LEARNING RESOURCE

Biomimicry

INTRODUCTION

Biomimicry takes inspiration from nature to find better ways of
making or doing things. Biomimicry can work at any scale, from
self-cleaning paint that mimics the micro-structure of a lotus
flower, to a high-rise office tower that mimics a termite mounds
ventilation structure to passively keep itself cool.
The tiny hooks on one strip of Velcro act like burrs, catching the
fur-like loops on the matching strip. Biomimicry, when done well,
is not slavish imitation of nature. Instead, it is inspiration--
discovering the principles which nature uses.

In addition to form, biomimicry can be applied to both processes

and systems. For example, a biomimetic process might involve
growing an item, rather than cutting it from a block of material
and a biomimetic system might involve wireless sensors
coordinating activities the way swarming bees do.

Velcro imitates burr hooks on one side, fur on the other

WHAT BIOMIMICRY IS AND IS NOT (images from Wikimedia Commons 1,2,3).

For instance, when airplanzdesigns were not ornithopters (which

Biomimicry is a rich and exciting method of getting new ideas and
precisely copy birds by having flapping wings), but the fixed-wing
perspectives on design. For example, Velcro was inspired by
craft that used the physics of the airfoil (based on the cross-
burrs from wild grasses sticking to a dogs fur.
sectional shape of bird wings) to balance lift and drag.

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Biomimicry, is also not merely about form: it is also about DOING BIOMIMICRY: FINDING MENTORS IN NATURE
function. A building shaped like a duck may be entertaining, but it
is not biomimetic in the way described here, unless it also derives
The consultancy Biomimicry 3.8 recommends doing biomimicry
some useful function from the shape; such as being more energy
as an eight-step process:
efficient, or waterproof, etc. The Velcro described previous does
not look like a burr or like a dog, yet it perfectly recreates their
physics to provide strong adhesion. 1. Define the problem and its context well

2. Identify the function desired, translating into biological terms

3. Integrate lifes principles

4. Discover natural models

5. Abstract the biological strategies you found into general

principles

6. Brainstorm off of the principles gathered from the mentors

7. Emulate the biological design principles as buildable things.

8. Measure the success of your top ideas, using lifes principles,

and choose the best buildable idea.

Not everything that imitates nature does it in a useful way.

(Wikimedia Commons).

SOURCES OF BIO-INSPIRATION

Often the best inspiration is found by directly observing nature,

whether in an exotic terrain or in your own back yard. However,
you may not know what you are looking for, or looking at. Most
people in the design, engineering and architecture professions
are not experts in biology, so it is useful to learn from others
expertise and there are many existing resources on biomimicry
available.

DOING BIOMIMICRY YOURSELF

Generally speaking, there are two basic ways to do biomimicry.

The direct method is to seek out specific organisms to act as
mentors, whether you seek them out in the wild or in published
resources. The indirect method is to use principles of nature that
others have identified over the years.
The Biomimicry Design Lens, from Biomimicry 3.8.

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THE STEPS IN DETAIL Abstracting the biological strategies you found into general
principles of physics, chemistry, relationship, etc. is how you
ensure you are not blindly imitating nature (which often fails), but
Defining the problem is always an important step in design: if you
truly understanding what the insights are that can be valuable for
want to invent the next-generation refrigerator, is your goal to
your problem-solving.
cool food, or to prevent food from spoiling? The two different
problems can have very different answers. Context is also
important: for instance, what constraints does the next-
Brainstorming from the ideas found in nature can further expand
generation refrigerator have? Will it be used by a low-income
your possibilities. You may have new ideas based on the natural
individual off-grid in the Sahara, or by a rich distributor
strategies, or combine ideas, etc.
warehouse in Singapore?

