Biomimetric in Health Care

Nature was and is like the first teacher to humans and the main inspiration into to how things work and function. Nature is full of all kinds of medical mysteries. How does certain frog cling to surfaces and how do certain creatures adapt to their environments. The studies of nature and solutions to help the medical field are called Biomimicry.

Nature is always evolves and adapting to the all changing world. Scientist learns from the nature to help in health care and human performance. Biomimetics in health care in the past, present and future can help us to learn to also adapt in our all changing world with epidemics that we are even facing now.

Past

Shark skin grafting

Shark skin the overlapping scales dermal denticles. The “denticle” helps fights bacteria growth is being used in hospital surfaces.
Sharks have powerful skin and antibodies that could be used to improve wound care rates. It could heal a severe wound by as much as 90 percent in 24 days.

Pig valve

Pig valve used for human heart. Tissue valves are created from animal donors’ valves or animal tissue that’s strong and flexible. Tissue valves can last 10 to 20 years, and usually don’t require the long-term use of medication.

Present

Study of mosquito bites or porcupine quails to develop a method of giving pain-free injections.

Using echolocation, like those used by a bats to travel in the dark, for a UltraCane for the blind. To help with the study of Glaucoma, a cause of blindness.

Longtail Glasswing Butterfly wings have helped develop a synthetic analogue for the eye implant that is more effective.

Octopus movement has help with the development of a motor driven prosthetic. A person with prosthetic is able to control the amount that the arm curls and its strength of grip to accommodate a variety of tasks.

Flex-Foot Cheetah is a prosthetic running blades to help users to replicate the running movement of a cheetah’s hind legs.

Future

Fish gills and filtration — new project for better air quality

Pufferfish can regrow its teeth looking how if possible for humans to do that.

Stags can grow back its antlers by redirecting calcium form its body bones. Might help us repair our bones faster.

Many animals and plants have sensors on their skins and surfaces to repair damaged to itself.

The observations and studies of animals and plants are giving us solutions to be us in medical conditions and some healthcare products could be more efficiently manufactured. Many of these are still at the research stage waiting for more test and research to be done. It is exciting to see what we can learn from nature and look into how it can help humans in this all changing world.