[ExI] [Open Manufacturing] Leaf veins inspire a new model for distribution networks

[Bryan Bishop]

On Mon, Mar 1, 2010 at 3:42 PM, Paul D. Fernhout wrote:
> ScienceDaily (Feb. 27, 2010) — A straight line may be the shortest path from
> A to B, but it's not always the most reliable or efficient way to go. In
> fact, depending on what's traveling where, the best route may run in
> circles, according to a new model that bucks decades of theorizing on the
> subject. A team of biophysicists at Rockefeller University developed a
> mathematical model showing that complex sets of interconnecting loops --
> like the netted veins that transport water in a leaf -- provide the best
> distribution network for supplying fluctuating loads to varying parts of the
> system. It also shows that such a network can best handle damage.
>  The findings could change the way engineers think about designing networks
> to handle a variety of challenges like the distribution of water or
> electricity in a city.

You may also be interested in "constructal theory":
http://constructal.org/

"According to the Constructal law, every system is destined to remain
imperfect, i.e. with flow resistances. The natural constructal
tendency then is to distribute the imperfections of the system, and
this distribution of imperfection generates the shape and structure of
the system. The constructal way of distributing the imperfections is
to put the more resistive regime at the smallest scale of the system."

The constructal law is stated as: "For a finite-size (flow) system to
persist in time (to live), its configuration must evolve such that it
provides easier and easier access to its currents." (Bejan, 1996)

- Bryan
http://heybryan.org/
1 512 203 0507