Design from Nature – 5
- POSTED ON: 16 Jun, 2017
- TOTAL VIEWS: 448 Views
- POSTED BY: Chari Vijayaraghavan
- ARTICLE POINTS: 100 Points
This week we look at something in the waters – a shark! Sharks move slow and steady in dense waters but still stay clear of algae, moss, lichen and other creatures! This is mainly because they have unique skin, layered with microscopic patterns called dentricles, which helps reduce drag and also keeps it clear of other hitchhikers.
Scientists at NASA studied this and created a drag-reducing pattern called ‘riblets’. They, along with the company 3M (that makes post-its and cello-tapes) adapted the riblets to a thin film which was used to coat the hull of a sailboat called Stars & Stripes. The sailboat went on to win an Olympic medal and America’s Cup before the riblets were banned for some of the races.
Move the slider to get a perspective of how this looks in nature and in design!
This design aspect can have various applications such as in aircraft, vehicles and windmills to reduce drag as well as conserve energy. A company has also been working for domestic applications like kitchens, bathrooms and other spaces to repel bacteria. This concept of dentricle-like nano-particle structures on the surface prevent the bugs hanging on and spreading. Nature is quite amazing, isn’t it?!