ABSTRACT
Harnessing Collective Intelligence for Industrial Symbiosis.
Technology is changing the world at a rapid pace and we are entering the 4th Industrial Revolution which is characterized by a new range of technologies like biotech and infotech which connects our physical, digital and biological worlds.
Meanwhile, our manufacturing systems are still based on the same old take, make and waste system that relies heavily on our natural resources for materials, water and energy. Industrial Symbiosis (IS) provides a framework for helping to reduce the impact of manufacturing industries, but it still not commonplace.
In an effort to assess what could be done to make this framework more mainstream, the IS model was evaluated against Life’s Principles.
Using the biomimicry design spiral as part of the design process, swarm intelligence in Nature was discovered to be the most interesting concept to explore further. This thesis project examines the idea that an online game could be used to leverage the Collective Intelligence of players around the world to build virtual IS hubs that could potentially be applied to the real world.
BIO
Aoife Fahey recently graduated from MCAD with an MA in Sustainable Design. She is a keen advocate for using Biomimicry in design processes.
She has a BA in Design & Business from the Copenhagen School of Design & Technology, and has worked for a number of years in a Material Design Lab where she was involved in setting up biofabrication projects and facilitating workshops around circular economy and sustainable materials.