://padlet.com/emilypacker/kou4a9mh6mqrfbd2/wish/1928545587 Kannika Jarumat 's project 4: Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Blades https://padlet.com/emilypacker/kou4a9mh6mqrfbd2/wish/1928814488 Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Blades is the device that was inspired by nature. It's look very simple, but this turbine has saved a lot of birdlife and doesn't need lots of space. Schools of swimming fish use the water’s behavior to move forward. Turbine blades inspired by the hydraulics of schooling are more efficient. There is more gap that birds can fly through that is a vital result, thereby old wind turbines reduced a fraction of wild birds that got in and were killed gradually by turbines. Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Blades are rigid as engineers can foresee that this appliance needs to be solid and strong against the wind.]]> 2021-12-04 14:43:29 UTC https://padlet.com/emilypacker/kou4a9mh6mqrfbd2/wish/1928814488 Tomomi's project 4: Shark skin technology https://padlet.com/emilypacker/kou4a9mh6mqrfbd2/wish/1929018705 Discovering and creating devices using biological nature has been helping us create for our vital issues. For example, in the US Navy, ships and submarines experience a forthcoming issue of matter, like algae and barnacles  growing on their technologies that reduced the efficiency and was overall unwanted. The Scientists got insight that sharks out of most marine animals are able to stay clean in a way that unwanted materials could not grab and hold on. The shark skin is made of many fractions of rigid teeth like structures shaped like diamonds that overlap and create a pattern that nonetheless keeps bacteria away. The group of the scientists realizes that things like ships or submarines could now be designed with surfaces like this. Not only could it be used for that, but for appliances and medical tools like urinary catheters which are most commonly used and infected. If the shark skin pattern could be adapted to these tools, the infections or issues could gradually decrease. The scientist's fantasies would never be suspended. 
 


]]> 2021-12-04 20:38:04 UTC https://padlet.com/emilypacker/kou4a9mh6mqrfbd2/wish/1929018705 Fran's Project: Sustainable design and building solutions https://padlet.com/emilypacker/kou4a9mh6mqrfbd2/wish/1929962162 This building is amazing and has been inspired by the jackfruit. This building serves to protect people from the sun. Imagine in the near future having a house that will protect our family from the sun especially in summer where some houses don't have cooling systems installed. This fruit goes by many names, but it doesn't matter how many names go by what is important what designer can invent with it? but I never thought  that someone’s fantasies in their minds could come up with brilliant ideas and developing a sustainable design and building solutions. Then be able to turned it into a reality with the help of technology. Someone who never suspended their ideas and incredible details created a magical solution of a sustainable building. Researchers are forthcoming with their ideas to share with others to help to develop nature into reality to the next level in technology. The  technology that is foreseen with nature is a good way for  future generations to use a fraction of any invention to become a role model and  manufacturing engineers with a totally different point of view. Like today,  we have many  appliances at home or any device that are portable when we decide to move to another state because they are vital to our everyday life. Those inventions started with someone's ideas and then turned into reality that we use today. For example our cell phone is needed everyday to get calls or make calls for our jobs or daily tasks. Gradually, each invention in today's technology is making us dependent on it in our everyday life. Forth this reasoning researches are vital to imaging something and late turn it in the something used full for the people, thereby seeing a fruit or an animal, insect, or just a piece of nature that is turned into a huge building, car, bullet train, anything that is eventually used in this world by humans is so amazing to see new technology in this era, I can't wait to seen new technology in the near future for example instead of a bullet train what about a bullet car?


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