how Grasshoppers inspire buildings
Making buildings more efficient and reliable has an entire industry adapting. Yet, the best and most doable solutions don’t come from artificial human researched ideas — evolution already holds the answers to many of our problems.
We can learn from animals and plants that show us how to ingeniously and naturally adapt their bodies to environmental conditions like light, temperature and air quality by changing colour or filtering out harmful gases.
This approach has already yielded many success stories: Japan’s Shinkansen train is one of those examples. Swimsuit design inspired by shark skin shark skin and robots modelled on insects, another. Our whole section on Fascination Nature shows examples of that. Applications from architecture, to building services, and even city-wide air quality sensors.
Chameleon grasshoppers
The Chameleon grasshopper (Kosciuscola tristis), like many invertebrates, cannot regulate its body temperature. However, it can change its color: at 15°C, it turns very dark, nearly black, and at temperatures above 25°C, it becomes turquoise-blue. This color change happens automatically, regardless of metabolism, even in dead specimens. By studying this grasshopper, we could create sensors that measure temperature and radiation on surfaces. We could also develop coatings for windows and other outside surfaces that reflect heat differently to manage temperature passively.
Silkworm cocoons filter out CO₂
Silkworm cocoons (Bombyx mori) allow some gases that are harmful to the development of the larva, such as CO₂, to leave the cocoon structure both quickly and steadily. However, other non-hazardous gases, such as oxygen, can pass in both directions. The caterpillar has also been observed to maintain a constant internal temperature, even when exposed to extreme environmental changes.
In addition, research has found that an electric current modulated by temperature is generated when the cocoon absorbs moisture. By combining these properties, we could use organic materials to create very sensitive, self-powered CO₂ sensors.
Desert iguanas turn pale in the sun
The Desert iguana (Dipsosaurus dorsalis) lives in the Colorado desert and areas of Southern California (USA) and Baja California (Mexico). It faces extreme temperatures of over 48°C during the day, with temperatures often plummeting by 40°C at night.
Though cold-blooded, its ideal body temperature is 38.5°C, but it can live and perform most of its vital functions within a range of 5°C above or below this point. To regulate its temperature, its body lightens as the temperature increases.
Desert iguanas also have black patches on their skin. Though their purpose is not completely clear, it is thought that these may help to protect against certain types of harmful solar radiation. Biomimicry can be used to develop colour sensors, including materials and/or facades that change colour depending on the temperature of the environment.
Air-purifying plants
Plants can act as a filtering and air-cleaning system, absorbing CO₂ and releasing oxygen. There is evidence that the implementation of green infrastructure, such as green roofs and green walls, not only improves air quality in urban environments, but also contributes to the reduction of heat islands .
As well as filtering CO₂, some plants are sensitive to other types of pollutants, such as ozone, which can show up as white or light spots on the top of the leaves. The presence of sulfur (SOx) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the air can also cause a change in leaf colour due to loss of chlorophyll and holes in the leaves. This is a clear example of how plants are not only a source of inspiration for air pollution sensors – they are sensors in and of themselves.