The Wall Street Journal asks four leading architects for their vision of a near-term, buildable ‘green house of the future”. What will the energy-efficient house of the future look like? It could have gardens on its walls or a pond stocked with fish for dinner. It might mimic a tree, turning sunlight into energy and […]
Author Archives: David Fox
My New Car
Its been two years since Aptera – a new electric car company based in southern California – came onto my radar and 18 months since I placed my deposit. And this week I got to see one up close and personal during their visit to Palo Alto. Clearly this car is not for the shy, […]
Biomimicry at the San Diego Zoo
I met a couple of enthusiastic folks from San Diego at Bioneers last year and wrote about their initial progress in December, so its great to read about their progress: Dear friends, Biomimicry continues to grow in San Diego! Please see below for some of the highlights. 1. Biomimicry Educational Conference. The San Diego Zoo […]
Young Biomimic
 It gives one hope… Participating in the fair for his first time, third-grader Matthew Keane of Westlake Elementary stood proudly in front of his biomimicry display. “I wanted to learn if the leading edge of a humpback whale’s fin made it more efficient and hydrodynamic,” Keane said. “So I made two different whirly birds […]
Sunscreen – Inspired by Hippo Sweat
Via MSNBC via Discovery, news that scientists hope to create a sunscreen product inspired by hippo sweat. I liked the closing comment. “As a student said to me several years ago, nature is full of solutions to our technical problems,” he said. “We just have to figure out how to look in the right place, […]
Moth Eyes Inspire More Efficient Solar Cell
How would nature minimize reflection? Ask a moth: Researchers in the Netherlands have developed an anti-reflective coating based on the nanostructure of a moth’s eyes, which could reduce the reflection from photovoltaic cells and thereby make them more efficient… and … a new eco-friendly production technique that can apply the coating with high precision. Continued […]
Google Gets Behind Smart Meters & Monitoring
Business of Biomimicry – Harvard Business Review
Janine Benyus and Gunter Pauli team up on a short list for Harvard Business Review that includes water harvesting from fog and a broader view of solar. Biomimics draw inspiration for new product designs from biological processes, physical traits, and behavioral strategies observed in nature….Today we look ever more systematically to nature for sustainable solutions […]