BIOMIMETIC DESIGN:
DESERT TREKKER
DESERT TREKKER
Using biomimetic design processes and principles, I designed Desert Trekker, a jacket made for high-desert living. The jacket draws inspiration from the biological functions of common desert creatures, such as jackrabbits' large ears and the nanostructures on scorpion exoskeletons.
Final jacket design: gold call-out visualizes layered fabric structure (will be reworking this sketch)
CHALLENGE TO BIOLOGY SPIRAL
The spiral shape represents an iterative process that can be repeated as many times as needed. The spiral consists of:
● Defining the design challenge
● Translating the challenge into a biological one
● Discovering biological strategies and applying them to the design, and
● Evaluating the design against Life's Principles...
● Translating the challenge into a biological one
● Discovering biological strategies and applying them to the design, and
● Evaluating the design against Life's Principles...
and then do it all over again!
To design this jacket, I took three trips around the design spiral: through each iteration, I discovered new problems, which required new biological inspiration, which led to new features on the jacket– all contributing to its ability to keep cool and protected in high-desert conditions.
Complete three-stage design spiral process: each column represents a single round, with the end result at the bottom of the page