Biomutualisms

I’m not sure the term is going to catch on, being a bit too attached to the biological, but Robert Full uses the term biomutualism to describe the way multiple disciplines working on related projects can create design inspiration greater than the sum of its parts. He explains it in the above Ted Talk by way of an example in his own studies on gecko adhesives, and how his cooperation with other disciplines is resulting in breakthroughs in materials sciences, biology, and robotics.

There is some great footage here of new discoveries relating to tails and how animals use them for everything from self-righting to guided flight. A must watch for anyone designing robots.

SteamPunk Computer Mods

The above SteamPunk computer casemod was commissioned as a giveaway for a new computer game. Jake of all Trades did a great job of it. I’vc seen quite a few SteamPunk computer cases go by recently, but this was the best. I wonder if it is water cooled?

Update: The above SteamPunk Flash Drive was a one of a kind piece.  I hope this inspires a wave of flash drives.

Update: Click the above mechanical flash drive to see its construction.

There’s even a company that makes steampunk skins for phones and Kindles.

I’ll update this post, and keep an eye on my Steampunk and Atompunk tags.