Rittal (Germany)

We are living in a highly technologized environment. Thus the constant supply of energy is essential for many applications. Especially IT and communication technology is essential for processes, workflows and business transactions. Also the increasing demand for public safety results in continuously running equipment for control and information systems or security surveillance. In order to support this backbone of our daily life, critical infrastructures are quite often equipped with an uninterruptable power supply (UPS). Fuel cells can already be used for such applications.

The variability in diameter of organisms or organs (e.g. the ambulacral feet of sea urchins) and fold-flap mechanisms of flowers and leaves served as concept generator for the development of two types of biomimetic cable entry systems. The damping properties of plants and the quills of the hedgehog are the biological models that were translated in a bio-inspired, optimised shockabsorbing transportation pallet. The new cable entry systems are easy to open and to close and are impermeable against fluids or dust. The optimised biomimetic transportation pallet has a very good damping behaviour and is well recyclable.