Blog Number Six: by Meg

Interest number one: Lotusan self cleaning paint

Modeled after the molecular structure of large insect wings (such as butterflies) and some plant surfaces, this is a special type of paint that rinses completely clean after a short rain shower. The micro-structure of the surface of plants like the Lotus (the flower from which they derived their name) and insects like the butterfly have very complex surface topography and seem quite brilliant all of the time, imagine how cool it would be if buildings and houses and signs weren't dirty and dull. How colorful would Minnesota be in the winter time? (I know we're all thinking of the dirty, gross snow-dirt that covers every outdoor surface all winter long.) Here's the serious advantage: no chemical solvents or detergents needed for cleaning. I think this is a very successful product, and it seems most people agree. I googled it and came up with only good product reviews, though there weren't many.

Interest number two: Morphotex Structural Colored Fibers

I realize Barb mentioned this briefly in class when we discussed Biomimicry, but I thought it was so amazing and so very relevant for my area of interest (being a fashion major, of course) that I would cover it again. The concept is pretty basic: eliminate all of the industrial waste produced by dying fabric. Which, I discovered after a brief google, seems to be quite substantial.

Interest number three:

The third example isn't actually in production, but it has been discovered that a powerful medical adhesive can be made by Sandcastle Worms. It is capable of gluing bone fragments and medication directly to the site, like healing agents and pain killers. Pretty spectacular technology all on its own, I know. Knowing that it's harvested from Sandcastle worms and that it's environmentally friendly is just an added bonus (and mind you that seems pretty spectacular too).