1st Year.

SCIENCE OF
NATURE BIOLOGY
NATURE
EXPLORATION
 “We still do not know one
thousandth of one percent of
what Nature has revealed to us.”

- Einstein
BIOMIMICRY – AIRCRAFT INNOVATION.
Contributors
1.Vedant Vasant Gawade
Roll. No. 117 Batch – A1
E mail – vedant.gawade@mitaoe.ac.in
2.Abhishek Kumbhar
Roll No. 105 Batch – A1
E mail – abhishek.kumbhar@mitaoe.ac.in
3.Chaitanya Sherkar
Roll No. 126 Batch – A1
E mail – chaitanya.sherkar@mitaoe.ac.in
INTRODUCTION
● In engineering biomimicry is important to develop innovative solutions
which can solve human issues.

● The study of nature’s best-kept secrets to help solve human challenges has
a name: biomimicry.

● Nature is great source of biomimicry and inspiration for engineering.

● One of the main innovation is how airplanes have taken

the shape of birds and sharks.
 Background

• For over a thousand years, man has wanted to fly and to move from one point to another.

• Flying is the fastest mode of transportation, and people can move from city to city to carry
out business.
• Before man invented airplanes, he use to travel by ships or voyages which requires lot of
time.
• Birds fly so effortlessly because of the adaptations that they have. Birds and fishes have
streamlined shapes which helps them to fly and swim(respectively) easily.
• Engineers used this concept to modify aircrafts so that they can fly through air easily.
 EXPLORATION
• The Wright brothers discovered the birds method of lateral control
• and developed their first plane named Kitty Hawk Flyer.

• To prepare for their flight at Kitty Hawk, the Wright brothers studied the movements of
pigeons to figure out how they stayed up into the air when they were heavier than air.
Therefore , they might have discovered the concept of biomimicry.

• When Daedalus and his son Icarus from classic Greek mythology found themselves
imprisoned by King Minos of Crete, they began to wonder: what if they could escape by
flying away like birds?
According to the legend, Daedalus crafted bird-like wings made of feathers and wax, which
helped them to fly out of their prison. His wing design—inspired by birds—had flown him to
safety.
 Explanation of
phenomenon
• Birds and fishes have streamlined shapes
so that when they are in flight or in water,
fluid can flow on their surface smoothly.

• Most airplanes have a streamlined shape

so that they do not face air resistance
while in motion.

The concept of biomimicry has inspired the

airplane wings. When birds want to take off,
they raise their wings thereby creating a low
pressure , and the body goes up through the
process of ‘lift’, Air planes use the same
concept while taking off and landing.
 Birds arrange their feathers with their beaks to makes sure that their body is smooth
as they fly . Airplanes also have polished surfaces, and this prevents air resistance.
Birds fly in a V shape when they are in a flock. This mode of flying has helps birds to
travel greater distances.
Researchers from Stanford university stated that if aircrafts are designed in V shape ,
they can save up to 15% of fuel.
when birds are in the air, they extend their wings , and this helps them to stay high
and to reduce the air drag.
Same concept is followed by aquatic animals as they also have streamline bodies.
.
Applications of the phenomenon
• Redesigning aircrafts by adapting concepts from nature can
help us to solve aviation challenges face by humans.

• Biomimicry—or biologically inspired engineering—is providing

engineers with innovative ideas on how to design lighter and
more fuel-efficient aircraft.

Application 1: BALD EAGLE

• Of all the birds of prey, the bald eagle reigns the most. This large,
powerfully built bird has long, broad wings that contribute to faster
flight .

• The theoretical design is a hybrid-electric, turbo-propeller aircraft for

regional air transportation, which mimics the eagle’s wing and tail
structure, and features individually controlled feathers that provide
active flight control.
 Application 2: LONG EARED OWL
• Wings of long-eared owl helps them to fly with
complete silence.

• The long-eared owl is one of only a few birds

that has primary feathers arranged like a comb
which breaks down turbulence into smaller
currents called micro-turbulences.

• Today’s aircraft already produce 75% less noise

than those produced 40 years ago. Airbus
engineers are studying owls to further unlock
the secrets of
 Application 3:
Snow goose
• Snow geese spend less energy by surfing on the
wakes created by the leader bird. When flying in this
way, geese immediately benefit from free lift, which
enables them to stay in the air to travel over long
distances.

• Every in-flight aircraft creates a wake, so positioning

a follower aircraft in the air upwash of the leader
could help the follower to take the benefits of this
“free” lift.

• This helps in fuel savings.

Application 4:
WHITE SHARK
• Jetliners textured surfaces applied to the
fuselages and wings are mimicked from
the effect of sharkskin.

• A shark’s tail is its propeller: it moves

forward by swinging its tail back and
forth, which pushes water around its
fins.

• Aircraft move forward in the same way,

pushing air around their wings to create
lift. The shark also has dorsal fins that
work exactly like the vertical stabilizer
wing on an aircraft.
 Application 5: MANTA
RAYS

• Shape of jets are also inspired from the

body structure of manta rays.
• Manta rays are known to have
streamline body shapes.
• Streamline shape helps aircrafts to cut
the air resistance easily and make it fuel
efficient.
 CONTRIBUTION
All the members have contributed in this presentation.

Each member had given his best to create this

presentation .

All members divided the work amongst them and gathered

it together to design the presentation.

This presentation is result of the hard work of each and

every member.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there have been
many changes in airplane designs
since innovation, development and
in the future. Engineers have been
drawing their ideas from nature,
and they have been using
biomimicry to inspire their designs.
Human beings used the shape of
an animal to inspire an invention
that has solved problems
efficiently. Thus biomimicry has
reduced human challenges by using
it as a concept.
RESOURCES

IMAGES
Googled them.
And taken randomly.
Information
● 1)Airplanes.com. (2008). Aircraft Flight Will Be Revolutionized By Biomimicry — Airplanes Channel:
Aircraft, Jet Charter, Pilots, Heritage, Photos, Video, Events, News. Airplanes.com. Retrieved 13th Jan 2018, from
http://www.airplanes.com/blog/aircraft-flight-will-be-revolutionized-by-biomimicry/
● 2)Airbus.com
● https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/stories/2020-03-biomimicry-a-fresh-approach-to-aircraft-innovation
● 3)Medium.com
● https://medium.com/@adsactly/is-it-a-bird-is-it-a-plane-biomimicry-in-airplanes-9862d331df2e
 Guided By-

RESPECTED –
USHA VERMA MA’AM.

THANKYOU MA’AM
THANKS!

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