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PODCAST

Wild engineers

Wild Engineers explores how nature solves the functions engineers care about most: regulating temperature, managing flow, strengthening structures, protecting from fire, and more. Hosted by Melanie Farmer, with Master’s degrees in Biomimicry and Managing Innovation, each episode translates biological strategies into practical engineering insight, with a focus on building services.

science nature

All Episodes

00:05:53

Ep 11 How Nature Maintains Function Through Rest

Wild engineers ·

2026/08/26

How autumn, hibernation, and sleep reveal that rest is a designed cycle of renewal that protects future function.Function: Maintain function through cycles of rest andrenewalBiological models: Deciduous trees in autumn, hibernating mammals, human sleepEngineering translation: Planned shutdowns, project pauses, team resets, systems maintenance, and renewal cyclesSources / further reading• Carey HV, Andrews MT, Martin SL. Mammalian hibernation: cellular and molecular responses to depressed metabolism

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00:04:18

Ep 10 How Nature Maintains Stable Flow in Dynamic...

Wild engineers ·

2026/08/19

How Humpback whales inspired a revolution in wind turbine design when we learned from their pectoral flippers.Function: Maintain stable, efficient flow in dynamic conditions Biological model: Humpback whale pectoral flippers Engineering translation: Whale-inspired wind turbine blades Sources / further reading • Hamilton T. Whale-Inspired Wind Turbines. MIT Technology Review. 2008. https://share.google/nO0rAZrZbgF9YFDdI• Lane P. Whales inspire better blade designs. The Christian Science Monitor.

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00:04:42

Ep 9 How Nature Prevents Systems from Being Ignored

Wild engineers ·

2026/08/12

How economists in Ho Chi Minh city changed how we think about alerts in critical infrastructure after studying the Madagascan hissing cockroach.Function: Prevent systems from being ignored over time Biological model: Madagascan hissing cockroach and adaptive signallingEngineering translation: Adaptive hospital nurse-call alarm design Sources / further reading • Cobus V, Heuten W. To beep or not to beep? Evaluating modalities for multimodal ICU alarms. Multimodal Technologies and Interaction

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00:04:22

Ep 8 How Nature Distributes Energy Reliably

Wild engineers ·

2026/08/05

How the US Department of Energy reduced power outage restoration time by about 50% by applying lessons from leaves. Function: Distribute energy reliably during disturbances Biological model: Leaf vein networks Engineering translation: Self-healing electrical networks / FLISR Sources / further reading • Brodribb TJ, Bienaime D, Marmottant P. Revealing catastrophic failure of leaf networks under stress. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2016;113(17):4865–4869.

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00:04:35

Ep 7 How Nature Moves Air Passively

Wild engineers ·

2026/07/29

Discover the secret to the Swiss Re Building (nicknamed the Gherkin) in London of how to significantly reduce wind drag by learning from ocean sponges. Function: Move air passively Biological model: Venus’ flower basket sponge Engineering translation: 30 St Mary Axe / the Gherkin Sources / further reading • Adrian, B. 2001. Shape and Structure, From Engineering to Nature. Entropy. International and Interdisciplinary Journal of Entropy and Information Studies.

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00:04:29

Ep 6 How Nature Manages Waste

Wild engineers ·

2026/07/22

How cow’s stomachs inspired the design of a zero power, zero odour and zero chemical sewage treatment plant in India. Function: Manage waste Biological model: Cow stomach compartments and rumen microbiota Engineering translation: ECOSTP sewage treatment system Sources / further reading • Appels,L., Baeyens, J, Degrève,J,, & Dewil,R. 2008. Principles and potential of the anaerobic digestion of waste-activated sludge. Progress in Energy and Combustion Science. 34:6:755-781.

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00:04:22

Ep 5 How Nature Moves Fluids

Wild engineers ·

2026/07/15

How a city in California stabilised chlorine levels in water 87% faster than conventional methods, inspired by seashells. Function: Move fluids Biological model: Logarithmic spirals and vortices in nature Engineering translation: Pax Impeller® and the Thousand Oaks water case study Sources / further reading • Bejan A. The Physics of Life: The Evolution of Everything. 2016. https://share.google/OjFZVJZpxo3F58JKC • City of Thousand Oaks case study on Pax mixer performance.

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00:04:10

Ep 4 How Nature Maximises Strength with Minimal Material

Wild engineers ·

2026/07/08

How Airbus cut 1,000 kilos of weight from each A380 airplane, making them stronger in the process, by learning from bone structures.Function: Maximise strength with minimal materialBiological model: Trabecular bone Engineering translation: Topology optimisation in aircraft structuresSources / further reading • Elelwi M, Botez RM, Dao TM. Structural Sizing and Topology Optimization Based on Weight Minimization of a Variable Tapered Span-Morphing Wing for Aerodynamic Performance Improvements

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00:04:40

Ep 3 How Nature Protects from Fire

Wild engineers ·

2026/06/30

How Banksia shrubs inspired researchers to develop a solution where pine wood resists ignition even at 1008C. Function: Protect from fire Biological model: Oldman Banksia (Banksia serrata) follicles Engineering translation: Heat-activated self-sealing material concepts tested at the Max Planck InstituteSources / further reading • Australian Plants Society. Banksia serrata. https://share.google/qAj9SpOmx1eZ5Z11o• Huss JC, et al. Temperature-induced self-sealing capability of Banksia follicles. 2018

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00:03:10

Ep 2 How Nature Reduces Acoustic Impact

Wild engineers ·

2026/06/30

How Kingfisher’s beaks changed the way we design fast trains cutting noise by up to 15 decibels. Function: Reduce acoustic impact Biological model: Kingfisher beak Engineering translation: Shinkansen bullet train nose redesignSources / further reading • Biomimicry Institute. Kingfisher-inspired Shinkansen design. https://share.google/mzcDAhsClBNQKl8pV• Crandell KE, Howe RO, Falkingham PL. Repeated evolution of drag reduction at the air-water interface in diving kingfishers. Journal of the Royal

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00:03:57

Ep 1 How Nature Regulates Temperature

Wild engineers ·

2026/06/30

Discover how termites inspired an 82% drop in electricity use in the Australian-based CH2 building by designing smart chimneys just like termites. Function: Regulate temperature Biological model: African termite mounds Engineering translation: CH2 (Council House 2), Melbourne Sources / further reading• Arup. Biomimicry and the Built Environment. 2013. https://share.google/kBObCUIJzVvhhv95N • City of Melbourne. Council House 2: A Case Study in Sustainable Design. 2006.

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11 results

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