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Designs That Outlive You

Posted March 19, 2010 7:55 AM

In the design triangle of Good, Fast, and Cheap (pick any two!) — it's easiest to quantify Fast and Cheap. Good has many criteria, with one quantifiable factor being longevity. Tell us some of your favorite Good designs with exceptional service lives. Think Hoover Dam and the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress.

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phph001
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Join Date: Oct 2009
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#1

Re: Designs That Outlive You

03/20/2010 3:39 AM

My candidate for the well designed machine with the desired longevity must be the human body. Yes, it needs a lot of servicing, but with the due care my specimen has lasted 66 years and some have been known to top 100. Peter
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canadianslidewinder
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#2
In reply to #1

Re: Designs That Outlive You

03/20/2010 6:58 PM

I'm not sure I would agree that the human body is such a great machine design. A lot of physical problems result from our upright bipedal position (back problems, circulatory problems, over-stressed knee and hip joints).

A design detail that definitely needs improvement is the wrist joint. When turning a knob or tightening a bolt by hand, it would be much more convenient if the wrist joint was fully rotatable, allowing complete and continuous rotation of the hand in either direction. Also, telescopic eyes with zoom focus would be an advance over the peepers we've been given. Eagles have eyes capable of this. Why not us? I was taught in Sunday school that we were created in God's image. Doesn't God have telescopic vision?

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cingold
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#4
In reply to #2

Re: Designs That Outlive You

03/22/2010 8:11 AM

Have you ever cut your hand and then weeks later look at it and realize that the scar is nearly or completely gone?

Have you ever broke your femur and after a month or two of being in a cast have full or nearly full mobility?

I can't think of anything we've created with those regenerative capabilities. Although this is a little off topic.
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canadianslidewinder
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#5
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Re: Designs That Outlive You

03/23/2010 9:31 AM

The human body - a machine that repairs itself. This is a wonderful thing, but even plants have this ability, so it's not a special characteristic among organisms, and even in this respect we fall far short of some others in the animal kingdom. The lobster, for example, if it loses a claw, it grows another one. Just guessing, but I suspect lobsters aren't prone to back problems either.

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cingold
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#7
In reply to #5

Re: Designs That Outlive You

03/23/2010 10:16 AM

Yes but the design of a lobster seems to fall short when it meets boiling water.

I agree with you. I mentioned humans in my first post because the person before me was talking about the design of humans. However, plants and animals can fall into my discussion as well.
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Anonymous Poster
#3

Re: Designs That Outlive You

03/21/2010 6:09 PM

a bicycle of course, one of mine is from 193X (I'm from 196X)
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canadianslidewinder
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#6

Re: Designs That Outlive You

03/23/2010 9:36 AM

A timeless machine design? I'll cast my vote for the chinese windlass. Simple, effective, brilliant.

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