Humanity’s Biggest Challenges.
Nature’s Proven Solutions.

We are the bridge between biology and design, advancing the adoption of nature-inspired strategies to help solve the most pressing problems of our time.

 

 

Biomimicry is the design and engineering of products and systems modeled on organisms and ecosystems. This approach allows us to do more with fewer resources by building systems that learn, adapt, self-heal and evolve. We could build buildings that stay cool in the summer, computers that learn based on how brains work, fabrics inspired by plant leaves, and lighting systems that imitate fireflies.

 

 

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Biomimetics or biomimicry is the emulation of the models, systems, and elements of nature for the purpose of solving complex human problems. The terms "biomimetics" and "biomimicry" are derived from Ancient Greek: βίος (bios), life, and μίμησις (mīmēsis), imitation, from μιμεῖσθαι (mīmeisthai), to imitate, from μῖμος (mimos), actor. A closely related field is bionics. Nature has gone through evolution over the 3.8 billion years since life is estimated to have appeared on the Earth. It has evolved species with high performance using commonly found materials. Surfaces of solids interact with other surfaces and the environment and derive the properties of materials. Biological materials are highly organized from the molecular to the nano-, micro-, and macroscales, often in a hierarchical manner with intricate nanoarchitecture that ultimately makes up a myriad of different functional elements. Properties of materials and surfaces result from a complex interplay between surface structure and morphology and physical and chemical properties. Many materials, surfaces, and objects in general provide multifunctionality. Various materials, structures, and devices have been fabricated for commercial interest by engineers, material scientists, chemists, and biologists, and for beauty, structure, and design by artists and architects. Nature has solved engineering problems such as self-healing abilities, environmental exposure tolerance and resistance, hydrophobicity, self-assembly, and harnessing solar energy. Economic impact of bioinspired materials and surfaces is significant, on the order of several hundred billion dollars per year worldwide.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Biomimicry Technologies

Biomimetics could in principle be applied in many fields. Because of the diversity and complexity of biological systems, the number of features that might be imitated is large. Biomimetic applications are at various stages of development from technologies that might become commercially usable to prototypes.

Aircraft wing design and flight techniques are being inspired by birds and bats. The aerodynamics of streamlined design of improved Japanese high speed train Shinkansen 500 Series were modelled after the beak of Kingfisher bird. Biorobots based on the physiology and methods of locomotion of animals include BionicKangaroo which moves like a kangaroo, saving energy from one jump and transferring it to its next jump.

Webmaster : Nattapongkorn Trangkanuwat No. 10 M. 5/1

Reference : https://biomimicry.org/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2022/02/17/12-industry-experts-share-potentially-powerful-green-technologies-and-initiatives/?sh=ea71b186ab98

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomimetics

https://www.learnbiomimicry.com/blog/best-biomimicry-examples

 

How Bur Seeds Inspired Velcro

Did you know that this easy-to-plug and remove clamping mechanism is actually derived from nature? In 1941, a Swiss engineer named George de Mestral was out hunting with his dog when he realized small burrs from the burdock plant were stuck to his dog’s hair. On closer inspection, he realized that these tiny hooks and loops can be made into clothing or garment fasteners which led to the discovery of velcro and our society has hence been using them in every practical application possible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How the Humpback Fins Inspired more Efficient Wind Turbines

When we think of reducing drag or increasing lift, we mostly picture the smooth surface of an aeroplane, but when researchers inspected the bumps on the humpback whale fins, they discovered something rather counterintuitive. The biomimetic model flippers reduced drag by 33% and increased lift by 8%. Whale Power, Canada, has already implemented them on their wind turbines and this has increased the efficiency by over 40% over the traditional wind turbine in some cases. Similar designs can also be mimicked in other aerodynamic applications such as fan and propeller blades, aeroplanes and surfboards.

 

 

 

How Snake Skin Inspired Shoe Grips with Better Friction

There is a major public health scare among our senior citizens that is going unnoticed! Falls are the leading cause of death for older adults and the second leading cause of occupational-related deaths. So it infers that if we could increase the friction between the feet and the floor, we could save lives and billions in medical bills. The researchers at SEAS and MIT in response have developed an adaptive shoe grip which is achieved by cutting the material as per the Japanese technique of Kirigami. The cuts mimic the scales on the skin of a snake and it is designed such that when the material stretches, the spikes pop out, sticking into the ground and when it flattens, spikes fold back, flattening the surface. This allows the shoes to be more grippy and also very light, allowing the wearer to traverse the surface with the dexterity of a snake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How Coral Organisms Inspired Innovative Carbon Sequestering

The cement industry is responsible for 8% of global CO2 emissions. 60% of these emissions are formed during the process of calcination when mostly limestone is mined from queries and treated. Corals in the sea however have been forming very strong and stable materials by actually using CO2 present in water and forming metal carbonates. Scientists at Blue planet have figured out a way to make carbonate aggregates mimicking the corals without having to purify the CO2 from the air. This eliminates the high energy consumed to separate the CO2 from the air and gives a carbon negative byproduct which can be used by the cement industry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

How The Spiders Silk Inspires High-Performance Silk Fiber

At the holy grail of chemical science, probably right below graphene, lies the ability to mass produce spider silk. A material lighter than hair and stronger than steel! Although we might not be there yet, we definitely have an understanding of how spiders produce the said silk. And as with humans, we have come very close to replicating it. Spintex Engineering can spin fibres at room temperature, just by pulling from a liquid protein gel and without using harsh chemicals. The fibres are high-performance and also completely biodegradable. This has the ability to completely revolutionise the fashion and clothing industry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“The environment is a source of data, it forces us to follow its behavior.”

― Ines J. Pedras, Endless Biomimicry Habitat : with Kiesler's Endless House