In an entirely different arena, Mr. Harman's impeller can be used in combination with a solar-powered motor to create a ripple effect on the surface of a pool of stagnant water, changing the balance of nitrogen and oxygen in the pool. This makes it possible to interrupt the development of mosquito larvae, potentially reducing the threat of malaria and encephalitis.
Mr. Harman is a practitioner of biomimicry, a growing movement of the industrial-design field. Eleven years ago, he established Pax Scientific to commercialize his ideas, thinking that it would take only a couple of years to convince companies that they could increase efficiency, lower noise or create entirely new categories of products by following his approach.
It has been a longer and more circuitous path than he first imagined. Despite glowing publicity and a remarkably photogenic technology, Pax Scientific has not been an overnight success. "When I started I thought that this would take 6 to 12 months," Mr. Harman said. What he found instead were companies that had little interest in redesigning their products, even in the face of the promise of double-digit increases in efficiency.
His radical ideas have so far found a cautious reception in the aircraft, air- conditioning, boating, pump and wind turbine industries. Mr. Harman's experience is not unusual. Rather than beating a path to the door of mousetrap designers, the world seems to actively avoid them.
Indeed, one of his advisers, Paul Saffo, an independent Silicon Valley technology forecaster, often repeats this simple dictum: "Never mistake a clear view for a short distance." Even in fields such as the computer industry, which celebrates innovation, systemic change can be glacial. ...
THE slow uptake on his ideas about streamlining fluid flow hasn't deterred Mr. Harman, who pronounces himself an incurable optimist.
"There is a basic psychology of the human species which is resistant to change," he said, "but it's not in my DNA to give up."
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