Biomimicry Blog Posts, Essay Example

The term “biomimicry” was first coined by author Janine Benyus in her 1997 book “Biomimicry: Design Inspired by Nature.” The term describes the use of designs found in nature for applications in industrial design, architecture, and other areas. A company called Biomimicry 3.8 offers a range of resources and consulting services about biomimicry to clients in a wide variety of fields, adapting nature-inspired designs to manufacturing processes, products, and even city planning. For those interested in learning about biomimicry, the company’s website provides a wealth of resources, from information about Janine Benyus’ groundbreaking book to images and plans for many of the company’s innovative designs.

Visit their website at http://www.biomimicry.net  to learn more.

A recent article in Forbes magazine examines the growing popularity of the field of biomimicry. Among the subjects discussed in the article are a “bullet train” in Japan that used a design inspired by the beak of the kingfisher when developing the front of the train; a flexible ceramic pipe that mimics the scales of a snake; and even a jet propulsion system that is based on the movements of jellyfish. The author of this article, Rahim Kanani, notes that biomimicry is still a very young field, though he believes that it will continue to grow in popularity as more applications are found that make use of nature’s best designs.

Read more at:  http://www.forbes.com/sites/rebeccabagley/2014/04/15/biomimicry-how-nature-can-streamline-your-business-for-innovation/

In July 2009, author Janine Benyus, who coined the term “biomimicry,” gave a presentation at the TED Talks. For anyone interested in learning about biomimicry, As Benyus begins her presentation, she tells the audience that “we live in a competent universe…we are part of a brilliant planet…and we are surrounded by genius. Biomimicry is a new discipline that tries to learn from those geniuses.” Benyus goes on to provide examples of a number of fascinating examples of natural design, from the independent eyes of the chameleon to the complex, interactive systems of seasonal change. Benyus makes a strong case for the idea that nature can provide answers to a countless number of design challenges.

See Benyus’ Ted Talk here: http://www.ted.com/talks/janine_benyus_biomimicry_in_action#t-36535

The NASA design team responsible for developing the agency’s next generation of space suits recently promoted a contest to raise awareness about their efforts. The agency asked the public to vote on one of three different designs, and whichever design received the most votes would be the one NASA would develop. One of the designs is called “Biomimicry,” and according to NASA the suit is inspired by the ocean. It has a scaly surface like a fish, and has striped designs that glow with white-blue light which are reminiscent of the “bioluminescent qualities” of some sea creatures. Voting ends April 15, and even if “Biomimicry” is not the winning design, it does demonstrate that the field of biomimicry is growing.

Read more at: http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/25/5546706/nasa-wants-you-to-choose-next-spacesuit-from-three-weird-designs