Quote:
Originally Posted by LostCause
I don't see nature as providing any aerodynamic benefit beyond inspiration. It took mankind thousands of years to master flight primarily because he tried to emulate nature. Look at DaVinci's flying contraption:
Da Vinci Flying Machine
What nature did was inspire man to fly. Without birds, flying bugs, or clouds I doubt man would have ever learned to fly. Today, people try to tie in nature with their designs because it has a romantic element. Aerovironment's Solaraycer was designed after a pumpkin seed, yet a pumpkin seed is not inherently aerodynamic...
Lastly, nature does not think. Everything you see around you is (as far as we know) not a master plan, where evolution is heading in a particular direction. What you see exists solely because it was able to survive. Man is not at the "top of the evolutionary ladder," he is simply a leaf on the evolutionary bush. The most evolutionary successful creatures are single-celled organisms like bacteria, who have remained virtually unchanged for billions of years. As far as we know, nature thinks as much as planets do while orbiting stars trillions of miles away.
- LostCause |
The Solaraycer demonstrates a 400-mpg vehicle,if fitted with gasoline internal combustion engine with power to provide contemporary levels of acceleration.With concessions made to ingress/egress,survivability,real wheels/tires,emissions controls,etc.,could represent a 200-mpg commuter vehicle in days of plus-$3.00/gallon fuel and U.S.reliance on the Persian Gulf.That's an inspiration for myself and others,no matter its origin.It's origin was a pumpkin-seed,so given the success of Aerovironment's endeavor,I see no reason to berate forms found in nature,and I will personally continue to borrow heavily from the same architecture that inspires the likes of M.I.T.,NASA,Electric Boat Division,General Dynamics,Corp.,Lockheed/Martin,Airbus,Boeing,Grumman,Zeppelin Werke AG,McDonnel/Douglas,Rockwell International,Scaled Composites,Old Town,Winchester,Remington,Marconi,Cal Tech,Mercury Marine,etc..