The present study focuses on the physical mechanisms that allow a beetle to collect water droplets from the atmosphere, and quantify water collection rates as a function of the incoming fog stream conditions. Fundamental knowledge in this area is necessary because of its relevance to engineering systems that use either physical capture (nets, screens, etc.) or phase change (condensation) to extract water from the atmosphere. The research is of interest not only to the thermal transport community, but also to the wider communities of biomimetics. The impact of this study may transcend interdisciplinary boundaries and has the potential to maximize fundamental knowledge of immense technological importance.
The work combines multiphase fluid transport with elements of biology, ecology and materials engineering. More specifically, the work will quantify water collection rates not only in terms of the chemistry and morphology of the beetle's body, but also with respect to the flow structure and droplet concentration boundary layer around the animal. This would be the first time that a study considers the integral system of the beetle and the surrounding atmosphere, which is a multi-phase fluid flowing over a complex granular terrain. The natural system studied has the potential to inform the design of moisture harvesting devices based on biomimetic principles. On the fundamental side, the research is expected to produce a mechanistic model of how the beetles harvest fog from the atmosphere. The data produced will also contribute to the debate surrounding earlier proposed fog basking models that have inspired intense activity and discussion in the thermal transport community.
