Biomimicry, that interdisciplinary approach that involves emulating and drawing inspiration from nature's patterns and silhouettes, can provide us with innovative solutions for human challenges in a variety of fields, from architecture and design to technology. Shapes found in nature can indeed lead us to extremely original pieces, sometimes surreal, fun or even extravagant.
In previous posts we looked at the spiral shape in shelled animals such as the Nautilus pompilius, highlighting how the chambered seashell of the Nautilus inspired many mathematicians and scientists for its golden ratio spiral rotation at phi squared.
Nature can also inspire shapes for complex environments: last year Zhichao Lin and Yanze He won the grand prix at the "International Architecture and Innovation Competition" organized by the Jacques Rougerie Foundation, with a space project inspired by the Nautilus shell.
The International Architecture Awards seeks out young visionaries who draw inspiration from biomimicry to create the habitats of the future under the sea or in space or to tackle the challenges of the sea level rise.
This project consisted in a transfer station working as a skyhook inspired by the Nautilus shell. The core function of the station is to transit a spacecraft to its destination. In addition, the structure also provides hotel, tourism, entertainment, offices, scientific research and other services.
The power sources from nuclear energy, solar pressure and solar energy and resists cosmic radiation through the artificial magnetosphere.
The rules behind this competition (you're still on time if you want to take part in the 2023 edition; deadline: 18th September 2023) state that the structures must move from biomimicry and be innovative and sustainable, but they must also be in respect of the fundamental laws of physics (in other words, they must rely on technical and technological bases that can be imagined as realistic or possible in the future (even in the distant future).
So, while this is a utopian and theoretical project it is still based on innovation and technological precision, two principles that were also behind a very famous fictitious vehicle - Captain Nemo’s Nautilus submarine in Jules Verne's novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870) and The Mysterious Island (1874).
While the name came from Robert Fulton's real-life submarine Nautilus (1800), design-wise Verne's vessel was inspired by the French Navy submarine Plongeur, a model he had seen at the 1867 Exposition Universelle.
"A masterpiece containing masterpieces", as Verne described it, the state-of-the-art Nautilus, was assembled on a remote desert island by Nemo and his team. Engineered and commanded by Captain Nemo, the vessel is propelled by electricity generated from sodium/mercury batteries, drawing sodium from seawater to power the primary engine and onboard systems, including illumination and equipment.
Shaped like a very long cigar with conical ends, so not inspired by biomimicry, actually, the Nautilus is, according to the description, seventy meters in length, and its maximum breadth of beam is eight meters.
Verne was meticulous in its description adding, "Its surface area totals 1,011.45 square meters, its volume 1,507.2 cubic meters - which is tantamount to saying that when it's completely submerged, it displaces 1,500 cubic meters of water, or weighs 1,500 metric tons."
Buoyancy adjustment in the Nautilus is achieved through floodable tanks, their water evacuation powered by pumps so potent that rapid surfacing creates impressive water jets, mystifying early observers who liken the Nautilus to an unknown sea creature. For swift dives, the vessel employs "hydroplaning," descending steeply.
Catering to its crew, the Nautilus harvests sustenance from the sea and features a galley equipped for food preparation, including a distillation device for converting seawater to drinking water. To renew its air supply, the Nautilus surfaces, exchanging stale air for fresh - akin to a whale.
Extended journeys devoid of refueling or resupplying are well within the Nautilus's capabilities, with a maximum dive duration of around five days.
The ship's opulence is unparalleled for its time and its interior features lavish elements: a library houses twelve thousand books, valuable, unknown oceanic specimens and rare works of art. The Nautilus also includes a sumptuous dining room and an organ.
The descriptions in the book inspired thousands of fans of the story to come up with their own renditions of the Nautilus to create scale models as well, while Disney turned to artist and illustrator Harper Goff (who during World War II offered his advice about camouflage paint to the U.S. Army) to create meticulous blueprints of the Nautilus for its 1954 adaptation of the film.
Precise specifications for fictitious designs help readers visualizing what an author is describing and offer us glimpses of the future.
Verne's legacy of combining precision and imagination is mirrored in the story of Franz Joseph Schnaubelt, who applied his aerospace design skills to craft technical drawings for Star Trek props.
In 1973, Schnaubelt and his daughter became members of a San Diego Star Trek appreciation society. This community of enthusiasts dedicated their time to crafting their own Trek props and costumes.
Leveraging his aerospace design expertise, Schnaubelt started working on intricate technical drawings of iconic phasers and tricorders. His efforts yielded an impressive collection, catching the attention of Gene Roddenberry, whose wife Majel Barrett's company, Lincoln Enterprises, was producing Star Trek memorabilia at the time.
Despite initial skepticism about the future of the franchise, Roddenberry believed in the value of Schnaubelt's vision. This collaboration led to the creation of an extraordinary project – a manual for Star Trek enthusiasts.
First published in 1975 and reprinted several times, The Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual looked like a proper guidebook. Within its pages, the world of 23rd-century Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets was meticulously described, presented as a collection of fascinating documents. Amidst its pages, readers discovered the inner workings of the technology featured in the original series, besides, detailed insights were provided on various elements, including the intricacies of starships, phasers, tricorders, universal translators (we may not have proper portable translators in our times, but we do have programs, sites and apps on smartphones that offer Artificial Intelligence-powered machine translation, so we got there), weapons, medical equipment and even uniforms (including patterns).
Additionally, the manual unveiled diagrams showcasing the construction of a functional communicator using 20th-century electronics.
The manual fascinated fans and general readers alike with its meticulous plans and illustrations, down to the minute details of screws and batteries essential for the proper operation of the various pieces of equipment.
The impact of The Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual extended far beyond its pages. The book soared to the top of The New York Times paperback list, shattering existing profitability records and its unexpected success played a crucial role in rescuing a series that was on the brink of cancellation.
This testament to imagination and attention to detail served as proof of the enduring influence of innovative ideas in shaping both fiction and reality. It vividly highlights how visionary concepts have the capacity to bridge the gap between imaginative narratives and tangible achievements, leaving an indelible mark on our perception of what is possible.
Zhichao Lin and Yanze He blended biomimicry and practical functionality in a pioneering space project in which they also included technical specifications, just like Verne's Nautilus represented a vessel of visionary proportions with some functions that may have sounded extremely futuristic, yet, in part, they weren't so improbable; Franz Joseph Schnaubelt's meticulously crafted manual served as a portal to a futuristic realm, illustrating the profound impact of imaginative thinking on practical creations.
These narratives converge to reveal the influential interplay between creativity, precision, and the dynamic intersections of design and invention, or, to paraphrase Jules Verne's insightful maxim, whatever one can imagine, others will be able to achieve.
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