Design Practice: Design Practice 2 - Studio Brief 1 (Part 1) : Further Research, Biomimicry

Through research into biodiversity, I found that biomimicry is a great way of sustainability. This is why biomimicry can help in terms of the decline in biodiversity and other detrimental factors such as climate change. Biomimicry is the way we use nature as inspiration and apply natural techniques to our own. It uses organic processes instead of relying on non sustainable techniques. It is extremely clever the process designers and engineers go through to achieve such outcomes. The analysis and process that is gone through is extremely interesting and insightful.

Through Ted Talks, Janine Benyus, a co-founder of biomimicry, ended up being a huge resource in terms of research and possible avenues to go down. Within her talk of 'Biomimicry in Action' she highlighted a few websites such as Biomimicry Institute, Biomimicry 3.8 and Ask Nature, which were then used as research. As biomimicry is still a relatively new subject matter, although the concept is old, research outlets were hard to come across. These were the main resources I could look into, as well as news articles and Ted Talks.

Both Biomimicry Institute and Biomimicry 3.8 explains what exactly biomimicry as a process is and how it can help the environment. It also is a resources to show examples of biomimicry as well as how the public can get involved if they so wish. It hosts talks and up-coming events for people who are interested in the subject.

Another website that was found through Janine Benyus and Ted Talks was AskNature.org, this is a really useful resource for people with a keen interest in not only biomimicry but the environment itself. It is a catalogue of sorts, which hosts tons of information in which the viewer can pursue at their leisure The aim is introduce as much people as possible to biomimicry, the user looks up how nature does certain things, for example, 'How Does Nature… Fly'. The website then brings up a catalogue of information on this subject, informing the viewer on what they are interested in.

BIOMIMICRY EXAMPLES

There are numerous examples of biomimicry that are at play within our environment. Using the process of these organisms help in sustaining our plant and future.

Whale and Wind Turbine

"Sheets of water flowing over smooth flippers break up into myriad turbulent vortices as they cross the flipper, sheets of water passing through a humpback’s tubercles maintain even channels of fast-moving water, allowing humpbacks to keep their “grip” on the water at sharper angles and turn tighter corners, even at low speeds. Wind tunnel tests of model humpback fins with and without tubercles have demonstrated the aerodynamic improvements tubercles make, such as an 8% improvement in lift and 32% reduction in drag, as well as allowing for a 40% increase in angle of attack over smooth flippers before stalling."

Kingfisher and Train

"Air pressure changes produced large thunder claps every time the train emerged from a tunnel, causing residents one-quarter a mile away to complain. Modeling the front-end of the train after the beak of kingfishers, which dive from the air into bodies of water with very little splash to catch fish, resulted not only in a quieter train, but 15% less electricity use even while the train travels 10% faster."

Prairies and Food Growth

"Take a look at any natural ecosystem, such as a prairie, and you will see a remarkable system of food production: productive, resilient, self-enriching, and ultimately sustainable. The Land Institute has been working successfully to revolutionise the conceptual foundations of modern agriculture by using natural prairies as a model: they have been demonstrating that using deep-rooted plants which survive year-to-year (perennials) in agricultural systems which mimic stable natural ecosystems – rather than the weedy crops common to many modern agricultural systems – can produce equivalent yields of grain and maintain and even improve the water and soil resources upon which all future agriculture depends."

Mosquitos and Needles

"Have you ever noticed a mosquito bite that seemingly appeared out of nowhere? It turns out that the tip of the mosquito’s mouth is composed of several moving parts that work into skin with the minimum of fuss–and the minimum of pain. Materials researchers and engineers at Kansai University in Japan saw amazing potential in the structure of the mosquito’s mouth. They used sophisticated engineering techniques that can carve out structures on the nanometer scale. The result of this blend of materials science and biology was a needle that penetrates like a mosquito, using pressure to stabilise and painlessly glide into skin. Tests proved it worked flawlessly."

