Biomimicry: Nature Inspired

Technology

14 May 2019

CONTENT

Executive summary 03

Introduction to Biomimicry 05

History of Biomimicry 08

Levels of Biomimicry 09

The need for Biomimicry 09

Biomimicry Innovations 13

Emerging trends in the application of Biomimicry 16

Biologists at Design Table 17

Databases of Biomimicry 18

Critique of Tools 18

Case Studies of Biomimicry 20

Biomimicry and Sustainability 23

CONTENT Page 02

In nature, there is absolutely no waste. Everything either is a nutrient or an ingredient. The

imitation of these knowledgeable earthly designs and processes can help people save

energy-saving technologies, reject toxins, reuse any material and work as a system to

create life-friendly conditions.

We live in a period of exponential change and transformation in the social and

technological field. The rate of digitalization and connectivity is rapidly increasing. This

increasing complexity and the global impact of our actions are some of the greatest

challenges we face today. Therefore, more than ever, new approaches and organization

forms are urgently needed, as linear thinking patterns and hierarchies are increasingly

inappropriate to tackle complex questions.

The practice of biomimicry always starts with the vital process of understanding how would

nature act in certain situations and this often leads to new ideas that are evolving to fit the

context, tested for many years to be proven safe for the current generation and the ones

to come. Biomimicry is divided into three levels that aid us in the design of an innovation

that supports a circular economy and creates conditions conducive to life.

Biomimicry addresses all types of sustainability issues and revolutionizes the economy in

all sectors. It analyzes and abstracts functional principles of nature and applies them to

economic and socio-cultural matters. The principle behind biomimicry is the development

of organisms and biological systems over a period of 3.8 billion years, with brilliant

mechanisms of adjustment superior to our inventions and solutions. Whether architecture,

mobility, energy generation, packaging or organizational structures poses problems, then

nature can provide many answers. In particular, biomimicry utilizes the full range of

biological systems–from microscopic cells to complex behaviors of whole ecosystems–as

models and design criteria that provide new and unexpected solutions. Essentially,

biomimicry consolidates thousands of years of development into one creative and open-

ended process of innovation.

This report is breaking down the practice of biomimicry and its history, why is it needed

and how it differs from other bio-approaches. We’re understanding how Russia has been

evolving their technology and using nature as the main inspiration behind their designs

and how it is going to be leading their industries in the future. Lastly, how through

biomimicry, designers can lead the development of technologies with net zero or net

positive environmental consequences.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Page 03

Introduction

Introduction to Biomimicry

Nature has long been a source of inspiration for designers and engineers in their quest to solve many of humanity’s problems, and in the industrial world nature is increasingly seen as a model and a reference point. “Biomimicry” is the name given to nature inspired innovation that seeks sustainable solutions to human challenges by

emulating nature's time-tested patterns and strategies, according to the Biomimicry Institute.2 The core idea is that over the course of thousands of years of evolution, nature has already perfected solutions to many of the problems we are grappling with.3 Biomimicry is an emerging area of study that is seeing rising demand for theoretical and practical training and there has been a fivefold increase in biomimicry patents and research grants since 2000. A report by the Fermanian Business & Economic Institute suggests that biomimicry could account for US$ 425 billion of gross national product (GNP) and $1.6 trillion of global output by 2030. Biomimicry holds tremendous potential at this critical point in human history to inspire eco-friendly designs in technology.

Definition of Biomimicry

The word “biomimicry” means the imitation of life and it comes from a combination of the Greek words “bios” which means life and “mimikos” meaning imitation. In 1962, the term biomimicry was first used as a generic term that referred to cybernetics as well as bionics. Bionics is defined as ‘‘an attempt to understand sufficiently well the tricks that nature actually uses to solve her problems’’ and it is closer to the meaning of “biomimicry’’ as it has been used by scientists since the 1980s. In fact, the term bionics was used earlier to cover the same area of today's term biomimicry. Through Janine Benyus’s book Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature, biomimicry became the preferred name.

Biomimetics is a multidisciplinary field that involves design and manufacturing of various commercial materials and apparatuses based on the biological function and structure of different objects and organisms found in nature.

