Biomimetics

Biomimetics is a branch of science that uses observations in nature to inspire the development of new products or technologies in fields such as medicine, engineering, and architecture. By observing aspects of plant and animal life, researchers can find new ways to perform tasks or develop designs that can be adapted for man-made products. Mimicking biological life through biomimetics has allowed for many scientific innovations.

Background

The idea of copying nature is not new. The Greek myth of Icarus, who constructed wings from feathers and wax in an attempt to fly, illustrates that man has long sought to imitate wonders found in the natural world. Centuries after the Greeks told the story of Icarus, Italian Renaissance thinker, artist, and inventor Leonardo da Vinci used birds as models for his intricate drawings of human flight devices. In the early years of the twentieth century, the Wright brothers studied the design of bird wings and incorporated aspects of them into the design of the first airplane. For many years, these attempts to mimic aspects of nature were largely accomplished by individuals and were not a specific discipline of study.

That began to change in the 1940s when George de Mestral, a Swiss engineer, was picking some burrs off his trousers and his dog after a walk. Intrigued by the series of small hooks that helped the seed pods cling so tightly to other surfaces, de Mestral began trying to replicate them. He envisioned using this technique in a new clothing fastener. The resulting product—Velcro—was patented in 1958 and eventually became a household word after the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) used it to help secure loose items in space capsules. Velcro is a hook-and-loop fastener that employs two strips of fabric: one containing tiny hooks and the other containing tiny loops. The hooks and loops cling to one another until the two pieces of fabric are pulled apart.

In the 1960s, at about the same time Velcro was gaining in popularity, an Air Force doctor, Colonel Jack E. Steele, invented the term bionics. Steele developed designs for technology that replicated biological functions, such as artificial limbs. Soon other researchers began actively looking for ways to adapt biological forms and functions found in nature to man-made technology.

By the end of the decade, Otto H. Schmitt, an American electrical engineer and professor of biophysics, coined the term biomimetics. The word was derived from two Greek words, bios, which means "life," and mimesis, which means "to imitate." The term was first used in a paper delivered at a conference in Boston in 1969 and first appeared in the dictionary in 1974. Schmitt applied the concept of biomimetics when he studied how frogs planned their leaps between lily pads. He used his findings to develop self-adjusting electronic feedback circuits that are crucial to the function of many types of contemporary electronic equipment.

Overview

The biological world has provided scientists and researchers with many ideas to study and copy. Plant life and animal life have evolved over millennia, finding ways to overcome many obstacles and problems and learning to function in various settings. Sometimes the biological inspirations for man-made designs are easy to identify, such as when da Vinci and the Wright brothers studied bird wings. Other times researchers have to seek out the possibilities for using concepts found in nature, as de Mestral did when he used burrs as the inspiration for Velcro. In some cases, moving from natural concept to man-made invention requires a combination of know-how and imagination, such as when Schmitt applied the frog's ability to execute a jump to an improvement for electronic circuits.

The study of biomimetics has applications in many fields. For example, researchers mimicked the brain's neural network when developing patterns for computer programs and networks. Each smaller unit performs its own function, much like a neuron in the brain does. However, these smaller units are interconnected in a way that allows the completion of complex tasks. Other biological applications found in nature include specialized hypodermic needles that copy parts of a mosquito and the use of spider web–like material as a wound dressing.

Nature has helped to improve human travel and propulsion in a number of ways beyond copying bird wings for flight. The skin folds that allow flying squirrels to glide have inspired suits that allow humans to "fly" horizontally without a vehicle. The fins that scuba divers wear to help them swim resemble the webbed feet of water birds such as geese and ducks. The way sharks, tuna, and other large sea creatures move has inspired designs that use the ocean's power for movement. The multi-jointed legs of insects helped scientists find ways to create robotic devices that can move over uneven and difficult landscapes.

Studying how mollusks adhere to surfaces led to the development of new types of adhesives. Sporosarcina pasteurii, a bacterium that can use elements found in its natural environment to solidify sand, has helped researchers develop concrete pipes that can self-repair cracks.

The possibilities of biomimicry are almost endless. The natural sensors on insect antennas and the whiskers of many mammals are models for potential electronic sensors. The iridescence of bird and butterfly wings has applications in the study of optics and the development of devices such as computer monitors and windows that are affected by the reflection of light. The wide diversity of nature and its ability to adapt, evolve, and overcome challenges provides much inspiration for solutions and improvements to technologies used in everyday life.

Bibliography

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