Dolphins and Communication

"Dolphins are able to recognise the calls of specific individuals (“signature whistles”) up to 25 kilometres away, demonstrating their ability to communicate and process sound information accurately despite the challenging medium of water. By employing several frequencies in each transmission, dolphins have found a way to cope with the sound scattering behavior of their high frequency, rapid transmissions, and still get their message reliably heard. Emulating dolphins’ unique frequency-modulating acoustics, a company called EvoLogics has developed a high-performance underwater modem for data transmission, which is currently employed in the tsunami early warning system throughout the Indian Ocean."

Velcro

"After a hunting trip in the Alps in 1941, Swiss engineer George de Mestral’s dog was covered in burdock burrs. Mestral put one under his microscope and discovered a simple design of hooks that nimbly attached to fur and socks. After years of experimentation, he invented Velcro. Benyus said it is probably the best-known and most commercially successful instance of biomimicry."

Shark and Boat

"For a beast that moves slowly through the ocean, sharks stay remarkably clear of algae and other organisms. That’s largely a function of their unique skin, covered with microscopic patterns called dentricles, which help reduce drag and keep microorganisms from hitching free rides. NASA scientists copied the patterns to create drag-reducing patterns they call riblets. They worked with 3M to adapt the riblets to a thin film used to coat the hull of the sailboat Stars & Stripes. Other applications can help planes, boats and windmills reduce drag and conserve energy.

‘Sharklet Technologies’, makes surface materials for hospitals, restaurant kitchens, public bathrooms and elsewhere that repel bacteria. Dentricle-like nano-scale structures on the surface prevent the bugs from taking root."

HOW CAN BIOMIMICRY HELP?

Doing it nature's way has the potential to change the way we grow food, make materials, harness energy, heal ourselves, store information, and conduct business. In each case, nature would be model, measure, and mentor.

Nature as model. would manufacture the way animals and plants do, using sun and simple compounds to produce totally biodegradable fibers, ceramics, plastics, and chemicals. Our farms, modeled on prairies, would be self-fertilizing and pest-resistant. To find new drugs or crops, we would consult animals and insects that have used plants for millions of years to keep themselves healthy and nourished. Even computing would take its cue from nature, with software that "evolves" solutions, and hardware that uses the lock-and-key paradigm to compute by touch. In each case, nature would provide the models: solar cells copied from leaves, steely fibers woven spider-style, shatterproof ceramics drawn from mother-of-pearl, cancer cures compliments of chimpanzees, perennial grains inspired by tallgrass, computers that signal like cells, and a closed-loop economy that takes its lessons from redwoods, coral reefs, and oak-hickory forests.

Nature as measure. Beside providing the model, nature would also provide the measure-we would look to nature as a standard against which to judge the "rightness" of our innovations. Are they life promoting? Do they fit in? Will they last?

Nature as mentor. Finally, our relationship with nature would also change. Instead of seeing nature as a source of raw materials, we would see nature as a source of ideas, as a mentor. This would change everything, ushering in a new era based not on what we can extract from nature, but on what we can learn from her. When we view nature as a source of ideas instead of goods, the rationale for protecting wild species and their habitats becomes self-evident. To have more people realize this is my fondest hope.
In the end, I think biomimicry's greatest legacy will be more than a stronger fiber or a new drug. It will be gratitude, and from this, an ardent desire to protect the genius that surrounds us.

- An Interview with Janine Benyus from CBID

http://www.cbid.gatech.edu/biomimicry_defined.html

Biomimicry Global Challenge:
Biomimicry 3.8 have recently set a brief to produce a food system that is solely inspired by nature. The brief sounds extremely interesting and something that could possibly be done at a smaller scale for part 2 of 'Product, Range and Distribution'.

CONCLUSION & BIOMIMICRY DESIGN

To conclude, looking into Biomimicry has been the most interesting part of my research. I have thoroughly enjoyed exploring a concept that was entirely new to me and is now something I have a keen interest in. I think my process of this research, by looking into biodiversity first of all, set me up into looking at biomimicry in an entirely new way. It was something I saw as a process of sustainability instead of a design aesthetic. It showed meaning and a new way of thinking that can not only be applied to my every day life but to my design outcomes too. What I found the biggest issue is that the decline of biodiversity is so crucial, however not many people understand how biomimicry can help this. This is something I can think about when developing my practical element for part 2 and apply what I have learnt through it.