Biomimicry is the process of imitating nature to achieve solutions for human problems. An example is imitating the structure of a bird’s body to create aeroplanes, thus reducing drag, noise pollution, and fuel consumption while the plane is flying. Such designs are slowly proliferating across the world in the form of material design (think velcro)1, product design (solar cells)1, and architectural design (The Water Cube, also known as the National Aquatics Centre in Beijing, China)2.
Biomimetic designs have several advantages:
1. Resource efficiency- Biomimicry encourages resource efficiency, so that fewer materials are used, and less waste generated when such design principles are used- termite mounds used as a model for buildings, since they are naturally cooler, have led to a smaller energy footprint due to lower cooling requirement, and copying whale fins have allowed wind turbines to be upgraded to greater efficiency.2
2. Resilience- Since it is a copy of a naturally efficient design, such products or spaces are congenitally resilient and not prone to breakage or damage.
3. Regeneration- Nature is regenerative, and thus nature-inspired design is too. Harvesting rainwater can help replenish groundwater resources. Other examples include public food gardens, public green spaces, green walls, restoring damaged landscapes, etc.
4. Cradle to Cradle- Designers can aim for long product lives, scientists for increased material stability, manufacturers can take back old products and remanufacture, and governments can legislate the right to repair, as well as connecting industries as much as possible so that where possible waste from one industry may be used as raw material for another, whenever virgin material is not a requirement due to health or other concerns.
5. Innovative- biomimetic designs spur technology, human comfort, and positive environmental outcomes to newer heights. Examples include the development of super hydrophobic material inspired by lotus leaves, synthetic spider silk, antimicrobial medical devices, and many more.2
Biomimicry uses design that have been perfected over billions of years of evolution to adapt to and take advantage of the environment in which they function, and offers real world scalable solutions can address sustainable development goals. Studying and replicating these designs allows us to benefit from evolutionary specialisation and live in closer harmony with our own environment. However, there are several challenges in commercialising such designs:
1. Scalability- biology is complex and organisms are a intricate interweaving of multilayered interactions between different compounds such as proteins, lipids, muscle cells, immune systems, nervous systems, defence mechanisms, etc. producing such material is difficult in labs, let alone at scale.
2. Education- Biomimicry is not studied or taught at most schools and its principles are not well known. This limits the number of people who are able to access the knowledge of how to imitate natural beings to the few who are already interested or conversant with the matter.
3. Interdisciplinenary nature-biomimicry requires interdisciplinary cooperation. Since different professions often don’t work together unless brought together for a specific project, opportunities to create biomimic outcomes are limited unless that is the specific project aim.
4. Material stability- biological material often cannot survive outside of an organism, so creating a similar compound, or a synthetic compound that mimics it is problematic and economically unviable due to their short lifespans or inability of synthetics to perform at the same level as the biotic compounds.
5. Experimental- Such projects are uncertain by nature. There is no guarantee that the creators who set out to make a particular solution will be able to do so. There is therefore no standard business model.
6. Limited inspiration- few organisms have been studied deeply enough for humans to be able to replicate their biology and processes. Currently, it is approximated that research has focused on a mere 20 organisms.3
7. Geometry- biological molecules are incredibly small. Human labs can often not replicate the chemistry of these compounds and layers at such scales.
8. Costs- due to all the above factors, plus a lack of policy support, financing such projects is often an uphill battle.
Overcoming these challenges will require vision, time, policy support, and financing, but the returns on investment will be abundant for society, science, and sustainable development.
Sources
- Biomimicry: Nature-Inspired Sustainable Design Solutions
- Beijing National Aquatics Center
- The challenges related to biomimicry
Chasing Tales 