Emulating natural strategies as buildable products or systems is a

Identifying the function is largely the translation of the problem
crucial part of the process, and is often the hardest part (it took
and its context into a biological metaphor. This gives you starting
ten years to commercially manufacture Velcro). Thus, it is
places of where to look in nature. For example, how do animals
important to do this before choosing your best strategy.
keep cool in the desert? How do plants avoid mold in tropical
humidity? Natures best strategy may not be buildable with our technology
today. Here again, outside experts could help. Though instead of
biologists, it may be physicists, organic chemists, or other
Integrating lifes principles can be useful to shortcut and/or to experts you need to understand the principles at work.
more tightly focus your search in the next step. Lifes Principles is
Engineers doing long-term research and development may have
explored in more detail below, in this document.
the luxury of developing new materials or chemicals to imitate
nature precisely, but most architect, designers, and engineers are
Discovering natural mentors is the exciting part. Some can be tasked with building a workable thing today.
found just by going for a walk in your neighborhood; others are
In the previous examples, it is obviously much easier to drape a
more obscure, requiring research--online in places such as
damp cloth over a pot than to understand and copy the antifungal
AskNature.org, in books or academic journals, perhaps even by
chemistry of grapes. You may need to settle for imitating part of
hiring a biologist for advice.
the strategy you found, or abstracting it more metaphorically until
Its best to find many different strategies from quite divergent you find a buildable idea. Remember, good biomimicry is
sources (e.g. plants, animals, microbes and fungi, or by looking at inspiration from nature, not a slavish imitation of it.
different biomes for different contexts, etc.) This gives you more
design alternatives. Also, where you see the same strategy used
again and again, its often a hint that it is very effective.

For instance, most warm-blooded animals keep cool by sweating,

which works by the principle of evaporative cooling. To imitate
this and keep your food cool while off-grid in the desert for
example, you could simply cover a pot of food with a damp cloth
in a well-ventilated place. This is, in fact, a traditional practice in
some places. Or if your problem statement is to avoid mold,
instead of cooling food, you might find inspiration in the fact that
Velcro imitates burr hooks on one side, fur on the other.
grapes use anti-fungal chemicals. Imitating this chemical, you
(Wikimedia Commons 1,2)
may find that you can extend the shelf-life of apples by a factor of
six at room temperature.

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Biomimicry
Measuring to choose the best buildable design is the final step. The Eastgate office building and shopping center in Harare,
Narrowing down the ideas is similar to the process used after any Zimbabwe imitates the ventilation tunnels in a termite mound to
ideation session. You must check your new ideas against the provide passive cooling for its occupants. The system uses 90%
initial problem statement. Your explorations may have found less energy for air conditioning, is still comfortable if power
things that cause you to redefine your problem statement; in outages occur, and even saved $3 million in construction costs
which case you can do the entire process over again. because almost no air conditioning equipment was required.
The unique part of this step is measuring the success of your
designs not only by your criteria, but by natures criteria as well.
Velcro performs its job of adhesion admirably, but how does its
life-cycle compare to burrs and fur? At the end of its life, does it
become food for other products or natural organisms? Can it be
manufactured as simply as throwing a seed in dirt and adding
water? Questions like these never appear in traditional design,
but can give insightful perspectives on sustainability.

EXAMPLES

There are examples of biomimicry for sustainable design in many

industries, from buildings to transportation to consumer products.
An AskNature search will turn up hundreds. Here are just a few:

Lotusan Paint imitates the micro-structure of the lotus leaf to

keep itself clean. Rainwater washes right off immediately,
carrying dirt away with it and helping avoid mold and mildew. This
The Eastgate building in Harare, Zimbabwe imitates a termite mounds
allows building owners to nearly eliminate their use of chemical
passive ventilation. (From AskNature, photo: Mandy Patter)
soaps and bleaches to clean exterior walls.

Lotusan paint imitates a lotus leafs surface texture to make water carry The 500 series Shinkansen train imitates a kingfisher beaks form to
away dirt. (from AskNature, photo: Sto Corp., Atlanta, GA) smoothly cut through changing air pressure. (from Wikimedia Commons)

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Japans Shinkansen 500 series bullet train has a nose that To learn more about Biomimicry, you can read our additional
imitates the beak of a kingfisher bird, in order to reduce noise documents on the subject: Natural Principles of Biomimicry and
from the air pressure waves caused when the train passes Mechanical Principles of Biomimicry.
through tunnels. It also reduces noise by imitating the shape of
owl feathers in the structure it uses to pull electricity from
overhead wires. Besides these design elements reducing noise,
they also improved the trains efficiency, allowing it to use 15%
less energy while traveling 10% faster.

Pax Water impeller blades imitate the spiral path of ocean water
currents and many seashells. Their Lily Impeller uses 85% less
energy than a comparable water mixing impeller, with far less
noise as well. Rather than creating chaotic turbulence in water as
it spins, its shape sets up vortex structures in the water flows to
multiply its effectiveness.

The Lily Impeller creates spiral water flows like ocean currents to mix
liquids efficiently and with low noise.

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