Hum Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 A US start-up has turned to nature to help bring water to arid areas by drawing moisture from the air. NBD Nano aims to mimic the way a beetle survives in an African desert to create a self-filling water bottle capable of storing up to three litres every hour. The insect harvests moisture from the air by first getting it to condense on its back and then storing the water. Using nature as an inspiration for technology, known as biomimicry, is increasingly widespread. NBD Nano, which consists of four recent university graduates and was formed in May, looked at the Namib Desert beetle that lives in a region that gets about half an inch of rainfall per year. Using a similar approach, the firm wants to cover the surface of a bottle with hydrophilic (water-attracting) and hydrophobic (water-repellent) materials. The work is still in its early stages, but it is the latest example of researchers looking at nature to find inspiration for sustainable technology. "It was important to apply [biomimicry] to our design and we have developed a proof of concept and [are] currently creating our first fully-functional prototype," Miguel Galvez, a co-founder, told the BBC. "We think our initial prototype will collect anywhere from half a litre of water to three litres per hour, depending on local environments." source Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Growled Member Posted November 25, 2012 Member Share Posted November 25, 2012 Using nature as an inspiration for technology, known as biomimicry, is increasingly widespread. A very smart idea. Nature is much further along than our technology, for sure. ozgeek and Hum 2 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisj1968 Posted November 25, 2012 Share Posted November 25, 2012 as long as man doesn't use this for nefarious means. But splendid idea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hum Posted November 25, 2012 Author Share Posted November 25, 2012 A very smart idea. Nature is much further along than our technology, for sure. Nature has had a lot of practice. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Growled Member Posted November 26, 2012 Member Share Posted November 26, 2012 ^ On us, unfortunately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*RedBull* Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 Why can't they just post this stuff when they have a working prototype? No pic, didn't happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts