BIOMIMMETICS

It refers to the process of observing, understanding and applying solutions from

nature to human problems, in the form of biological principles, biomaterials of all
kinds.
It seeks to emulate nature as a source of inspiration and learning to solve current
anthropocentric problems that nature has solved by itself. Whether based on
innovative technology or simpler systems.
The first example dates back to 400 BC. C, silk became one of the first fabrics
invented by man.
The first umbrella was invented in China 1700 years ago by Lu Ban. The idea for
the umbrella came about when he saw children using lotus leaves to protect
themselves from the rain.
Leonardo Da Vinci was the first researcher in bionics or biomimetic mechanical
engineering. He studied the formation and movement of birds' wings, tried to
simulate them, and invented the flying machine. He applied biomimicry to the study
of birds in hopes of realizing human flight by observing the anatomy and flight of
birds proposing many sketches of flying machines. These ideas, along with
observations of pigeons in flight, inspired the Wright brothers to fly the first airplane
in 1903. They created drawings of flying machines inspired by birds and bats. He
designed ships and aircraft by observing fish and birds.
Mathew Baker was one of the leading ship designers in 1590, drawing inspiration
from nature to build large structures simulating the head and tail of the mackerel.
Ohn Smeaton, a civil engineer, used the shaped structure of oak trees in 1759 as
the basis for the design of the Eddystone Lighthouse (United Kingdom) due to its
strength and durability.
In 1851, the landscape designer Joseph Paxton built the Crystal Palace in London
for the Great Exhibition. The palace's unique architecture uses crisscrossing iron
beams to support glass panels in a huge open space, taking inspiration from the
leaf of a water lily.
Francois Réaumur observed wasps and pointed out that the material of their nest
is very similar to paper, since they chew wood to make their nest.
Antonio Gaudí, architect, in the Cathedral of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona tried
to simulate trunks and branches of trees and spiral snails and used them as
structural elements resistant to wind and weather conditions, and to the transfer of
loads, not only in the decoration
Gustave Eiffel, a civil engineer, designed the Eiffel Tower in 1889. It simulated the
upper part of the femur or thigh bone, since it is the strongest bone in the human
skeleton structure, acting as a carrier for what is above it and as a support for the
rest of the leg
The Wright brothers, considered the inventors of the airplane, used the vulture's
wing as a model to build the wings of their airplane at Kitty Hawk. In this year,
1903, the first successful flight in history took place; the Wright brothers' ship
remained in the air for just under a minute. The Wright brothers' model, particularly
the wing control mechanism, is inspired by the way birds use air currents to gain
height and facilitate changes of direction.
The invention of radar appears to be related to the fact that some dolphins and
bats have used sound for communication and object detection for millions of years.
In 1955, while walking through the forest, Swiss engineer George de Mestral
noticed burrs sticking to his jacket. He looked at one of the burrs under the
microscope and saw that the seed container had hooked limbs that grabbed the
looped fibers of its outer clothing, arctium lappa. His discovery led to the patent of
a novel hook and loop closure system, Velcro, due to the contraction of the words
“velours” (velvet) and “crochet” (hook). After further examining the lampardo or
burdock, he noticed that its surface was composed of many tiny hooks. They stick
to things by weaving these hooks into the loose composition of surfaces like fabric
and animal hair. He invented Velcro by imitating this surface covered in tiny hooks
and associating it with a surface covered in small loops.
Frank Lloyd Wright in 1956 relied on “organic architecture” for the simulation of
natural objects using the principles of nature in a different way.
In 1969, the American biophysicist Otto Schmidt used the term biomimetics for the
first time. In 1934, Schmitt had invented an electrical circuit modeled after the
neural impulse systems of squids.
In 1980, Eugene Tssui declared that man and nature must become partners in
design to create a world of beauty. He invented a new form of architecture called
“evolutionary architecture.”
In 1986, NASA and 3M tested a technology that resembles the grooves found in
shark skin. Small indentations called giblets are attached to the outer shell of an
aircraft with adhesive to reduce airborne drag and make the jets more
aerodynamic. Today, Lufthansa is developing a technology to paint these grooves
directly on the exterior of commercial aircraft to reduce fuel consumption by
approximately 1%.
The Eastgate Center was built in 1996 and is located in Harare serving as a
shopping center and office space. Designed with the termite anthill concept, the
Eastgate Center does not need to be conventionally heated or cooled. Termites
keep their mounds at a constant temperature by closing and opening holes along
the mound's outer shell, allowing air to ventilate and balance the temperature
inside. The Eastgate center works similarly, but with ducts and fans instead of
termites. It uses 10% of the energy of a conventional building of the same size.
The large office and retail space does not have a conventional heating and cooling
system, but instead uses fireplaces that naturally extract fresh air to maintain a
temperate environment.
Janine Benyus in 1997 is known as the founder of the biomimicry movement. She
collected all her theories in a book called "Biomimesis: innovations inspired by
nature." In 1998, Janine Benyus and Dayna Baumeister founded biomimicry, which
uses deep knowledge of the biological adaptation of organisms to help designers,
engineers and architects solve design and engineering problems in sustainable
ways. In 2008, the “biomimicry portal” was developed, which is the first digital
database for biological organisms that have strategies to solve problems consistent
with the humanitarian community. She frames the concept of biomimetics around
the urgent goal of ending environmental destruction.
In 2008, through Hansjörg Wyss, work began to create the Wyss Institute of
Biologically Inspired Engineering to strive to discover the engineering principles
that govern living beings, and will use this knowledge to develop technological
solutions to problems. most urgent health and environmental problems facing
humanity.
Michael Pawlyn expresses that designers should use nature as a “sourcebook” for
sustainable design and technology and, as it has been refined from a 3.8 billion
year research and development period, it has been and will continue to be always
an emerging technology as evolutions occur.

EXAMPLES
Diving suits that imitate shark skin. These models reduce turbulence, providing
their users with a lighter movement due to a decrease in water resistance.
Robots weighing just over 10 grams have been created by applying biomimesis in
engineering, inspired by the functioning of ants, which allows them to move tons of
weight.
Inspired by bees, Harvard University has developed flying microrobots that emulate
the antenna and eyes of these insects through intelligent sensors that allow them
to coordinate and could be used to pollinate crops, due to the risk of their occurring
extinction.
A biotechnology company from Canada is working on a material inspired by the
spider web, which will allow the creation of structures that are much more resistant
than steel and will be able to replace it, thus avoiding the inconveniences of
corrosion and the generation of polluting processes that are difficult to recycle.
From the observation of the lotus flower, materials and paints have been designed
that greatly improve their finishes and are cleaned only by passing water over
them. The lotus flower has a peculiarity of always being clean even when in
swampy waters. Thanks to some nanohairs of these plant varieties, many liquid-
repellent fabrics have been created.
There are mussels that, thanks to their waterproof and moisture-proof adhesion,
have inspired the creation of Pure Bond, a non-toxic super glue used in the wood
industry.