Biomimicry

Have you ever imagined that ants could help us solve traffic issues? You must have seen ants traveling in lines, but in opposite directions. They can be compared to the traffic in the highway lanes. As we progress into the development of autonomous vehicles, learning how the ant columns move can provide a potential solution to improve traffic. Here, we try to copy or mimic the ants to solve our problem. This is what biomimicry is all about.

To explain briefly, biomimicry is the imitation of models, systems and elements of nature to solve intricate human problems. The world has gone through evolution for millions of years and created many incredible things in nature. Various species with different features and traits have developed. Biomimicry, or biomimetics, takes inspiration from these things to make life easier for humans.

Why biomimicry?

Our nature has innate potential and the number of features that can be emulated is vast because of the complexity and diversity of the nature. Biomimicry helps to develop commercially usable technologies, which at the same time, are regenerative and sustainable. Nature as mentor stresses a new way of viewing our environment- breaking away from the industrialized view of the world as a collection of resources available for plundering.

The three elements of biomimicry :

The practice of translating nature's strategies into design consists of three essential elements.

1. 1. Emulate : The methodical, scientific approach of studying and then modeling the shapes, functions, and ecosystems of nature in order to produce more regenerative designs.
2. 2. Ethos : The idea that life functions best when understood and used to inform the design of environments that sustain and foster life.
3. 3. Reconnect : The idea that we are a part of nature and that it is important to acknowledge our position as a component of the interdependent systems of life on Earth. Reconnecting with nature helps us better grasp how life functions by encouraging us to spend time there and watch it. This will give us a better understanding of how to mimic biological tactics in our designs.

Biomimicry as a process has two approaches. Sometimes, an innovator links an existing technology to a process they observe in nature. On other occasions, he researches an issue and looks to nature for assistance.

Examples of biomimicry :

• Right from the time of early man when humans picked up hunting, shelter and survival skills by watching animals, biomimicry has always been an inspiration for humans to develop new technologies.
• The popular Velcro fastening is a bio inspired technology. In 1941, when George de Mestral was walking his dog, he found that burrs were sticking to both of them. When he examined under magnification, he discovered that hundreds of tiny hooks were attributed to their sticking ability. This led to the invention of Velcro fasteners.
• Insulation from down feathers: Thick winter coats packed with down or other feathers keep us warm.
• Termite mound cooling: Architects have been motivated to create more energy-efficient structures by the way these tiny insects burrow tunnels in their mounds to escape the heat of the African Savannah.
• Whale wind turbines: The ridges on humpback whales' pectoral fins produce an aerodynamic flow in the water. They influenced the design of wind turbine blades.
• Beetle water collection: Although the dung beetle is more well-known for its characteristics, it can also gather fog on its shell and bring it to its mouth in dry climates to drink. This has motivated scientists to investigate methods for extracting fresh water from fog or dew.
• Glass with a spiderweb pattern: One of nature's most resilient designs is the spiderweb. The car industry has imitated the webbing pattern to prevent windshields from shattering even while they crack.
• Locusts use highly evolved eyes that allow them to look in multiple directions at once to avoid bumping into each other in swarms. While creating sensors that identify movement immediately surrounding an automobile and alert drivers to approaching collisions, auto designers took inspiration from the locusts' vision.
• Despite living in muddy ponds and swamps, Lotus plants maintain tidy leaves. The microscopic bumps and ridges on the leaves prevent additional particles and water molecules from transferring over the surface. Because of this, the water beading up and sliding off takes dirt particles with it. Paint has been given this lotus look by developers. Tiny bumps that are left on the surface when the paint dries aid in the removal of dirt by water droplets.
• Certain air conditioning systems use biomimicry in their fans to boost airflow while using less energy. NASA and other companies have been working on creating swarm-style space drones that are modeled after the behavior of bees and oxtapod terrestrial drones that are modeled after desert spiders.
• Electrical devices that mimic the form and function of organic neurons are known as neuromorphic computers and sensors. One example is the event camera, where only the pixels that receive a new signal are updated to a new state. Until a signal is received, no other pixel is updated.
• Viral capsules can be used to create a variety of nanodevice components, such as nanowires, nanotubes, and quantum dots. Due to the charged surfaces on the inner and outer layers of tubular viruses, like the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), crystal growth can be nucleated. These particles can be used as building blocks to create nanotubes and nanofibers.
• Research has been done on the moth's eye's light refractive characteristics to lower solar panel reflectivity.
• A Swedishbusiness created a "micro mist" spray technology inspired by the Bombardier beetle's potent repellent spray, which is said to have a low carbon impact.
• The aerodynamics of streamlined design of the improved Japanese high speed train Shinkansen 500 Series were modeled after the beak of the Kingfisher bird.
• Some biorobots are made, inspired by the physiology and methods of locomotion of animals. Examples include BionicKangaroo (which moves like a kangaroo, saving energy from one jump and transferring it to its next jump), Kamigami Robots (a children's toy, mimic cockroach locomotion to run quickly and efficiently over indoor and outdoor surfaces) and Pleobot (a shrimp-inspired robot to study metachronal swimming and the ecological impacts of this propulsive gait on the environment).

Biomimicry is a method that draws inspiration from natural organisms and processes rather than being a product in and of itself. The goal of biomimicry is to value nature for its lessons rather than for what it may be used to extract, gather, or domesticate. Through this process, we discover more about who we are, what drives us, and how we relate to one another and the planet. As we go deeper into the realms of biomimicry, it becomes evident that nature has the answers to some of the biggest issues of human world. Not only does learning about the natural world allow us to innovate and advance, but it also increases our appreciation of the wonders that surround us. Biomimicry is a tribute to nature's creative spirit and the limitless inspiration it provides for a sustainable and peaceful future.

-Veda Mokshajna