Sunday 5 July 2015

Individual Reflection

Yorick says..
The most interesting proposed used of bio-mimicry that was developed in this blog is the Vivace energy harvester. The Vivace design mimicked the propulsion technique of the fish and come out with the ocean or river current harvester that solve the energy challenge of this century. The design that we proposed are not patentable because of the minimum requirement to patent a concept or product in Malaysia is to keep the design private and avoid from exposure to the public. While working as a team, this work become easier because each of us can distribute the tasks evenly and hence increased the productivity of this project.

Lik Hong says..
In my opinion, the most interesting proposed used of the biomimicry that was developed in the blog is the flexible bullet proof armor which inspired by fish scales. In contrast with the traditional bullet proof vest, the bullet proof armor inspired by fish scales is light in weight while still allows the bending movement of the torso while still provide adequate protection to the user. Moving on to the proposed industrial design inspired by our adopted animal, I do not think that the proposed design of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) is patentable as prior to applying for a design patent, a prototype has to be built in order to carry out testing and to validate the performance and functionality of the proposed design. The building and testing of the prototype would require huge amount of fund, which is currently lack by the team even though the design is unique. Working as a team has definitely made this project easier as each member would contributes to different parts of the project. Time taken for the completion of the project will also be shorten with the sufficient work force provided by the team members. 

Xin Ying says..
The most interesting proposed used of bio-mimicry that was developed in this blog is the surgical tool. A new surgical tool mimicked the suction cup-like discs on the belly of a clingfish increases the efficiency of laparoscopic operation which require to work through very small incisions elsewhere in the body using a lighted tube. I think our design, pleco fish inspired underwater vehicle is unique however it is not patentable as research on how humans can take advantage of the a pleco fish’s streamline shape is still in the preliminary stages. More research is needed before it becomes a reality. I strongly think that working as a team made this project a lot easier. First, we select a team leader which can take the overall coordination of the team. Then, the team leader will distribute the tasks to different team members based on their expertise accordingly. Besides, we brainstorm as a group to generate the best ideas, learn how to solve problems together as a team, respect each other’s differences and ideas.

Joe Han says..
The existence of our blog documents the overall progress of our study which was intended to adopt a pet that would be the source of inspiration in our bio mimicry design. The aforementioned adaptation deduced to be a Hypostomus plecostomus; also known as suckermouth catfish. Throughout the 14 week period study, what appealed to me the most about this fish is that it’s defensive mechanism from predators and how it had made other predators find it as an undesirable meal. The pleco fish in short, possess an organic hard topside which shields it from attacks by other aquatic organisms. Even though, its underside is soft, this would not prove to be an issue as most of the time, the fish stick to a surface, keeping its vulnerability hidden.

Through the study of organic armour, I have discovered that an invention based of biomimicry inspiration had resulted in creating a ‘Flexible Bullet Proof Armor’ which was a great improvement to the convention armour. To be able to provide equal resistance similar to the conventional bullet proof vest but exhibiting a much lighter weight and greater flexibility. This would be a great breakthrough in the military department as well as the astronauts.

As for our inspired bio mimicry design, which is the ‘Conceptual AUV’ based off our Pleco fish, I believe that we would not be able to gain patent for it. This is due to the required extensive research, countless test and simulation and also, huge amount of funding which we highly lack. Even though being a good idea in theory, our progress is far from being substantial to be patented.

In other aspects, working in a multidisciplinary team had proven to be beneficial to our project. Different expertise in knowledge had given us an advantage but not with the exclusion of minor setbacks as well. Due to the difference on our backgrounds, achieving an agreement takes longer period as multiple accounts of matter were taken into detailed consideration from our different views of perspective. All in all, our team managed to make the most of the skills and knowledge we have and enjoyed the company, as well as the constructive criticism that came along. 

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