Researchers claim that it is possible to Build houses with Bones. Dr. Michelle Oyen at the University of Cambridge says that special steel-inspired bone is more resistant to cracking, and it is possible to build houses, skyscrapers, and offices with bones. He believes that just because we can make buildings out of concrete and steel, it doesn’t mean we should. Bones are lightweight, durable, flexible, and have multi-layered structures, giving a better look to our buildings.
Living in a city of bones
Dr. Michelle Oyen says that we will live in a town made of bones.
He aims to replace materials like concrete, metal, and steel with bones to cope with rising populations. He says that steel is responsible for a tenth of carbon emissions worldwide. On the other hand, artificial bones are designed to self-heal, and will soon become a reality for developers and engineers. Because of its crack-resistant properties, a bone has more strength and durability than steel. It ensures safety in construction and transport applications. Researchers say that we use steel in almost everything -- from cars and planes to power plants and bridges. It is affordable, and its alloys are tailored for specific applications. But soon, steel and concrete will be replaced by bones, as these are vulnerable to scratching.
The future of this technology
Mr. Michelle Oyen says that he will establish long bones that could build his bedroom, kitchen and dining area. A typical long bone has dense connective tissue, and Michelle fills its top with yellow bone marrow. This zigzagging hierarchical structure increases the material’s resistance to the proliferation of cracks.
Thus, bone is a good option to build houses and skyscrapers. Oyen and his colleagues altered the nanostructure of steel to mimic the multi-layered structure of bone. He will create patterns of the new material that show better resistance to wear and tear.
Admir Masic at MIT claims that the insight into biological strategies to build crack-resistant materials is an excellent source of inspiration for designers and builders. Michelle needs more time and research before he can produce these building materials on a large scale. Scientists say that cities will be built from bone if Michelle's experiments succeed.
