BiologicalInspiration

ByMatthewMarshall

Ourproductwasinspiredbyvariousorganismsthathelpinsulateheatinsidetheir
bodiesandactliketheirownecosystem.Mostoftheresearchforourinspirationwas
foundontheAskNaturewebsite.Weweremainlyinspiredbythecushionplant,which
haveaprettygoodinsulation.Acushionplantiswhereorganismscondensetheirstems
toformacushion.Thiscreatesasmallecosystemwhereorganismsgetwarmth,humidity
andnourishment.Thecushionactslikeaspongethatabsorbsthewaterandisunaffected
bycoldwinds.Theessentialnutrientsdonotdie,butinsteadtheyreabsorbbylateral
rootletthattakeconstituentsoftheleavesbeforeitdecomposes.Thecushionplantsalso
haveamuffthatconsistofheatstoredintheinterioroftheplant,whichistheorganisms
cushionexterior.Thecushionplantheatingsysteminspiredourcompostingbinbecause
wewillstoreamufflikeinsulationthathelpsourbinheatup.Ourcompostingbinacts
likeasmallecosystemsimilartothecushionplantsfunctions.Thebincanregulate
temperaturesbyprovidingadditionalheatfromconductionandconvection.Inthe
processofconductionwheretheenergyfromoneatomtransferstoanotherthrough
directcontact.Theupperhalfofthepile,theconductioncausedheatlosetothe
surroundingairmoleculestomodifythetemperature.Theprocessofconvection
requirestheheattotransferfrommovementfromairorwaterpresentinthecompost
materials.Thebinhelpsmallhomeresidentstoprovideresourceslikeairandwaterto
thecompostingmaterials.Thisadjustmentcanstoptheheapfromdryingupandaswell
topreventthematerialsfromdecomposition.Thisissimilartothecushionplantbecause
whenstemsofthecushionplantpackedtogethertheyhelpkeeptheplantcovered,sothat
thereislimitedspaceforthecoldwindstodrytheplantfromdying.Anotherorganism
thatinfluenceourcompostingbinwouldbetheparrotfish.Thisfishdoesnothaveteeth,
butinsteadhaveblocksinsideitsmouththatallowsittogrinditsfood.Wedrew
inspirationfromthisfunctionbydesigningablockgrinderthatreducesmaterialthat
theycangetenoughnutrientsfromthematerials.Theblockgrinderhaveacranksystem
thatallowspeopletogrindtheirorganicmaterialsbycrankingitclockwise.Thewasteis
thentransportedtothebottomofthebin,whichcanbelaterbeusedasnutrientsforthe
soilortheresidentscanquicklythrowitaway.Wealsowereinfluencedfromantmounds
thatequalairflowwithinthecenterofthemoundthatallowswindfrominteriorand
exterior.Thebesttocomparethistypeofsystemwouldbetheairconditioningsystem,
whichthecoolaircanhelplowerthetemperaturesintheroom.Theantmoundsystem
reflectsthistypeofsystembecausetheairfromoutsidethemoundhelpcoolsdownthe
insideofthemound.Howtheairventilationworksistheshapeofthemoundresembles
anhourglass.Inthemoundinteriortheaircomesthroughthelargetoparea.Itthen

travelsthroughthenarrowsectionandcomesoutofthebottom,whichhelpcoolsthe
ant.Hereisapicturebelow!

Weappliedthistoourdesignbyputtingairventstoallowtheairtocomethrough
andcomeoutofthebin.Theinsideofourbinisshapedwheretheupperpartisopenthat
lettheairinside.Theairfollowsanarrowpathinthemiddlepartandreachthebottom
throughanopengap.Wethendecidetomaketheventssmallerthanusuallytonotletthe
smellcomeoutofthebin.Thiswasoneofthemajorcomplaintsofpreviouscomposting
binthatthesmellisalwaystheproblemandtheprobabilityofasmallhouseowner
wantingabininsidetheirhomewouldbelowbecauseofthefoulodor.Asquick
innovatorswethoughtthatiftheairventswouldbesmallerthatnotmuchofthesmell
couldnotimpacttheodorofthehouseholdtoomuch.Wealsoincludedadditionaltubes
toourbintocollectwaterfromwithinthebin.Theplanisthatifitstartstorainorthere
iswetmoistureintheairthatourtubeswillbeabletoconservethesesmallwater
droplets.ThewaterthenmovesinchannelswherethewateriscontainedThisislikea
waterstoragesystemthateffectivelyhelpsavewaterduringtheglobalcrisisofdroughtin
CaliforniaandotherdesertplaceslikeArizona.Weplanonusingstainlesssteelforthe
exteriorofourbinbecauseitcanhelpnotabsorbthefoulodor.Thisisthesolutiontothe
odorproblemthatIpreviouslymentionaboutthecompostingbin.Thestainlesssteelcan
alsobeeasilywashedandcleanedcomparedtoothercompostingmaterials.Thereason
whywecouldnotfindanyinspirationfromnaturetoblockadethesmellbecausethere
wasalimitedoption.Itseemsthatbacteriaresponsibletoaltersmelldependingifitis
supposedtosmelllikeflowerorgarbageisstillbeingresearched.Sofarthereisno
definiteecofriendlyproductthatcanhelpblockadethesmell.Beforeourfinalconceptof
thedesignwehadmanydifferentvariations.OurfirstdesignwasbasedontheAustralian
birdMalleeFowlnest.Thenestisahugedirtmoundcompiledwithdeadleavesandsand.

Thesematerialshelpprovidewarmthfortheeggs.Alsowhenthenestgetstoohot,the
fowlcanremovesomeofthesandtocoolthenestdown.Ourfirstsketchwasbasedon
theMalleeFowlsandmound.Thebinwouldbemadeoutofahardplastic,soitwouldnot
easilybend.Hereisadiagrambelow!

AnotherdesignconceptthatIwanttomentionwouldbeourhedgerowbin.Thisideawas
influencedbyhedgerowsbecausetheyareabletoabsorbnutrientsfromtherainand
transportthewatertotheplantsoil.Wetookthisfunctionasweweremakingthedesign
shapedasahedgerow.Weplannedonstoringfiltersthathelpmovewatersthrough
tubes,whichcollectthewaterinthebottom.Thebottomhadaremovabledoorwherethe
personcantakethewateroutofthebinandpouritontheplantsorconservewaterat
home.Otherdesignfunctionswouldbestoringthedecayingwasteinthemiddletohelp
heattheorganicmaterials.Therewastoooptionstogetthewasteinsideorgetridofit.In
therightsideyoucanstorethewasteinsideandtheleftsidethereisaslidethathelp
removethewaste.Hereisadetailedblueprintofourdesignbelow!

Thesetypesoffunctionswereimprovedinourfinaldesign.Theairewereadvanceddue
totheinspirationoftheantmoundandevenourshapeofourproductwaschangetoa
portablebin.Herearesomeblueprintsthatleaduptoourfinalproductbelow.


Thebestwaytodevelopbettermethodsforyourproductistounderstandtheproblems
withthecurrentsituationandbeabletoapplynewmethodstoimproveupontheold.
Naturehavesomanysystemsthatweredevelopedovertimetohelpsolvesomeofour
mostcomplicatedproblemsthathumanityhavenotbeenabletofindthebestsolution
yet.Hopefully,ourdesignofaportablecompostingbinthatcanstoreinwasteandbe
abletomakeitreusableagaincouldbedevelopedinthenearfuture.