Tool #6: Action
Taking action after determining a problem and potential solutions is the next key step to be able to move forward. For me, that consists of defining design restrictions and starting journaling and planning.
Art of Aero is a personal start-up dream/ project. This document shows some of the ideas I had to improve the field of aerodynamic design and analysis as well as sustainability by finding alternative ways to leverage wind power and reduce vehicles' drag. To achieve my goal of expanding these ideas and come up with new ones, I am currently learning python and starting arduino because the ability to program well is at the core of innovation and supports self initiation which allows the opportunity to prototype more ideas.
As I went through the process of creating an aerodynamics team at my university, I needed to self study most of the time. While I could find a lot of research papers online I noticed that there was also a lot of misconception and fundamentally wrong information about this field outside the research papers. For instance, spoilers and wings seem to be used interchangeably and their working principles had various explanations in forums and even car magazines. I could understand the technical terms and methodology used in the scientific papers but it cannot be expected from everyone to learn this field in depth to gain even minimal but correct information. Aerodynamics is often seen as "a dark art" because of its complexity: I think this is actually due to lack of resources that most people can understand without having to have in depth knowledge. This is why I thought of creating an online resource which would clarify the misconceptions, bridge this information gap and explain the physics and special parts used in aerodynamics in a more understandable and visually appealing way.
Art of Aero is not limited to this, I believe that the possible connection between engineered systems or surfaces and the beauty of their form is worth discovering. One field I am aiming to research more is biomimicry. The science of mimicking nature can be very beneficial for discoveries: the use of biomimicry in aerodynamics has rather been limited to this date with few resources and fascinating examples like the DARPA hummingbird robot. I would love to find a method or develop a device leveraging biomimicry, I think that there is a lot to be discovered there.
With all these possibilities Art of Aero is the engine that drives my passion for discovery in this field as well as others. While I love to develop my ideas in the field of fluid mechanics, I think innovation comes from interdisciplinary thinking because often times, a problem that we get stuck with could have been or can be solved by a method or a mindset coming from a different field. No system works in isolation so I constantly try to expand my skills across fields: by learning a new language (Italian), another programming language (python), learning how to use arduino and trying to enhance my rendering skills to design even more objects for my daily life like the dining table I designed. Art of Aero is also the log, gate and training program for my aim to become an innovator for a greener and sustainable future.
