By Casey Lee Biomimicry is a nature-inspired innovation method. It is a new discipline that looks deeply into nature’s time-tested design strategies to find sustainable solutions to design and engineering problems. Janine Benyus of the Biomimicry Institute explains this thinking: life has been on earth for 3.8 billion years, and in that time life has learned what works and what lasts. We should be looking at these mentors, these biological elders, since they have figured out how to create a sustainable world. The best ideas have already been invented. Here are four practical examples: 1. Sharkskin-inspired film that repels bacteria With the concern over bacterial diseases spreading rapidly in hospitals, people have been looking for a material that repels bacteria. A Florida-based biotech company has figured out a way to capitalize on shark skin, specifically on the way parasites and bacteria can’t stick to sharks. The trick is in the pattern of the skin’s surface. Scientists have figured out how to print this pattern onto adhesive film, which wards off bacteria and is ideal for use in places like schools and hospitals where germs are easily spread. Taking a close look at an animal with a known history of being able to avoid bacterial and parasitic infection is truly a great idea. 2. Glue from a marine worm can aid bone repair Torn flesh is easy to put back together with stitches, but when bones break, repairs are nowhere near as simple. Large fragments can, with the aid of metal screws and pins, be reattached and set in place for healing. Small fragments cannot be treated in the same way, as they are often too tiny to be connected with metal hardware. Surgeons have been searching for a glue to do this work, and Russell Stewart from the University of Utah may have found one in the secretions of an undersea worm. This marine worm has provided researchers with the recipe for a glue that can be used to piece together shattered bones. The glue does not dissolve in water. It is able to displace water and adhere to surfaces in wet places. And it solidifies soon after being secreted. It sounds ideal for repairing bones. 3. Spider silk-inspired fibers that collect water When fog condenses on a spider’s web it creates a stunning beads-on-a-string effect, making it possible to collect water efficiently. Fog harvesting nets made from nylon and polypropylene are already used to collect water in mountainous and mist-enveloped regions in Chile and Peru. But bio-inspired fibers are capable of performing this more efficiently. Scientists behind the technique use synthesized fibers modeled on spider silk threads to weave artificial webs that can harvest moisture from fog in areas of low rainfall. 4. Humpback whales can inspire efficient wind power Because sheets of water flowing over smooth flippers break into a myriad of turbulent vortices as they cross the flipper, sheets of water passing over a humpback whale allow them to keep their “grip” on the water and to make tighter turns, even at low speeds. Wind tunnel tests of model humpback fins have demonstrated the aerodynamic improvements the whales’ tubercles make, such as an 8% improvement in lift and 32% reduction in drag, as well as allowing for a 40% increase in the angle of attack before stalling. Human beings have been imposing rules on earth without fully understanding how these systems work. We have polluted the air and caused much damage to the planet. A bright world of abundance awaits us if we start looking into nature, looking at small algae to figure out how it photosynthesizes, how it generates energy from the sun. There are groundbreaking innovations that lay right in front of us, waiting to be discovered!
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May 2024
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