Biomimicry refers to studying nature’s most successful developments and then imitating these designs and processes to solve human problems. It can be thought of as “innovation inspired by nature” – Janine Benyus.6

Professor Robert J Full from the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, explains why biomimicry often involves direct copying of nature. “Evolution isn't a perfecting principle; it works on the principle of “just good enough”. If you really want to design something for a task, you have to look at the diversity of organisms out there and then get inspired by principles.”

INTRODUCTION Page 05

Biomimicry can be defined as innovation through emulation of biological forms, processes, patterns, and systems.7 The idea is that natural selection promotes highly adapted and differentiated survival strategies to meet technical challenges.

In engineering, biomimicry involves the study of biological systems in order to get information from nature to solve engineering problems or to be used for applications in engineering. Biomimicry as a concept is defined by industry leader Sue L. T. McGregor as “the juncture where ecology meets agriculture, medicine, manufacturing materials science, energy, computing and commerce”9

INTRODUCTION Page 06

History of Biomimicry

History of Biomimicry People have always been inspired by nature to solve everyday problems. The study of birds to allow human flight is an early example of biomimicry. The Wright Brothers, who in 1903 managed to fly the first aircraft, drew inspiration from their observations of pigeons.13

The term biomimetics was chosen by Otto Schmitt, an American Academic and Inventor, to describe the transfer of biological ideas to technology. The term biomimetics entered the Websters dictionary in 1974 and is defined as "the study of the formation, structure, or function of biologically produced substances and materials (such as enzymes or silk) and biological mechanisms and processes (such as protein synthesis or photosynthesis) especially for the purpose of synthesizing similar products by artificial mechanisms which mimic natural ones".14

The term bionics, in 1960, was coined by the psychiatrist and engineer Jack Steele15 as "a science concerned with the application of data about the functioning of biological systems to the solution of engineering problems".

The term began to take on a different meaning following the 1974 TV series The Six Million Dollar Man and its spin offs, becoming associated with 'the use of electronically-operated artificial body parts' and 'having ordinary human powers increased by the aid of such devices.16 Because the term bionic took on the implication of super natural strength, the scientific community in English speaking countries shied away from using it in subsequent years.

The term biomimicry first appeared in 198217 and was popularised in the 1997 book Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature, by scientist and writer Janine Benyus who defines the word as "new science that studies nature's models and then imitates or takes inspiration from these designs and processes to solve human problems". Benyus suggests looking to Nature as a "Model, Measure, and Mentor" and emphasizes sustainability as an objective of biomimicry.

For example, researchers studied the termite's ability to maintain a virtually constant temperature and humidity in their mounds in Africa, regardless of outside temperatures that very from 1.5 °C to 40 °C (35 °F to 104 °F). Researchers initially scanned a termite mound and created 3-D images of the mound structure, which revealed construction that can influence human building design.

In the 1990s, engineer Eiji Nakatsu was tasked with developing a unique solution to the Japanese bullet train's sound boom when it left a tunnel. His ‘eureka’ moment came when he saw how a Kingfisher stealthily entered the water to catch a fish. The nose of the train was subsequently modelled on the beak of the Kingfisher. The design allowed trains to exit tunnels faster, reduced noise pollution and simultaneously improved efficiency.

Alexander Graham Bell, the father of modern communication, was also inspired by human ear mechanisms. He realised that just as an eardrum can send signals to the brain, a vibrating metal piece could transmit electronic noises over great distances. The electronic communications revolution of the 20th century came about from this fundamental idea and this original base system is still in use today.

HISTORY OF BIOMIMICRY Page 08

Levels of Biomimicry

According to Janine M. Benyus in the Biomimicry Primer, there are three levels to biomimicry. The first level is the mimicking of natural form. For example, designing an efficient wind turbine in the form of a whale’s fin. The second level would be the mimicking of natural process, or the way things are made. And the third level of biomimicry is mimicking of natural ecosystems. The feather is part of an owl, that is part of a forest that is part of a biome, that is part of a sustaining biosphere. In the same way, the owl-inspired fabric must be part of a larger economy that works to restore rather than deplete the Earth.

“If you make a bio-inspired fabric using green chemistry, but you have workers weaving it in a sweatshop, loading it onto pollution-spewing trucks, and shipping it long distances, you’ve missed the point.”

