Biomimicry: The Future of Designing
I was first mesmerized by the concept of biomimicry while reading a storybook. It was about a scientist trying to use the smelling properties of vultures to stimulate his smelling sensation. He then made a chemical compound that allowed him to smell a particular object from hundreds of meters away. Later, I looked for real-life biologically inspired inventions or designs. The result was mind-boggling. The tale of Daedalus from ancient Greek mythology is very famous. He made wings out of wax much like the actual ones, seeing birds, and was inspired to fly away with wings to escape. Leonardo Da Vinci, renowned for his art and engineering creations, seeing the birds, sketched about a hundred aircraft that had flown in his mind in the 15th century. His vision became a reality as Wright Brothers succeeded in inventing the first working airplane ever in 1903 after studying the wings of birds. There is one feature that is similar in these cases: the inspiration coming from nature. This process is called biomimicry.
What is Biomimicry?
Biomimicry is a technique that learns from or mimics the mechanisms used in nature to overcome designing challenges for humans. Simply, this is a process of imitating designs from nature and solving complex problems. In 1997, Janine Benyus popularized the term biomimicry through her book ‘Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature’. From large aircraft to miniature robots, biomimicry has offered the human race a vast area for research and development. There are many examples of models and designs that are naturally inspired, such as the airplane, velcro, Shinkansen train, and many more.
Shinkansen is a bullet train in Japan that had a problem of creating a sonic boom while entering a tunnel because of air pressure. The Kingfisher birds have a unique dimension of their beaks, which allow them to fly silently, creating less friction while traveling through both air and water medium. Hence the designers applied the dimensions of their beak into the frontal part of the train and the result was outstanding. Not just the sonic boom was gone then but also its speed was 10% faster and the electricity consumption was reduced to 15%.
In 2004, the scientists of the Duke University, the West Chester University, and the U.S. Naval Academy reported that the bumps around the front edges of the whale fin significantly improved its performance, decreased its drag by 32%, and increased the lift by 8%. Companies are applying the same principle to wind turbine blades, cooling motors, aircraft wings, and propellers. There are many more examples of biomimetic inventions or designs which are being used in almost all branches of science.
What are the Steps of Biomimicry?
Biomimicry Design Spiral is a sequential method of translating the techniques of nature into creative and environmentally sound design solutions. In 2005, Carl Hastrich, an industrial designer and one of the founders of a clique of committed individuals, created The Biomimicry Design Spiral, establishing the groundwork for biomimicry that exists today. The steps are described as follows:
Identify: Identifying single or several of the tasks people want their structure to execute.
Translate: Translating these tasks into biological stead.
Discover: Discovering the methods that nature utilizes to execute these tasks.
Abstract: Abstract these techniques back to technical jargon.
Emulate: Emulating these techniques in the design approach.
Evaluate: Evaluating the design across the concept design and then determining how to get around the next cycle.
The Future is Now
In recent years, mankind has had access to emerging innovations and techniques that are needed to extend their understanding of the processes of nature. They are:
- 3D printer
- Nanotechnology
- Optical microscopes
- Cameras with 10 million frames per second
These are some of the equipment that would assist humans to open up the delights that are concealed beneath the hoods of nature. Some areas of science and technology are well advanced in the use of biomimicry in design applications, as follows in the discussion below.
Aircraft
A group of native geese migrates in a V shape, generating an increasing air current that allows those flying the last to take flight with less labor. A French airline company called AIRBUS used this idea to design their next-generation concept aircraft called the ZEROe, which may enter into service by 2035 [Figure 4 (A)].
Automobiles
Mercedes launched its Bionic concept car which is influenced by the dimension of the boxfish. Boxfishes are aerodynamic and have less drag coefficient. This vehicle has a mean fuel efficiency of 23 km/L and a top speed of 190 km/h, making it much more energy convenient than any existing vehicle [Figure 4 (B)].
Architecture
Mick Pearce was influenced by a study of controlling the interior conditions of the habitat of the African termites to construct the Eastgate Center in central Harare, Zimbabwe. Termites maintain their piles at a steady temperature using cooling and heating ventilation that are blocked or left exposed depending on the temperature specifications. Using the same strategy, Pearce built an equivalent ventilation process using 35% reduced energy than equivalent establishments nearby [Figure 4 ©].
In various other fields like nanotechnology, materials science, and biotechnology, biomimicry-based research is going on. Sharklet Technologies, a company in the USA, is building bacteria-repellent surfaces inspired by sharkskin for hospitals and various products that work better than antibacterial cleaners. Sandia National Laboratory, in Oklahoma, is working on a regenerative ceramic that builds on its own, inspired by oysters, mother of pearls. Researchers are studying flies to boost the quality of fighter jets. Spider webs are being studied for design as they are five times stronger than steel, and many more.
The future opportunity is huge for the designing field in biomimicry. It is a hypothesis that questions the way we approach designing problems, so much, that the Fermanian Business & Economic Institute predicts that the use of biomimicry could contribute to $425 billion of the Gross National Product (GNP) of the USA and $1.6 trillion of global production by 2030.
Why do we Need Biomimicry?
The exponential advancement of technology in the 21st century is very much dependent on intricate designs. But are they nature-friendly? Most of them are not. Advancement in technology has brought us a lot of new machines and vehicles, but they also consume a lot of fuel. The U.S. Energy Information Administration indicated 138.56 thousand gallons of fuel had been used annually in 190 countries in 2017. This is concerning, as the amount of fuel is decreasing at an alarming pace and the usage induces air pollution after combustion. To achieve sustainable development, we need to find a way to minimize fuel consumption and enhance the percentage of efficiency. Biomimicry promises exactly that. Many aerospace, automobile, architecture, and shipbuilding industries are turning to biomimicry for new solutions. To spread sustainable development all over the world, we need to follow the process of mimicking nature’s orders.
Biomimicry is an emerging trend of the 21st century. While climate change and other global problems challenge the human race, if engineers and builders pick up on this design approach in time, there is a good possibility of building a sustainable future for this planet.
