Dear BlogIONIK readers, Merry Christmas and a happy new year 2018! We hope you will have a relaxing vacation, wonderful days with your families and friends, maybe some snow to do a little bit of winter sports and of course all the best for the upcoming year! For us, the new year will...
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Dear readers, my last article was published at the end of July. At that time, it was highly uncertain what will happen with the subject of Biomimetics in Austria, especially in Villach. The weeks went further along and a lot of work was done. Today you get again an overview about the current state of...
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Have you ever asked yourself how it is possible for migrating birds to be able to fly over such long distances in order to spend one part of the year in a more favourable environment? You have probably already seen swarms of birds flying away in a V-shaped formation, which for sure has an advantage...
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Flying has been man’s fantasy for ages, attempts we made as early as late 1800’s. Otto Lilienthal of Germany was the first one with a successful glider flight in the 1890. In the previous articles for this theme session we have read about the dynamic soaring, gliding. Today I would like to discuss some unusual...
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In the course of evolution animals developed diverse and sophisticated ways to fly. The way how they succeed in flying strongly depends on several factors. How big is the animal? How big are its wings and how is their shape? Which distances does the animal need to cover? And how much energy can it spend...
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Flying is something that has been occupying the human’s mind since always. That is why we think it is an appropriate and interesting theme for our next monthly session. Numerous legends tell stories about people using birdlike wings and trying to fly by jumping from a cliff. The Greek legend of Daedalus and Icarus is...
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A couple of weeks ago I introduced the theme electricity. For this week’s, I will look at the topic from an engineer’s point of view and evaluate the topic in a top down approach. Despite many positive signs, there are still key challenges that must be tackled to boost renewable electricity production and reduce our...
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Autumn is here – winter is approaching – it’s time to visit some museums! Today we have a special recommendation for you – a ‚must-see‘ for everyone interested in Biomimetics and living in southern Germany. Last week, the special exhibition ‚baubionik – biologie beflügelt architektur‘ was opened in the museum ‚Schloss Rosenstein‘ in Stuttgart...
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When I think about electricity and nature – lightnings are the first thing coming to my mind. Not only is the phenomenon of such a huge amount of electricity being released at once absolutely amazing. Also, the atmosphere and feeling, lightnings can create are very special. Some people are scared of them and hide under...
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Water and electricity – two things that we normally avoid bringing in contact because it can lead to a bad accident. And there comes the question, how could this combination be an essential survival strategy for many fish species? Electric eels are one of the most known examples and will be presented in this article for...
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