del Campo, Matias; Leach, Neil
(Ed.)
Nature has always been the master of design skills to which humans only aspire to, but new approaches bring that aspiration closer to our reach than ever before. Through 4.5 billion years of iterations, nature has shown us its extraordinary craftsmanship, breeding a variety of species whose body structures have gradually evolved to adapt to natural phenomena and make full use of their unique characteristics. The dragonfly wing, among body structure is an extreme example of efficient use of materials and minimal weight while remaining strong enough to withstand the tremendous forces of flight. It has long been the object of scientific research examining its structural advantages to applying their principles to fabricated designs.1 We can imitate its form and create duplicates, but thoroughly understanding the dragonfly wing’s mechanism, behavior and design logic is no trivial task.
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