Inspired by Nature

The process of transferring nature's principles into technology is called biomimicry. Scientists and inventors are increasingly borrowing ideas freely from nature. Why? Why not take advantage of principles that have been tested for millions of years in nature? This guide showcases some of these amazing technological breakthroughs and leaves you with some useful resources to explore the subject of biomimicry.

Created by Author

Grant Gist

Subject: Manufacturing

Tags:Biomemetics, Biomimicry, Biomimicry research, Bionics

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Inside the Guide

Overview
Microscopic Texture Keeps Surfaces Clean and Dry
Biomimicry Videos

Achieving Color without Pigment
How to Get the Sun to Work Harder for Us

Aerodynamics, Fuel-Efficiency and Safety
Staying Sharp with Lots of Use

Seaweed Secretion Wards off Bacteria
Further Reading on BioMimicry - How Innovation can be Inspired by Nature

Overview

Exciting technology advances are increasingly inspired by naturally occuring phenomena. This was the subject of an exciting article titled "Inspired by Nature" in the Science Illustrated magazine, July / August 2008.

Man-made technology will probably never catch up with nature. After all, a car that can travel 70 miles on a single gallon of gas is pretty impressive, but nothing compared with, say, a tiny hummingbird that can fly 500 miles nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico. Still, nature made humans such that we can't help trying. Here we present some of the newest and most innovative examples of biomimicry.

All the quotes in this guide are from the Science Illustrated article cited here, unless otherwise called out.

Achieving Color without Pigment

Inspiration: Blue Morpho Butterflies

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morpho_(butterfly)

"Blue morpho butterflies get their bright coloring solely from ambient light. The distance between the layered wing scales determines which light wavelength is reflected to the eye, resulting in iridescent blues and greens, depending on the eye's angle."

Application: Interferometric Modulator (IMOD) Displays

http://www.presentationtek.com/2006/11/14/qualcomm%E2%80%99s-imod-display-technology/

"Interferometric modulator (IMOD) displays for handheld devices use layered mirrors instead of scales to catch and reflect ambient light to produce pixels [green in this example]. The screens require less battery power and are easy to read in bright sunlight."

Aerodynamics, Fuel-Efficiency and Safety

Inspiration: The Angular Boxfish

http://www.austmus.gov.au/fishes/fishfacts/fish/ocubicus.htm

"The angular boxfish is surprisingly aerodynamic, and its skeleton is think at high-stress points, protecting the otherwise lightweight fish from injury"

Application: Mercedes Benz Bionic Car

http://wwwsg.daimlerchrysler.com/SD7DEV/GMS/TEMPLATES/GMS_PRESS_KIT/0,2970,0-1-68938-1-1-text-0-68935,00.html?

"Mercedes's concept vehicle, the fuel efficient 2005 Bionic Car, borrowed its sturdy, lightweight, low-drag design from the boxfish."

Seaweed Secretion Wards off Bacteria

Inspiration: Delicate Beauty Seaweed

http://www.hermonslade.org.au/projects/HSF_05_9/hsf_05_9.htm

"Compounds called furanones block the buildup of biofilms, layers that harbor bacteria and other microscopic life, on seaweed. The biofils grow on most organic and inorganic wet surfaces -- causing illness and damage, respectively."

Application: Compounds that Mimic Furanones

http://medgadget.com/archives/2006/06/biosignal_furan.html

"Compounds that mimic furanones inhibit the growth of bacterial biofilms on surfaces such as water-cooling towers and contact lenses. Unlike antibiotics, the compounds don't try to kill bacteria, so the organisms are less likely to become resilient to them."

Microscopic Texture Keeps Surfaces Clean and Dry

Inspiration: Lotus Leaves

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_effect

"Lotus leaves' waxy surface is superhydrophobic, meaning it repels water extremely well. Tiny bumps on the leaves hold water and dirt aloft. Water beads up into droplets that pick up dirt and roll off the leaf."

Application: Wet-proof, Self-cleaning Products

http://www.stocorp.com/allweb.nsf/lotusanpage

"The 'Lotus Effect' has inspired wet-proof, self-cleaning products like ... Lotusan self-cleaning paint entered the market three years ago, and stay-dry bathing suits are on the way."

How to Get the Sun to Work Harder for Us

Inpiration: Polar Bear Hair

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_bear

"Translucent polar-bear hair catches sunlight, directing it to the animal's dark hide below. The black skin turns the rays into thermal energy that keeps the bears warm in their frigid arctic habitats. Polar-bear hair also keeps the animals warm with its hollow structure, which holds air that insulates them against the cold."

Application: A Translucent Polyester Textile-based Solar Collector

http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/en/wo.jsp?wo=2006021435

"A translucent polyester textile affixed to black fabric re-creates the effect in new solar collectors that are lighter and cheaper to transport than traditional glass ones. The collectors could be helping to heat homes and water in remote regions within a year."