Managing to biomimic at all the three levels - natural form, natural process and natural ecosystems provides the opportunity to create conditions conducive to life. “Creating conditions conducive to life is not optional; it’s a rite of passage for any organism that manages to fit in here over the long haul.”

The need for biomimicry

Planet earth is 4.5 billion years old and has been harbouring life for 3.8 billion years. Since then, millions of organisms have adapted and developed to create an exquisitely linked living system. Human beings are a product of this system, but are relative newcomers. Despite the brevity of our time spent here, we have developed quite destructive habits. In fact, humans have physically, chemically and ecologically transformed the earth to the point that scientists argue that we have entered a new geological era known as the Anthropocene, or the age of humans.

Human beings have tampered significantly with Earth's systems, and only recently have we truly started to understand the implications of our actions. But the main mistake is to forget that we are part of our planet's ecosystems, not separate from them. We rely on natural processes to supply clean air, water and food. In turn, it is up to us to remember the limitations of planetary resources.

Biomimicry acknowledges how millions of organisms and ecosystems can show us how to survive and thrive on planet earth. They encounter many of the same challenges we do, such as needing a warm place to stay, water, energy, etc. but do it without damaging their own environment and conserving valuable resources. Hence, humans can learn to emulate the successful strategies of nature to make systemic shifts that would allow us to live in our world more harmoniously and sustainably.

HISTORY OF BIOMIMICRY Page 09

According to the Biomimicry Institute, there are nine reasons why applying biomimicry to build environment projects is a winning situation. Looking to nature for inspiration can help the designer in the following ways:

#1 – Nourishing Curiosity. Designers are innately curious, and biomimicry provides the opportunity to learn about life’s complex processes and bring new design solutions to the table.

#2 – Going Beyond Form. Looking to nature for design inspiration has historically been standard practice, from Corinthian columns on Greek temples to Santiago Calatrava’s iconic biomorphic structures. But the practice of biomimicry looks beyond form and teases out life’s inherent sustainability strategies, creating structures that fit form to function and are efficient as well as well-adapted to their environment.

#3 – Giving Permission to Play. Studies have shown that people who go outside often are happier, healthier, and more creative than those who do not, so integrating outdoor experiences into your design process gives creativity a boost.

#4 – Disrupt Traditional Thinking. The process of asking the question, “how would nature solve this challenge?” as well as ensuring the design team has the adequate knowledge to answer it, gives the project teams an opportunity to explore new solutions and brainstorm opportunities to solve challenges in new and innovative ways.

#5 – Accomplish Multiple Needs with One Simple Gesture. In nature, there are no single-purpose tools. For example, trees provide shade with their leaves, which also generate energy, and bark, which also helps to protect and cool the moving water beneath the surface. Imagine building surfaces and systems that could accomplish multiple functions with one simple, multi-functional design!

#6 – Are Well-Adapted to their Context and Climate. Rather than fighting against the climate using energy and resources to hold nature at bay, projects can leverage cyclical processes such as the change of seasons and build with readily available materials and energy, making the achievement of LEED Platinum and Living Building Challenge standards more easily achievable while minimising additional costs.

#7 – Emulating and Enhancing Ecosystem Services. By constructing buildings, streets, and parks to perform the same services a natural ecosystem does: stormwater harvest, flooding mitigation, habitat creation, energy production, and carbon sequestration, we can create a built environment that “fits in” again and contributes to the ecosystems we inhabit.

#8 – Leveraging Collaborative Synergies. Rethinking our buildings as nested systems, both made up of smaller systems and a part of multiple larger ones, allows us to cultivate collaborative relationships that save resources, energy, and cost for the project and the community at large.

#9 – Embodying Systemic Resilience.

Life on Earth is the epitome of resilience, adapting and changing itself to fit its context for billions of years. By looking to how nature confers resilience on its systems, incorporating diversity and embodying resilience through variation, redundancy, and decentralisation, we can create systems that are inherently resilient to disturbances, even the unexpected.

HISTORY OF BIOMIMICRY Page 10

How biomimicry differs from other bio-approaches.

