The document discusses reversal analogies, where aspects of nature are compared to technology and vice versa. It begins by explaining direct and reversal analogies. It then provides examples of bionic analogies where nature inspires technology, such as plants inspiring composite materials. The document proposes exploring reversal bionic analogies, where technology inspires new ways of viewing nature. As an example, it compares the Pave Paws phased array radar system to the compound eyes of insects, suggesting the eyes function like bistatic radar to scan space without movement. The document concludes by noting nature can suggest inventions while inventions can suggest new ways to view nature.

1. REVERSAL ANALOGIES.
Ideas & Questions
Antoni Elias Fusté
2015 January
1
DIRECT AND REVERSAL
ANALOGIES
Ideas & Questions

2. REVERSAL ANALOGIES.
Ideas & Questions
Antoni Elias Fusté
2015 January
2
• Analogy is a similarity between two or more things.
• Analogy is an extension of the metaphorical parable thinking
founded on the existence of parallel cases.
• The analogy is typically used in the world of science, electrical
and fluid mechanics, the word analog etc ... etc ...?
Example:
The behavior of the electrical circuitry is the same as that of
the hydraulic circuitry in fact the electric vocabulary mimics the
hydraulic one
THE ANALOGIES
METHOD

3. REVERSAL ANALOGIES.
Ideas & Questions
Antoni Elias Fusté
2015 January
THE BIONIC ANALOGY
-The bionic analogies use as reference elements of nature.
- Nature has perfected and selected mechanisms and procedures for millennia, if
these mechanisms were not effective and efficient species that should not have
lasted.
VEGETABLES
- Plants resistant composite
materials that support high
tensions.
- Chemical factories without
moving parts.
- Adaptative and self learning
organisms
- Good ways and means of seed
dispersal.
- Gluing forms (Velcro)
ANIMALS
-Insects intriguing mechanisms,
clamps, wings, eyes, sonar,
countermeasures ...
- Mechanisms for drilling, insects,
birds
- Skins slide in one direction only
- How the mind works ?, neural
machines likely to learn
We have already taken the first step in the self-reproduction of artificial
elements, computer viruses are a good example.
3

4. REVERSAL ANALOGIES.
Ideas & Questions
Antoni Elias Fusté
2015 January
4
Now let's explore a new path:
THE REVERSAL BIONIC ANALOGY
Cauliflower Fractal

5. REVERSAL ANALOGIES.
Ideas & Questions
Antoni Elias Fusté
2015 January
Pave
Paws,
Radar
System
based
on
"phase
array“.
5
Picture from commons.wikimedia.org

6. REVERSAL ANALOGIES.
Ideas & Questions
Antoni Elias Fusté
2015 January
6
PAVE PAWS is a United States Air Force Space Command radar system operated by three 21st Space
Wing squadrons for missile warning and space surveillance.
PAVE, an acronym which stands for "Precision Avionics Vectoring Equipment", is an Air Force program
name relating to electronic systems, while PAWS stands for "Phased Array Warning System". The
radar, developed by Raytheon, is used primarily to detect and track sea-launched (SLBM) and
intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). source Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PAVE_PAWS
Picture from mostlymissiledefence

7. REVERSAL ANALOGIES.
Ideas & Questions
Antoni Elias Fusté
2015 January
Pave Paws
120º 85º
7
An aspect of this radar is phased array
antenna technology. This system differs from
a mechanical radar, which must be physically
aimed at an object in space to detect and/or
track it. The phased array antenna is in a fixed
position and can be part of the building wall.
Phased array antenna aiming, or beam
steering, is done rapidly by electronically
controlling the phase (or timing) of the
incoming and outgoing signals. Controlling the
phase through the many segments of the
antenna system allows the beam to be quickly
projected in different directions.
This greatly reduces the time necessary to change the beam direction from one point to another, allowing almost
simultaneous tracking of multiple targets while maintaining the surveillance responsibility. This ability is known as "track
while scan". The large fixed antenna array through its better beam focusing, improves system sensitivity and tracking
accuracy.
A phased array antenna, as with any other directional antenna, will receive signals from space only in the direction in
which the beam is aimed. The maximum practical deflection on either side of antenna center of the phased array beam
is 60 degrees. This limits the coverage from a single antenna face to 120 degrees. To provide surveillance across the
horizon, the building housing the entire system and supporting the antenna arrays is constructed in the shape of a
triangle. The two building faces supporting the arrays, each covering 120 degrees, will monitor 240 degrees of azimuth.
The array faces are also tilted back 20 degrees to allow for an elevations deflection from three to 85 degrees above
horizontal. The radar system is capable of detecting and monitoring a great number of targets that would be consistent
with a massive missile attack. The system must rapidly discriminate between vehicle types, calculating their launch and
impact points in addition to the scheduling, data processing and communications requirements.
source Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PAVE_PAWS

