Sahara Forest Project

The Sahara Forest Project is a powerful system that could potentially produce enough energy for both Africa and Europe. It aims to provide renewable energy, food, and water to an arid region, creating an oasis in the largely uninhabitable region.

In their system, the sea water collected from the air/pumped in evaporates at the front of the greenhouse, and creates a suitable environment for growing crops in an otherwise desolate area. The collected water then condenses at the back of the greenhouse and is used to clean mirrors on the solar power array which uses them to concentrate the sun's rays to turn the water into steam, driving conventional turbines and generating electricity.


The insect inspiration. A namibian fog beetle tipping its cool bumpy abdomen up to drink the droplets of condensed water running down its back.
Image via flickr: Andrea Sosio

Sahara Forest Project

Insect Locomotion

With music. :-)

Swarming robots

Minute robots exhibiting social insect behaviors, cooperative foraging, and simple communication.

I-SWARM (via botjunkie)

Biorobotics Lab

http://micro.seas.harvard.edu/research.html

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid263777539?bctid=1118118784

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid263777539?bctid=1117748070


A lot of work done in this laboratory (Harvard Microrobotics Laboratory) was directly inspired by insects (flying, walking, climbing arthropod-like robots with decentralized control systems).

Communication in animals

Cellular Automata

For communication we use analog signals which are complex, but great. The advantages include sending numerous digital signals at one time (parallel computing) while utilizing a lot of computing power. Numerous problems arise from this approach such as signal degradation, noise, corrosion, phase delay, etc. If, on the other hand, we could transport signals over a digital network, rather than the analog one we use right now for digital media, we would eliminate a number of problems associated with the 'real' world.

• Paper: Digital wires