In this blog post, we will look at how inventions inspired by nature are changing our daily lives and the quality of life.
Mechanical engineering inventions inspired by nature
Designers and creativity are words that always go together. In that sense, engineers can also be called designers. Based on their major, they design and manufacture machines and systems in almost all areas of life, including housing, transportation, communication, home appliances, medical devices, and the ecological environment. Mechanical engineering is no exception, and it plays an important role in designing various physical machines and equipment that can be seen around us.
Mechanical engineering focuses on designing physical phenomena, i.e. objects that we can touch and feel. Nature is an important source of inspiration that engineers often refer to. Analyzing the structures and mechanisms of nature and reflecting them in mechanical designs is a very efficient method, and nature has developed optimized structures and functions over millions of years. The technique of mimicking such designs of nature is called “biomimicry.”
Inventions Inspired by Nature
Mechanical engineers have been inspired by physical and biological phenomena occurring in nature to create various inventions. For example, the discovery by Professor Seo Kap-yang’s team at the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Seoul National University, who studied the reason why gecko lizards can climb walls, is very interesting. They found that the lizards’ soles are not attached to the wall with a sticky substance, but that the fine hairs on the soles are physically bonded to the surface of the wall. Based on this, the research team developed an artificial nano-cilia adhesive patch. This adhesive patch has an adhesive strength of 2 kg per cm², and can be easily attached to a wall like a lizard and then detached. This invention is likely to be used as a new material that is easy to attach and detach in various industries.
In addition, the “Turtle Ball,” developed by Professor Hae-cheon Choi’s team at Seoul National University, is another mechanical design inspired by nature. The reason why golf balls have bumpy dimples is to reduce drag and increase distance, but there was a problem that the dimples reduced accuracy when putting. To solve this problem, the research team observed the structure of the sea turtle’s carapace and designed a new golf ball that mimics it. This turtle ball has a similar flight distance to that of a conventional golf ball, but it has increased the smooth area by 50%, which improves accuracy when putting.
Mechanical Engineering and Nature’s Interactions
Mechanical engineering has developed not only to imitate nature, but also to interpret and apply the principles of nature more precisely. For example, one of the most well-known examples is the design of an airplane based on the structure of a bird’s wing. Inspired by the structural characteristics of animals and plants, and reflected in mechanical design, is efficient and can produce very innovative results.
The flippers used for swimming are also one of the tools inspired by nature. Flippers are designed to move quickly and efficiently in the water by adding wing-like auxiliary structures to the feet, which mimic the fins of fish and other aquatic animals. The unique structures found in ecosystems are an endless source of inspiration for mechanical engineers.
The future of nature and mechanical engineering
Inventions that mimic nature are still being actively researched. Future mechanical engineering will continue to analyze and apply the structures of nature for more sophisticated and efficient designs. For example, principles of nature will be used in various fields, such as aircraft wings inspired by butterfly wings, building materials that mimic the strength of spider webs, and even self-healing materials that apply the growth patterns of living things such as trees.
Such research is not just imitation, but a creative process of reinterpreting and applying the structures of nature to modern technology. Mechanical engineers are creating better designs through the amazing mechanical properties of nature, which make our lives more convenient and enable new technological innovations.
Conclusion
It is said that imitation is the second form of creation. The process of analyzing the structural mysteries of nature and reflecting them in mechanical engineering design has endless possibilities. Many of the machines and tools we use every day are inspired by nature, and the ideas for mechanical designs that can be obtained from nature are endless. Mechanical engineering inventions that utilize the delicate designs of nature will continue to develop, making our lives more convenient and innovative.
