How Kingfisher Inspired Bullet Trains

When the bullet train was first shown to the world in 1964 it was praised as a triumph of engineering. However, a major design flaw was produced when the trains would leave tunnels. Going faster than 200 miles per hour (320 kmph), the Shinkansen train would become a rifle, blasting out of the tunnel with an explosive bang.

Known as tunnel boom, it is created by the train forcing air along the enclosed tunnel, and building up the air pressure until it reaches the end of the tunnel when it is released in the form of a sonic boom.
Many people reported that they could hear loud bangs up to 1312 feet (400m) away. As a result, Japan set a decibel limit of 70 to prevent further noise-pollution levels.

Then, in 1994 an engineer and birdwatcher Eiji Nakastu found inspiration from the kingfisher, and thought about ways it could be applied to the train. After many tests, the result was a nose design similar to that of the kingfisher that offered better performance, and solved the noise issue.

[aakashchheda]

Nature is full of solutions for our man made problem, it's only a matter of time before we realize what's already in front of us.. ✌
The line an engineer want to hear for so long.

[gamingderpies]

I'm glad to see that an example of engineering is inspired by nature for once! 😁

[sanjanasingh]

Need more of these type of videos " innovations inspired by nature"

[charleschan]

"Nature is full of solutions for our man-made problems"

Damn that sounded smooth

[ameya]

Knowing i will never sit in bullet train still watched it

[karthik]

Thanks Japan for the innovation of the Bullet train in the world by the 1964 century now we are constructing in India it will be completed by 2026 around 304 km remaining 2030

[alylwe]

thanks kingfisher these bullet trains are AWESOME❤❤

[arifinaja]

I guess my pen cap was inspired by this bird too

[himanshuohlyan]

and now kingfisher motivates engineers 🍺🍻

[vj.joseph]

I was wondering why they all had such shapes.

[pedarsedaniel]

Great video! What's the background music?

[Randomvideos-yrcc]

I guess nature has every ansewer we need. We just need to notice

[sunnygappy]

Ironically, King Fisher is also named to one of the fastest steam locomotives in the world
LNER class A4

[Joyofcooking-ucuk]

Although wonder why it took that long to understand. You should also see professional olympics level divers and the shape they make when they dive into water.

[Life_]

Nature is the true divine book to read.

[JishyFishy]

So why not design this kind of a beak for Fighter Jets and Supersonic Passenger Jets ??

[DanielYWoo]

At 3:47, is it the bullet train of Japan, or China?

[matthewtymczyszyn]

1. Why does a tunnel cause a sonic boom? The visual isn't clear.
2. Did Nakatsu speak with ornithologists? How did he decide on kingfishers and not, say, hawks?
3. How did management, crews, and the public react to the news?

There's a lot more detail you could put into this video. Poor form.

[tko]

I found a mistake! The narrator misread the script and said the early 90s, but It should be the early 60s. 0:43 "It's the early 90s."

[ThunderTiger]

Why did you guys use so many sped up clips of the Shinkansen? They are already fast enough 😂😂