Biomimicry is a branch of science that looks to leverage the results of 3.8 billion years of evolution to solve engineering problems. It asks the question WWND — What Would Nature Do? The theory and practice are used to apply what we can learn from nature to the designs of engineered items.
Recall my blog post from years back
Eiji Nakatsu: Lecture on Biomimicry as applied to a Japanese Train
Dr. Nakatsu is making a return visit to the United States. He will be covering biomimicry via lectures at some schools. He shared his presentation with me, and with his permission, I am sharing a subset of it with It’s Alive in the Lab readers.
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Passengers on a train experience noise from a variety of sources. The noise increases as the speed increases. It would be a disservice to travelers to slow down the train just to make the ride quieter. Commuters want to be able to get to where they are going in as little time as possible.
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The pantograph is necessary because it…