Georgia Institute of Technology

ME 4740: Reflection
Dr. Khan, Dr. Yen

Nikhil George
12-12-2014

Nikhil T. George
Building upon the reflection started in DP2 Part Three and reflecting back upon the process
through DP1 and DP2 evaluate your teams design proposal in terms of the following:
1. Your use of science and biology (combined / multiple analogies from diverse organisms and
at different (hierarchical) levels);
As diverse fields of science begin to come together in unexpected ways, the boundary between
living and nonliving systems is breaking down and a new field of science -- biologically inspired engineering
-- is emerging. This cutting-edge discipline applies our ever-deepening insights into the way that living
systems form and function to create new life-enhancing materials and devices. This class allowed students
from very diverse backgrounds and education. Our teams BID is called Resilience. Resilience is a unique
collapsible protective structure that provides impact protection found in helmets but also allows for easy
storage and transportation. Resilience is a Bio Inspired Design that draws inspiration from 4 different
organisms namely the Cicada, the Honey Bee, the Earthworm and the Centipede. The design adapts
mechanisms analogous to different sub functions seen in these organisms. Our product draws from the
koan of flexible but rigid. The resilin distribution pattern seen in honey bee wings and the segmented
bodies in earthworms is what inspired the design of our flexible but rigid panels. The bounce-back
mechanism that protects users from debris and other falling objects was inspired by the Tymbal Plate in
the Cicada. The tymbal plate is bi-concave membrane that the insect uses to produce sound, and I think
this is where the distinction between bio-mimicry and bio inspired design really emerges. The team used
an existing mechanism present in a living organism used for a specific function to solve a completely
different problem in the real world.

2. Whether this process contributed to an increased awareness of science, design, and

interdisciplinary cross-domain thinking and if so, how?
Bio-inspired design is an inherently multi-disciplinary endeavor, calling on expertise from the
areas of biology, engineering, and design. The age of the Renaissance man has ended and in order to
succeed, it is important to specialize and become the master of a particular domain of knowledge. By
bringing individuals from different knowledge domains, interesting solutions to complex problems can
be achieved. This is the approach that was implemented to produce our bio-inspired designs this
semester. By integrating students from multiple majors such as Biomedical Engineering, Architecture,
Industrial Design, Mechanical Engineering and others, innovative designs were able to be produced using
nature as inspiration.
Since the objects, relations and processes in biology and engineering are very different, biologists
and engineers typically speak a very different language, creating communication challenges. As designers
we always initially define problems in human terms, such as protecting a rock climber or climbing a
building. But in order for designers to find solution analogs in biology we needed to redefine the problem
in more broadly applicable biological terms, often in the form of questions such as How does the Honey
Bee make it wings flexible enough to bend but rigid enough to provide lift for flight? After framing the
question and researching a biological system or organism we learned how to extract the underlying
principle. We extracted important principles into a solution neutral form, which required a description
that removed as many specific structural and environmental constraints as possible. As an ME used to
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Nikhil T. George
thinking of solutions in a very one dimensional way, applying a principle extracted from a biological
solution was probably one of the biggest eye opening experiences. After we extracted the biological
solution, we translated the principle into the new domain. The translation involved an interpretation from
one domain space to another, by introducing new constraints to the biological problem. Using the group
morph chart were able to select the best of multiple sources to meet competing needs or koans.

3. How the proposed application either improves upon or supersedes existing designs and
technologies (see the two links below for examples of incremental and transformational
designs).
Bio-inspired design is an innovation method that seeks sustainable solutions by emulating
nature's time-tested patterns and strategies. Our goal as a team while creating Resilience was to create a
product that are well adapted to life on Earth, following lifes principles, such as building from the bottom
up, self-assembly, optimize rather than maximize, using free energy. By taking a biology inspired
approached to solving a problem, I feel our team was able to identify fundamental principles that occur
across multiple biological systems and that can provide new insight into creating sustainable designs. In
addition to taking inspiration from biology we also researched existing technologies such as the Tsunami
protection capsule. Using this dual search process we were able to adapt best practices from both
biological systems and existing products. Resilience is a unique solution to a problem that not many people
consider, but have a critical value primarily in the department of personal safety. Due to the reselin like
design the shelter uses less material and consumes less volume than other products and its design
protects users from oblique and frontal impacts. The lightweight helmet makes it portable while the
collapsible structure makes it easy to store. Resiliences innovative design and collapsible feature make it
aesthetically please and sleek, qualities that other personal protection products do not offer.