Circle Economy's Circularity Gap Report 2021 analyzes the world's current state, 8.6% circularity for 2020, and how to double that number to 17% by 2032. The analysis finds that 70% of the planet's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions come from worldwide material "extraction, processing, and their use." Mobility accounts for 11.5% of all material usage, and fossil fuels to power mobility account for 29% of GHG emissions. As humans extract more material to manufacture mobility solutions, more processing emissions result.  More material means more mass needed to move, resulting in more ..read more

When much of the Northern Hemisphere is wintering, Australia, amid Summer, supports numerous unique organisms unique.  Engineers interested in automotive innovations may, with the help of a biomimic, learn much from a deep dive into Australia's wildlife. An electrical engineer designing the next generation of automotive sensors may be particularly interested in two egg-laying mammals: one covered in quills and one that has a duck-like bill. The quill-bearing echidna forages for insects in the soil, using its unique snout to sense its prey's vibrations. The duck-bill platypus uses its bil ..read more

At CES2021 (aka Consumer Electronics Show), Mobileye released their latest Radar and LiDar technology. Using Intel's silicon expertise, Mobileye designed a more compact and inexpensive integrated LiDar solution. This improved technology moves the world in the inevitable direction of autonomous vehicles. Meanwhile, Penn State assistant professor of engineering Saptarshi Das has been inspired by locusts to design a collision avoidance system. Locusts move in swarms that number thousands but rarely collide with each other. They have evolved with a compound eye providing a wide range of visio ..read more

How can automakers improve vehicle durability while simultaneously reducing environmental impact? Self-repairing materials could be one ingenious way. Imagine rubber suspension bushings, mounts, and tires that repair themselves as they fatigue, extending the component's life. Plus, when these components reach their end of life, they biodegrade.Imagine coolant or fuel lines repairing within seconds of a highway accident or underbody impact from road debris, preventing dangerous fires and environmental spills; exterior body panels and chassis component coatings that improve aerodynamics, water r ..read more

With Michigan lilies and tulips in bloom, the first bumblebee buzzed my head foraging for spring sources of pollen.  Somehow the dancing of the bees as they scute from flower-to-flower piques the “enginerd’s" mind.  How does the bee fly? For 350 million years, insects have evolved to fly differently than birds and bats.  Due to a bees contrasting flight principles, scientists initially argued that they should not be able to fly.  With recent advancements in video and computer analysis, the secrets to bee flight are emerging. The act of hovering (i.e. lift with zero velocity ..read more

Biomimicry emerged as a topic for the 2019 Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) World Congress (WCX) in Detroit.  Five lectures followed by a panel discussion with the same speakers filled the afternoon with promising examples of current and future biomimicry applications. Great Lakes Biomimicry co-director, Trisha Brown, grounded the audience with an overview of biomimicry and its strength as an innovation process.  For example, the mantis shrimp has 16 different color and six polarization sensors with a unique stacked structural system.  This system has already inspired a cam ..read more

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to explore biomimicry in Costa Rica. We were tucked deep in the jungle at the fantastic La Cusinga Eco Lodge overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Howler monkey calls echoed through the damp morning foliage forgoing the need to set the alarm (Listen Here). The facility flawlessly intertwined itself with nature creating an unforgettable immersion with the genius of nature. During a contemplative walk, I ran across a golden orb spider. Its body was deep black speckled with dots of yellow, and it appeared to be wearing dress socks with yellow stripes at the top ..read more

If you’re old enough to remember landlines, you may recall how the handset’s spiral cord stretched as you walked across the kitchen to write a note or stir the food cooking on the stove. As you pulled the handset, each end was fixed causing the spirals to create smaller and smaller diameters. Over time these cords would twist and knot. To undo these perturbations, you dangled the handset in the air by its cord and let it spin and spin until most of the twists released. Over time these cords reached a point of no return—overstressed and no longer able to return to the factory-fresh condition. C ..read more

My first exposure to the desert appeared on the Loony Tunes cartoon, Road Runner.  I obsessed over the “thlup, thlup” of the Road Runner’s tongue as he zipped away including it into my grade school gym activities.  In the background of every show stood the iconic two-armed Saguaro Cactus looking like a waving spectator Road Runner vs. Wile E. Coyote banter.  Even Chrysler Corporation created a powerful yet cost-effective Plymouth 1970s muscle car after the speedy bird.  To survive the desert, organisms must follow a similar formula of optimizing performance while regulating ..read more

Since October 31 marked the end of Loggerhead sea turtle, I thought appropriate for biomimicry turtle talk.  While I didn’t make it to Florida’s premier Loggerhead Marinelife Center, I did recently visit the local Belle Isle State Park Aquarium in Detroit.  Displaying a range of mysterious water creatures, it is the oldest aquarium in the United States, built in 1905 and designed by the famous architect, Albert Kahn.  Intricately carved stonework hovers above the arched entrance flanked with fluted columns. Walking inside reveals vibrant green tile work all around the curved cei ..read more