Design, biônica e novos paradigmas: uso de tecnologias 3D para análise e caracterização aplicadas em anatomia vegetal

Designers must work with state of the art technologies in the application of different techniques both on the creation of innovative products as well as on the generation of new knowledge. Bionics methodology is based on the interaction of different disciplines, in order to study natural elements, characterizing and applying them in design and engineering projects. On the other hand, plant anatomy deals with the study of the microstructure of plants, using classic methods of sample sectioning for microscopic observation, leading to the interpretation of tissues and constituent cells. With the advancement of 3D technologies, new techniques have emerged for observation and analysis of materials, such as X-Ray Microcomputed tomography (μCT) and Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), however, these resources remain little explored in biological and plant sciences. In this sense, this work presents a new approach to the use of μCT and FDM techniques, using bamboo to characterize its microstructure. Both techniques are employed in anatomical analysis, including 3D sectioning of the virtual sample model, obtained by μCT images, in addition to qualitative analyses. Finally, the study presents the development of two physical models, printed by FDM on a 25:1 scale, of different types of plant tissues. The results allowed the 3D visualization of the microstructure of the sample, assisting both the comprehension of its morphology and a better understanding of its resistance, for project applications. It is presented the possibility of merging the techniques of μCT and FDM in the generation of virtual and physical models for observation applied to the plant anatomy. By taking advantage of bionics knowledge, it is observed that the designer can and should act to promote paradigm shift within other fields of knowledge, by means of new high-resolution technologies.