Staying Sharp with Lots of Use

Inspiration: Rats' Incisors

http://www.ratbehavior.org/Teeth.htm

"In a process called bruxing, rats' incisors grind against and sharpen each other."

Application: Self-Sharpening Industrial Blades

http://www.fraunhofer.de/EN/press/pi/2005/01/Mediendienst012005Thema3.jsp

"Industrial Blades that self-sharpen with a super-hard coating that grinds against the softer inner metal during use."

Biomimicry Videos

YouTube - Janine Benyus - Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkmDtKKDYws

Janine Benyus is a biologist, innovation consultant, and author of six books, including Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. Her company, the Biomimicr...

YouTube - Janine Benyus - Part 1

Click to Close Video Player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =BkmDtKKDYws

Janine Benyus is a biologist, innovation consultant, and author of six books, including Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. Her company, the Biomimicr...

YouTube - Janine Benyus - Part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiZdUVs3fbw

Janine Benyus is a biologist, innovation consultant, and author of six books, including Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. Her company, the Biomimicr...

YouTube - Janine Benyus - Part 2

Click to Close Video Player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =qiZdUVs3fbw

Janine Benyus is a biologist, innovation consultant, and author of six books, including Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. Her company, the Biomimicr...

YouTube - Biomimicry - Discovery World

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiMZYdVLqME

Discovery World in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, challenges the understanding of technology through biomimicry.

YouTube - Biomimicry - Discovery World

Click to Close Video Player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =BiMZYdVLqME

Discovery World in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, challenges the understanding of technology through biomimicry.

YouTube - The Future Makers Biomimicry 1 www.thefuturemakers ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvBUL5bnuB0

Janine Benyus, author of "Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature" describes how it works, followed by the example of tidal and power technologies ...

YouTube - The Future Makers Biomimicry 1 www.thefuturemakers ...

Click to Close Video Player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =jvBUL5bnuB0

Janine Benyus, author of "Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature" describes how it works, followed by the example of tidal and power technologies ...

YouTube - Biomimicry Conference 2009 - San Diego

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-WUPr5LUR8

mirasol displays are inspired by nature, a field of science called Biomimicry. The Zoological Society of San Diego hosts an annual Biomimicry Conference foc...

YouTube - Biomimicry Conference 2009 - San Diego

Click to Close Video Player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =r-WUPr5LUR8

mirasol displays are inspired by nature, a field of science called Biomimicry. The Zoological Society of San Diego hosts an annual Biomimicry Conference foc...

YouTube - Bio-Inspired Design: The HOK-Biomimicry Guild Alliance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr6XFQJjO-U

In September 2008, HOK and the Biomimicry Guild announced that they have formed an alliance to integrate natures innovations in the design of buildings, comm...

YouTube - Bio-Inspired Design: The HOK-Biomimicry Guild Alliance

Click to Close Video Player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =wr6XFQJjO-U

In September 2008, HOK and the Biomimicry Guild announced that they have formed an alliance to integrate natures innovations in the design of buildings, comm...

YouTube - Would Nature do it? - Biomimicry

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMHVXEx8WnM

TERRA video of a presentation by Jay Harman with visuals by Michael Green on biomimicry at Bioneers 2007.

YouTube - Would Nature do it? - Biomimicry

Click to Close Video Player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =uMHVXEx8WnM

TERRA video of a presentation by Jay Harman with visuals by Michael Green on biomimicry at Bioneers 2007.

YouTube - Biomimicry

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FYMRH3XVlo

During the evolutionary arms race organisms have developed a great variety of technical solutions. The biomimetic approach aims at inspiring developers for n...

YouTube - Biomimicry

Click to Close Video Player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =3FYMRH3XVlo

During the evolutionary arms race organisms have developed a great variety of technical solutions. The biomimetic approach aims at inspiring developers for n...

YouTube - Biomimicry: Consulting with Nature

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aHdZOQ9P6I

Biomimicry Guild Co-Founder Dayna Baumeister, Ph.D., explains the science of biomimicry and its potential significance within the built environment.

YouTube - Biomimicry: Consulting with Nature

Click to Close Video Player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =5aHdZOQ9P6I

Biomimicry Guild Co-Founder Dayna Baumeister, Ph.D., explains the science of biomimicry and its potential significance within the built environment.

User Contributions

Janine Benyus: 12 sustainable design ideas from nature

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n77BfxnVlyc

In this inspiring talk, Janine Benyus provides fascinating examples of biomimicry -- the way humans mimic nature in the products we build and the systems we implement. And because the champion adapters in the natural world are, by definition, those that can survive without destroying the environment that sustains them, biomimicry can contribute to the long-term health of our planet.

Janine Benyus: 12 sustainable design ideas from nature