20 Sep Biomimetic Science News: From Teeth to Tires
The doctors and team at Prescott Dentistry are very proud to be on the cutting edge of dental offices who take advantage of biomimetic science in the form of biomimetic dentistry. On our blog, we like to take time to do a little research and find out what other exciting advancements in the field are taking place. The fascinating thing about the field of Biomimetics is that it can encapsulate such a wide array of subject matter–from biologically active titanium surfaces to snake scale body armor and chameleon inspired color changing material. Now even tires may fall under the same umbrella as dentistry in the world of biomimetics!
Inspired by the nanoscale threads that give geckos the ability to scale smooth walls and hang upside down, a team from Lehigh along with the Michelin Corporation and the National Science Foundation have started researching materials that mimic the surface architectures of nature to improve the reliability and safety of tires. The team is working on creating bio-inspired film-terminated structures with new, unique characteristics that could have applications with tires and other industrial areas.
The results so far have been quite promising. There is a classic performance conundrum when it comes to tires, and that is the balance between traction, fuel efficiency and tire life. To improve one almost always means degrading another. However, this new material that mimics smooth pad surfaces found on the feet of frogs or grasshoppers may have solved the conundrum. By using a film of rubber-like material consisting of evenly spaced parallel ridges covered by a thin topcoat, the new material increased grip while not negatively affecting rolling resistance. Read more about the details of the study here.
Are you interested in how Dr. Thompson utilizes biomimetic science in the world of dentistry? Contact Prescott Dentistry today to learn about this new, exciting and less invasive form of dentistry.
Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (9/15/2016) jeff_golden (Flickr)