Past Challenges
Meet the 2023 YDC Winners
From tackling the issues of microplastics and urban heat islands, to addressing clean energy solutions through the use of wind turbines and underwater solar panels, the Biomimicry Institute’s 2022-2023 YDC winners have offered unique, nature-inspired ideas to local design challenges.
High School
Team Heatwave Heroes hopes that their architectural design can help to mitigate the effects of rising temperatures in hot or desert climates. Their building has features inspired by the Saharan silver ant and the desert snail. Incorporating a triangular prism shape and a circular snail-inspired shape, the team hopes that their design will reflect solar rays from the surface of their structure and increase air ventilation internally.
1st Place International
2nd Place International:
Team BlueManta set out to solve the pressing issue of access to clean water. Their solution is a low-cost water bottle with a multi-layered filter that produces clean water. The BlueManta Water Bottle was inspired by the orientation of manta ray filter lobes, the nanosized pores of plant xylem, and the funnel shape of the human kidney.
1st Place National:
The presence of microplastics in the ocean is a prominent issue that Team Christmas Tree Worm aimed to solve with a self-charging device that attaches to the front of marine vessels and collects microplastics. Their solution was inspired by the hairlike appendages of Christmas tree worms, the hydrodynamic structure of swordfish, the cross-flow filtration system of blue tilapia, and the suction ability of remora fish.
2nd Place National:
Urban expansion threatens the homes of organisms through displacement and by altering natural habitats. Team Birdhive looked into how nature creates ecosystems and utilizes small spaces. Inspired by the hexagonal structure of bee hives, cliff sparrow colonies, and the biodiversity underneath rotting logs, they created a modular panel ecosystem that attaches to structures, providing habitats for native plants and animals.
High School International 3rd Place: EROSO Helmet
High School International Honorable Mention: Robotic Starfish
High School National 3rd Place: Eco Beaver Geotextile
High School National Honorable Mention: The Swamp Filter
Middle School:
1st Place International:
Rising temperatures due to climate change can reduce the efficiency of solar panels, so Team LUC-YDC looked to two organisms for inspiration: the window plant, with its lens-shaped leaves, and the lotus leaf, which has hydrophobic properties. The team created the PANS, a system that uses vertical solar panels and places them inside of rooftop water tanks. Its transparent, dome-shaped lid bends light, which allows for more solar energy to be captured.
Team Tree Savers set out to solve the issue of debris along London train tracks while simultaneously saving trees from being cut down along the way. They created a design inspired by the smalltooth sawfish's saw-like snout, and the remora fish's ability to suction to other organisms. Their design would attach to the front of trains, releasing enzymatic liquid that breaks down smaller materials and sweeps leaves and branches aside.
2nd Place International:
1st Place National:
Team BioBreeze endeavored to make wind turbines more efficient and adaptable by emulating maple seeds, the flexibility of dragonfly wings, and the flat-shaped stem of aspen leaves. The design calls for blades made from light, pliable plastic that picks up on the slightest breeze, making the turbine able to be used in varying wind environments. The team also envisioned a design that would minimize roof leakage, increasing turbine efficiency.
2nd Place National:
Growing housing needs inspired the BioBuilders to come up with a design to reduce material waste. The snail shell-shaped roof and diatom-inspired bricks add strength and shock absorption, increasing the strength-to-weight ratio so that builders can use fewer materials. To help reinforce the structure, builders can incorporate fungi into the foundation of the homes, similar to the strategy employed in the nests of jet ants.
Middle School International 3rd Place: Bird of Prey
Middle School International Honorable Mention: The Female Defense Badge
Middle School National 3rd Place: The Green Pathological Waste Tank
Middle School National Honorable Mention: Earthproof
