The evolution of ideas in biomimicry
Name
776192011-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
2.71 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
19fa0188bd73a91f68fa1ee123ddd75d
Author(s)
Gonzales, Phillip David
Advisor(s)
James H. Williams Jr.
Date Issued
2011
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to perform a review of Biomimicry as a science today in environmental, engineering, and manufacturing fields, as well as to educate readers on the history of Biomimicry as a whole and how it is studied. As more evidence surfaces about the effect of our presence on the Earth, the scientific community is faced with the challenge of solving these problems. After introducing these concepts, an in-depth review of two of the most studied topics in biomimicry is conducted: how the lotus remains clean in a dirty swamp and how the gecko can stick to any surface. These two topics are taken from the classical beliefs on how they work and leads them through into today's world, focusing on how the mechanisms behind them were discovered. Both sections end with a review of current applications of the technologies that have been developed by studying these living organisms. Everything is wrapped up with a discussion of why we must continue to study biomimicry and apply its principles to our engineering and production practices.
Description
Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2011.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 28-30).
Subjects
Mechanical Engineering.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
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copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but
reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written
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