Biomimicry drawings 2004-2010

Turbo Mole

Biomimicry and bio-inspired drawings by engineering students

Introduction “Machines are an effect of art, which is nature’s ape, and they reproduce not its forms but the operation itself”1

In our first year engineering design course technical drawing components are developed as supporting elements to the evolution of ideas, rather than as an end in themselves.

Biomimicry has become a permanent feature in our course. We explore its history and current research areas. Biomimicry allows students a lot of freedom in their design, but also links engineering concepts to tangible examples. To date, over 2500 biomimicry drawing projects have been created. Some sample assignments and student work is shown in the next 90 pages.

One of the key features of a design course is that students study subjects in breadth rather than depth. In studying a wide variety of subjects, design courses employ a wider variety of specialists and this facilitates a cross-linking of cultures and perspectives.

The conjoining of previously unrelated ideas, thoughts and concepts is well recognized as a feature of creative thinking. Introducing a full range of subjects allows students to practice and develop their integrative skills2.

Biomimicry is integrative by nature.

Marjan Eggermont

1. Eco, U., The Name of the Rose, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich: New York, p. 1–7, 1983.

2. Morris, R., Childs, P., and Hamilton, T., Sustainability by design: a reflection on the suitability of pedagogic practice in design and engineering courses in the teaching of sustainable design. European Journal of Engineering Education, 32:2, 135–142, 2007.

Cover art and artwork on pp. 2 - 3 by engineering student Karen Wong.

Drawing assignment 5 - Biomimetic Design (2 pages in total) - Group Project Improve and/or redesign an existing device after researching insect ‘senses’ and/or locomotion. You may use total/partial mimicry, abstraction, mechanics, physics (chemistry), or merely inspiration (see diagram below). Use your creativity.

Page 1: Isometric drawing of your redesigned device (this page could include a drawing of the part/section/aspect of insect senses and/or locomotion that inspired your improvement or redesign) Your drawing(s) should fill the entire 12˝ × 18˝ sheet.

Page 2: Research write-up, sources and images (photographs/diagrams or other) • Your write-up should be a minimum of one typed 8½˝ × 11˝ page of well researched material describing what aspect(s) of insect senses and/or locomotion inspired your improvements and/or redesign.

• The remaining space should show images, photographs, sketches, diagrams, sources and other material suporting your main drawing. legend on the back: legend on the back:

name lab colour

name

desk #

lab colour

I.D. #

desk # I.D. #

legend on the front: legend on the front:

drawing # title

drawing # title

date

date

scale

scale

page 2: research material: page 2 should have the same orientation as page 1

page 1: isometric drawing: sheet can be horizontal or vertical

biology

engineering

total mimicry optimisations

partial mimicry abstraction mechanics physics

inspiration

diagram showing levels of abstraction in biomimetics the more abstract the more adaptable in another discipline. [diagram: Julian Vincent Stealing ideas from Nature]

Winter 2007 | Assignment 2: Biomimetic Apartment/House In this assignment you are being asked to research one of the phenomena described in the biomimetic PDF. Once you have picked an area of focus, design or redesign an object, system or process that could apply to a house, an apartment or apartment building. Your design can, but is not required to be, an extension of your AAL project.

1/ Find and adhere two photographic images to the top half of your drawing paper. One image should relate to your research topic from the PDF document, the other image should be of the existing building feature that you are redesigning or rethinking.

2/ Draw your new design idea on the bottom half of your [12" Ă— 18"] drawing paper in the isometric or orthographic projection (the sample shows an orthographic); include dimensioning where possible and reasonable.

3/ Include other sources you may have found and used for inspiration and include references (please use IEEE). sample page layout on a sheet of 12" Ă— 18":

legend on the back: name lab colour desk #

legend on the front: drawing # title date scale

GRAPHICSASSIGN03FALL09 Biomimicry Challenges & Strategies 1. Find a biological strategy of your choice on www.asknature.org/browse under ‘strategies’.

Create a map made by asking (and answering) the “challenge” and “strategy” questions below – an example map is shown on page 2.

Challenge: What is the organism trying to achieve?

Strategy: How is the organism achieving this?

The example map shows how these two questions are asked repeatedly. The more times you ask these two questions, the more thorough your research becomes.

Strategies fall into 3 categories: Form-based: shapes and patterns Process-based: a series of actions that work together System-based: a series of interacting elements or organisms that work together 2. Use the map you created to generate an illustration in the style of Fritz Kahn. Or, you can create a ‘reversal of abstraction’ in the style of the person-in-the-machine ads. (See Kahn/Ads PDF for examples.). Your illustration can be a front orthographic, a collage, software generated, or a combination of methods. You may add color and text.

Suggested lay-out on 12 by 18 *

/ room

!

*

!

* Challenge and strategy diagram Carl Hastrich

Drawing Assignment 2 (5%): Biomimicry and Abstraction Create a design abstracted from on one organism you choose from the groupings assigned to your lab.

Lab A: Echinoderms, arthropods and mollusks Lab B: Reptiles, sharks and bony fishes Please see: Lab C: Insects, birds and plants http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/index.html Lab D: Mammals and amphibians Your abstraction has to be based on 2* out of the 3 abstractions discussed (visual, functional and process). Your abstraction can be a (or part of) building, mechanism or process.

1. Describe your idea in one paragraph.

2. Draw your abstraction in isometric.

3. Create a graph; place your idea and find other examples to complete the graph (Please see an example on page 2). Choose one of 3 graphs below based on your initial choice.*

}

Note: Please do not create a physical likeness - the gecko robot shown in lecture was technically impressive but it is not a good example of abstraction.

Due dates: Your drawing is due in your next drawing lecture: • Nov. 6 for Orange and Green Labs • Nov. 8 for Black, White, Red and Yellow Labs

*

high

high

visual abstraction low

high

visual abstraction

process abstraction functional abstraction

high

low

functional abstraction

high

low

process abstraction

The goal of the graph is to find and understand levels of abstraction.

Ask yourself “is this high in visual and low in functional abstraction, vice versa or about the same?”.

Your graph can be text-based or image-based (the example om page 2 shows both versions).

The legends below have to be on your drawing and in the right location:

sample page layout on a sheet of 12" × 18":

legend on the back: text

name lab color and room

eg. BA or GB or ...

desk #

legend on the front: drawing # title

high

1 Biomimicry and Abstraction

date scale

visual abstraction low

n/a

functional abstraction

high

high