Animals in Design

For the second unit of my Biomimicry class, Like an Animal, we learned more about how we can use the processes, forms, and behaviors of animals through biomicry. In this Action Project, we learned about how we can take the form, process, or ecosystem of an animal and incorporate it into design. We had to take the aspects of an animal, and apply it to a structural design, and to a transport design.

The animal species that I chose for a structural design was the African mound-building termite, Macrotermes jeanneli, as seen below.

These termites live mainly within grasslands and savannas. Termites create unique mounds with unique ventilation systems that work very well, to act as a lung for the nest that is located beneath the mound. Thin outer channels of the mound heat up rapidly during the day when compared to the deeper tunnels in the mound, which causes air to circulate in a closed-loop convection cell. During the day, air moves up along the outer channels and down the center. At night, the flow is reversed. This reversal flushes out the carbon dioxide from deep inside the mound, and the gas then diffuses through the porous walls. I can incorporate the termite’s ventilation system into my home design. They use a unique way of filtering and transferring air around to cool off the mound, and I figure that we could use that to cool off our buildings, because of how the air flows. The termite mound operates more similar to a lung than a modern AC unit, with multiple passive chimneys that take air in and circulate carbon dioxide back out of the mound.

The animal species that I chose for a sustainable transport design is the yellow boxfish, Ostracion cubicus, as seen below.

The boxfish lives in reefs throughout the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The boxfish is shaped in a unique way so that it moves through the water very efficiently, with very unusual aerodynamics. It is incredibly stable in the water, not because of its extreme aerodynamics, but in fact because of its aerodynamic instability, and the way it moves its fins around. It also has a unique heat-exchange system near its gills, thought to cool the temperature of the fish down. You could create a car or a bus with the shape of a boxfish, and the vehicle would use less fuel to push itself forward. This could make the vehicle more fuel-efficient. You could also use the same ideas to make a submarine, since the boxfish naturally adapted for water, and it would make sense to make a submarine because of that. It would also need to have attachments like its fins to work properly, to correct itself and give it that maneuverability.

My project exemplifies the termite process because of how it mimics the way that the termites circulate air throughout their colony, like a lung. It also attempts to mimic the form of the mound, by having a rounded shape similar to that of a dome or a mound of sorts. My project exemplifies the boxfish's form because of how it mimics its shape and implements that into its design. 

Below is a sketch of my sustainable home design, along with a 3D model of it.

WH, 3D Models, 2018

Below is a sketch of the submarine that I have designed, using the form of the boxfish as inspiration for it.

The unique aerodynamics of the boxfish destabilize its aerodynamics in the water, which actually allow it to gain more maneuverability through that. Its boxy shape creates more drag and weight, which destabilize the fish and allow it to have great multi-directional maneuverability while creating little thrust and lift.

I've also included below a few images from the process of creating my design, with some early sketches and drawings, and an image of my model in progress.

WH, Model draft, 2018

In conclusion, I thought that this project was a bit tough to complete, as I personally am not that good at designing and modeling and sketching things. However, despite that, it was quite interesting and fun to work on, being a good challenge.

Works Cited

“Body Shape Influences Stability and Maneuverability :” AskNature, asknature.org/strategy/body-shape-influences-stability-and-maneuverability/#.XBrrBmhKjnF.

“Collective Mind in the Mound: How Do Termites Build Their Huge Structures?” National Geographic, National Geographic Society, 30 Apr. 2016, news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/07/140731-termites-mounds-insects-entomology-science/.

“Mercedes and the Boxfish.” Recent Articles | Air Pollution | The Scientist Magazine®, The Scientist Magazine, www.the-scientist.com/notebook-old/mercedes-and-the-boxfish-47247.

“Natural Ventilation in Buildings Based on Termite Mounds.” Making a New Nickel | IOM3, 1 May 2006, www.iom3.org/materials-world-magazine/news/2006/may/01/natural-ventilation-buildings-based-termite-mounds.

“Natural Ventilation in Buildings Based on Termite Mounds.” Making a New Nickel | IOM3, 1 May 2006, www.iom3.org/materials-world-magazine/news/2006/may/01/natural-ventilation-buildings-based-termite-mounds.

“Termite Mounds Could Inspire New Ideas for Sustainable Building Ventilation.” Wyss Institute, 23 Jan. 2017, wyss.harvard.edu/termite-mounds-could-inspire-new-ideas-for-sustainable-building-ventilation/.