Nature Gave Him a Blueprint, but Not Overnight Success
| June 7, 2008 |  View for printing |
WHAT if someone invented a better mousetrap and the world yawned?
Until now, that has been the fate of Jay Harman, an Australian naturalist who believes that he’s found a way to use fundamental properties of physics and biology to improve the design of everything from simple fans and pumps to hydroelectric dams and aircraft.
Almost every piece of machinery in the physical world has efficiency limits related to the flow of liquids and gases: pumps consume energy to move liquids; the amount of fuel used by airplanes and cars is based on their aerodynamic efficiency; and fans and wind turbines both consume and generate energy based on the efficiency of the shape of their rotating blades.
By JOHN MARKOFF
Full Story: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/08/te ... oref=slogin
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