What is Biomimicry?
Biomimicry is the use of patterns found in nature, or characteristics of the natural world, in human inventions.
What is Biomimicry?[]
According to The Biomimicry Institute: "a new discipline that studies nature's best ideas and then imitates these designs and processes to solve human problems" (retrieved from: http://biomimicryinstitute.org/about-us/what-is-biomimicry.html).
Nature has developed some amazing adaptations, and humans have been
Photo retrieved from: http://www.livescience.com/34572-velcro.html
drawing inspiration from nature for centuries. One of the most notable examples of biomimicry is Velcro, inspired by the burdock burr (retrieved from: http://www.velcro.com/About-Us/History.aspx#.UpvjkOIjBIM).
More examples of biomimicry[]
Whale fin -> wind turbine.
photo retrieved from: http://jessicarobinthomas.wordpress.com/2012/01/15/the-mine-kafon-biomimicry-at-its-finest/
Shark skin -> racincg swim suit: http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2012-07/speedos-super-fast-sharkskin-inspired-swimsuit-actually-nothing-sharks-skin
For more amazing examples of biomimicry, visit these pages:
http://biomimicry.net/about/biomimicry/case-examples/
http://www.bloomberg.com/slideshow/2013-08-18/14-smart-inventions-inspired-by-nature-biomimicry.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15480620
Learn more![]
The Smithsonian offers a well-written article about biomimicry: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/How-Biomimicry-is-Inspiring-Human-Innovation-165592706.html
Janine Benyus, the president of the Biomimicry Institute, featured in the video above, presented a TED talk about Biomimicry, which can be found here: www.ted.com/talks/janine_benyus_biomimicry_in_action.html