Owl’s feathers, penguins and the kingfisher’s head: Inspiration for the bullet train.
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Owl’s feathers, penguins and the kingfisher’s head: Inspiration for the bullet train.
Tue, 14/06/2016 - 19:00
Location:
Speaker:
Eiji Nakatsu
Affiliation:
Former Director of Technical Development and Operations, Japan Railways – West
Synopsis:
Biomimetics can be described as the translation into engineering principles of ideas taken from Nature. Eiji Nakatsu is one of the foremost design engineers of the famous Japanese Shinkansen bullet train, one of the fastest trains in the world, and one of the most silent. In his talk, Mr. Nakatsu will reveal how bio-inspiration and study of the kingfisher, owl, penguin and demoiselle crane enable him to increase the train’s speed, reduce his electricity consumption and reduce noise.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/owls-feathers-penguins-and-the-kingfisher...
Further Information: Please arrive via the members’ gate of the Edinburgh at 7:00 pm. You will be directed to the Education Centre from there. The talk will begin at 7:20 pm. Refreshments will be available to purchase on arrival.
Biography:
Eiji Nakatsu graduated from the Faculty of Engineering at Osaka University. Employed in 1987 by the West Japan Railways Company, he rapidly obtained seniority within the company, becoming Director of Technical Development in 1989, and Director of Test Operations in 1992. His skills in improving the operation of the Shinkansen train did not go unnoticed and he became the Vice Director of the Safety Department of Taiwan High Speed Railway Corporation in 2003 and advisor for the Indian Ministry of Railway for the High Speed Railway Project in 2011. In 2012, he served as a consultant for the Marmaray project in Turkey, which oversaw the construction of an undersea tunnel railway across the Bosphorus. He is also a member of many non-profit organisations such as the World Bird Society of Japan, the Weather Network and the Friend of the Lake Biwa.