This blog is being created as part of my participation in a seminar called “Biomimetics and Bioinspiration.” The assignment we were given was enticingly open-ended: Write about inspiration from nature in manufactured designs. The topics could be products already in use, or a description of a biological phenomenon that might have practical applications. With such a broad landscape of potential ideas before me, I decided the easiest way to get started would be to write what I know. I know superheroes. I have been joyfully riding the wave of the last decade’s box office obsession with crime fighters in costume. I follow up these films with my own research into the comic book background and a healthy dose of trivia. Many people wouldn’t consider this to be the most productive of hobbies, but exploring superhero lore has been enjoyable AND educational for me. The writers behind some of the best comic books and movies have made their stories appealing by diligently researching plausible science on which to base their plots. They draw inspiration from cutting-edge technology, current ethical concerns about science, and of course nature. And even when the writers don’t always get the facts exactly right, they’ve created a good starting point for real scientific discussions. My favorite example of this is Dr. James Kakalios’ 2006 book “The Physics of Superheroes.” The author subsequently served as a scientific consultant for the movie Watchmen, and interestingly enough, the text was published by Gotham Books. Dr. Kakalios examines characters from comic books and uses them to explain Newtonian and quantum physics. Sometimes the comics get it right (ex. early Superman’s strength could be explained by his biological adaptation to the planet Krypton, which had much greater gravity than Earth due to the neutron star at its core), and other times not so much (ex. later Superman shooting lasers from his eyes). In either case, the character’s traits were evaluated scientifically and extended to illustrate basic physical laws. Bioinspiration is even easier to see in comic books. It’s not hard to imagine how often the writers had to turn to nature when brainstorming a new character. All of the animal-based heroes are bioinspired, and most of them utilize skills or technology we are trying to harness in real life today. Bruce Wayne wasn’t the only human to adapt echolocation from bats to create sonar, and we are just as interested in the properties of spider silk as Peter Parker. My blog posts will look into real world problems and designs, not just fan babble about fabulous comics.
I will be posting about other biomimetic topics that you might call more “based in reality” as time goes along. Superheroes just provide me with ideas and a fun framework for exploring humanity’s mimicry of nature.
0 Comments
|
Alanna DurkinExploring the realm of biologically inspired design one superhero example at a time, with some other natural sciences mixed in. Archives
September 2016
Categories
All
|