Biomimicry: Humans Learning from Birds

Summary: In this episode Kiersten and Cheryl talk about how birds have influenced us to create some amazingly cool technology.

 

For our hearing-impaired listeners, a transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.

 

Show Notes:

“The Amazing Secrets of Woodpecker Tongues,” by Rebecca Heisman, June 10, 2021. American Bird Conservancy. https://abcbirds.org

“Geese Inspire New Airbus Formation Flying Technology,” by Kathleen Bangs, December 2, 2021. https://airlinegeeks.com

“How the wings of owls and hummingbirds inspire drones, wind turbines and technology,” by Ilias Berberi, Carleton University, The Conversation, May 11, 2020. https://theconversation.com

“Next-gen e-readers: Improved ‘peacock’ technology could lock in color for high-res displays,” February 5, 2013, University of Michigan. https://www.sciencedaily.com

30 Animals That Made Us Smarter podcast, episode 1-Kingfisher and bullet train and episode 4-Woodpecker and black box. BBC World Service, bbc.co.uk

 

Transcript 

 

 

Kiersten: Intro – Sometimes we take birds for granted. They are just a part of our daily lives that we don’t focus on, but occasionally we notice their extraordinary characteristics. When the right person, such as an engineer, notices these amazing attributes they are often inspired by the birds and create or improve man made devices. In this episode Cheryl and I are talking about biomimicry and how birds influence us.

 

Cheryl: Let’s start off with a definition of biomimicry. According to the Oxford Languages dictionary the definition of biomimicry is the design and production of materials, structures, and systems that are modeled on biological entities and processes. The word itself literally means imitation of the living. So basically, we learn from nature how to create things that work well. For example: those burrs that get stuck on your socks in summer influenced the creator of Velcro, shark skin led to more hydro-dynamic swimwear that Olympic athletes now use, and dragonflies influenced the design of helicopters.

 

Kiersten: When we listen to what nature can teach us, we can invent some pretty spectacular things. Let’s look at a few creations that birds influenced.

            Japan’s Bullet Train: The bullet train can reach speeds of up to 300 mph. It’s a modern marvel of human engineering and has made travel in certain regions of Japan very efficient. There was a problem with the first design though, a rather seriously annoying problem. The flat faced design of most passenger trains is fine for trains that travel at more typical speeds of 60 mph or so, but that design at 300mph creates a sonic boom noise when exiting a train tunnel. This was a big problem because it was causing serious noise pollution. As the train passed through the tunnel, the air built up in front of the train and then exploded upon exiting the tunnel. People that lived along the route of the train were being awoken at night and were disturbed during the day. It was also scaring local wildlife. Something needed to be done and fast.

One of the engineers on the project was a birdwatcher. One day when he was birding at a lake, he saw a kingfisher diving into the water to catch a fish. As the bird entered the water, the surface of the water was only slightly disturbed. It was like the kingfisher’s bill cut through the water. The engineer thought about this when the noise problem presented itself. Using the kingfisher’s long, sharp beak as a model, he restructured the nose of the bullet train and reduced the noise to almost nothing. It also increased the energy efficiency by 10-15%. So, thank you kingfisher!

 

Cheryl: Silent Flight

            The silent flight of owls is one of their most useful adaptations. Sneaking up on their prey in the dark of night is what makes them extremely successful predators. Recently researchers have looked to the structure of owl feathers to help solve a problem with wind turbines.

The development of wind turbines is one of mankind’s brilliant attempts toward eco-friendly energy production. We know that this source is not perfect but engineers are constantly working on improvement. One of the complaints is how noisy wind turbine farms can be, so scientists have looked to the owl for a solution.  

They looked at the structure of the owl’s feathers to determine how they are so quiet in flight. Owl feathers have sharp edges, also known as serrations, along the front edge of the feather. This sharp edge breaks up the air turbulence created during flight. Breaking up wind turbulence reduces the noise caused by the turbulence. The back ends of owl feathers are fringed. The fringe struct