Award Winners

Singapore, a place where land space is scarce, uses photovoltaic (PV) panels positioned on rooftops as well as on the surface of water reservoirs as a sustainable source of clean energy. However, climate change and rising temperatures, as well as high cloud cover across the country, reduce the efficiency of solar panels. LUC-YDC, a team from Singapore, looked to nature to find a solution for more efficient solar energy. Their innovation, the Photovoltaic-Aurantiaca-Nucifera System (PANS), draws inspiration from the window plant as well as the lotus leaf. The window plant, found in the Namib Desert in South Africa, buries its stem beneath the surface and uses its exposed region as a lens to direct light inside without overheating. The lotus plant is known for its hydrophobic properties. LUC-YDC used both of these to inspire the creation of the PANS, a system that eliminates the traditional horizontal placement of solar panels and turns them vertically inside of water tanks that are found on rooftops. A hydrophobic transparent dome-shaped lid is used to bend the light onto the panels inside the water, and the orientation of the panels themselves allows for more solar energy to be captured.

Every two years, the National Railway in London clears any debris that has settled on train tracks as well as cuts down hundreds of trees and surrounding shrubbery that could make the track dangerous to use. While this is the current solution to cleaning the debris that accumulates and bakes on the track itself, The Tree Savers team has come up with a different solution. Looking at smalltooth sawfish, whales, and the remora, the team created the “Rail Razor.” The Rail Razor attaches to the fronts of trains, similar to how the remora fish attaches to bigger fish. It has a tank with an enzyme-based liquid that would break down plant and wood cells along the track. Going even further, the device sweeps branches and leaves with its bristle brush system, inspired by the way that whales filter their food with their baleen. The Tree Savers team hopes that this system will reduce the need to cut down trees along the track every other year, thereby preserving the ecosystems along the train route, and avoiding safety hazards.

While wind turbines are an effective form of sustainable energy, they are not without their faults. One issue is the problem of root leakage, where the center of the turbines draws power away from the blades resulting in some turbulence. Another issue is their lack of adaptability to different wind environments. Team BioBreeze of Montana hopes to combat these issues with their “SeedSpinner” turbine. Their design incorporates functions from the Japanese maple seed, dragonfly wings, and aspen leaves. Combining aspects from all three organisms, the blades of their design are made from a light, flexible plastic that is slightly tilted to catch the wind and pick up on the slightest breeze. Not only does this address the issue of root leakage, but the design enables the turbine to be adapted to a variety of environments.

The BioBuilders team from Montana understands that housing is a growing problem that affects not only their Flathead Valley community but communities all around the world. Current housing solutions are often unsustainable and require constant repairs that use up non-renewable materials. Their Diatom Brick House suggests a new way to build, inspired by diatoms, golden scaled snails, and jet ants. The unique structure of the diatom gives it an incredible strength-to-weight ratio, which could be used to cut down on the materials needed. The snail shell is an inspiration for the strength of the roof, particularly with future natural disasters in mind. The team draws inspiration from jet ants to further strengthen their design, as jet ants use fungi to fortify their nests by letting the fungi grow and using it to bind their nest walls, providing reinforcement.