8. REVERSAL ANALOGIES.
Ideas & Questions
Antoni Elias Fusté
2015 January
8
Now, What happens if we apply a
Reversal Bionic Analogy ?
Bionic Analogy
? Reversal

9. REVERSAL ANALOGIES.
Ideas & Questions
Antoni Elias Fusté
2015 January
9
Take the Pave Paws picture and
just add two antennas, a
mustache and a mouth

10. REVERSAL ANALOGIES.
Ideas & Questions
Antoni Elias Fusté
2015 January
10
We have

11. REVERSAL ANALOGIES.
Ideas & Questions
Antoni Elias Fusté
2015 January
11
Like

12. REVERSAL ANALOGIES.
Ideas & Questions
Antoni Elias Fusté
2015 January
12
Something like the head of an insect

13. REVERSAL ANALOGIES.
Ideas & Questions
Antoni Elias Fusté
2015 January
13

14. REVERSAL ANALOGIES.
Ideas & Questions
Antoni Elias Fusté
2015 January
14
Arthropod eyes are called compound eyes because they are made up of
repeating units, the ommatidia, each of which functions as a separate visual
receptor.
Each ommatidium consists of a lens (the front surface of which makes up a
single facet) a transparent crystalline cone light-sensitive visual cells
arranged in a radial pattern like the sections of an orange pigment cells which
separate the ommatidium from its neighbors.
The pigment cells ensure that only light entering the ommatidium parallel (or
almost so) to its long axis reaches the visual cells and triggers nerve impulses.
Thus each ommatidium is pointed at just a single area in space and contributes
information about only one small area in the field of view.
http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultra
net/BiologyPages/C/CompoundEye.
html

15. REVERSAL ANALOGIES.
Ideas & Questions
Antoni Elias Fusté
2015 January
15
But, Maybe the insect
eyes work as well as
Pave Paws Radar
(really, as a bistatic radar
where the transmitter
would be the sun)
Scan the space as a
phase array
antenna.
It can target, or
focus, any direction
without moving the
head or eyes.

16. REVERSAL ANALOGIES.
Ideas & Questions
Antoni Elias Fusté
2015 January
16
Bistatic radar is the name given to a radar system which comprises a
transmitter and receiver which are separated by a distance that is comparable
to the expected target distance. Conversely, a radar in which the transmitter
and receiver are collocated is called a monostatic radar. A system containing
multiple spatially diverse monostatic radar or bistatic radar components with a
shared area of coverage is called multistatic radar. Many long-range air-to-
air and surface-to-air missile systems use semi-active radar homing which is a
form of bistatic radar.
Bistatic radar geometry,
transmitter could be
omnidirectional (the sun)
Source: Wikipedia

17. REVERSAL ANALOGIES.
Ideas & Questions
Antoni Elias Fusté
2015 January
17
Nature suggests
inventions
inventions suggest
other ways to see nature
Question for Biologists
Bionic Analogy
Reversal Bionic
Analogy

18. REVERSAL ANALOGIES.
Ideas & Questions
Antoni Elias Fusté
2015 January
Thank you very much for your attention!!!!
Antoni Elias Fusté
Creativity Teacher in
BarcelonaTech-UPC