The concepts of bio-utilisation and bio-assisted technologies are quite different from bio-mimicry. Bio-utilisation involves harvesting a product, e.g., cutting wood for floors or wildcrafting medicinal plants. It is also different from bio-assisted technologies, which involve domesticating an organism to accomplish a function, e.g., bacterial purification of water or cows bred to produce milk. Instead of harvesting or domesticating, biomimics are inspired by nature in some way. Nature is seen as a source of ideas rather than merely a source of goods.

Learning from nature requires a different scientific approach, involving the study of an organism, a subsequent attempt to emulate it, and often a return to the organism with a new set of questions. This has been called “a deepening conversation with the organism” by plant geneticist Wes Jackson, who studies prairie patterns to come up with a more robust type of agriculture.

This shift from conqueror to student represents a new connection between humans and the world. We are required to choose nature not just as model, but also measure and mentor. Learning from life’s genius involves these questions: “What would nature do here?” (nature as model), “What wouldn’t nature do here?” (nature as measure), and “Why or why not?” (nature as mentor).

HISTORY OF BIOMIMICRY Page 11

Biomimicry

Innovations

Biomimicry Innovations

Approaches to the biomimicry design process usually begins with identifying the human need or design problem and looking at the various ways other organisms or ecosystems can help solve the problem. This means identifying particular characteristics, behavior or function in that organism or ecosystem and trying to translate it into designing a product for human use.

Examples of Existing Biomimicry Innovation

1. Lotus leaves

Wilhelm Bartlett discovered that the surface of lotus leaves is covered with small bumps and waxy crystals. Dirt particles are picked up by water droplets due to the micro- and nanoscopic architecture on the surface, which minimizes the droplet's adhesion to that surface. Along with his team, Bartlett began applying this to products such as paints and coatings and this effect is now known as the lotus effect.

2. Boxfish

Despite its boxy, cube-shaped body, this tropical fish is exceptionally streamlined and therefore represents an aerodynamic ideal. Using an accurately constructed model of the boxfish, automotive engineers were able to achieve a wind drag coefficient of just 0.06 in the wind tunnel. DaimlerChrysler subsequently created a concept car with a large volume, small wheel base inspired by the design of the boxfish.

3. Calla Lily

Pax Technologies adopted the calla lily's shape as inspiration for a water mixer. The flower's centripetal spirals assist with the ideal flow of liquid, which allows their design to mix more liquid with a fraction of the energy required.

4. Whales Fins

The humpback whale weighs 36 tons, but is one of the most graceful swimmers in the sea. Scientists discovered that the bumpy protrusions on the front of the whale’s fins have greatly affected these aerodynamic skills and there is a growing body of evidence that similar bumps could lead to more-stable airplane designs, submarines with greater agility, and turbine blades that can capture more energy from the wind and water.

BIOMIMICRY INNOVATIONS Page 13

5. Shark Skin coat

NASA scientists were able to produce a film that had microscopic denticle patterns comparable to shark skin denticles. This type of technology reduces friction, saving energy and money (e.g. fuel) which has led to the development and use of ship's hull coatings, submarines, aircraft, and even human swimming gear. The financial incentive is huge since researchers estimate that a 1 per cent drag reduction can save one aircraft approximately 25,000 gallons of fuel per year.

6. Biomimic Architecture

The Eastgate Center in Harare, Zimbabwe, is an incredible example of biomimicry. Its eco-friendly design means it does not use conventional air-conditioning and heating, though the temperature remains regulated throughout the year. The architect Mick Pearce was inspired by termite mounds to construct the building which has an ingenious structure that cools itself. Its ventilation system involves the opening and closing of vents all over the mound, which regulates air convection currents. The innovative building is said to consume 10% less energy than conventional buildings of the same size.

BIOMIMICRY INNOVATIONS Page 14

Trends in The Applications of

Biomimicry

Emerging trends in applications of biomimicry

There are a number of interesting developments in the field of biomimicry that would benefit from further translation into industrial applications. Many of these focus on studying the ability of organisms to sense and react to their environment, with the goal of applying the same principals to the development of smart materials, especially self-assembly and optical materials, as well as the design of sensors.

Smart material

1. Self-assembled materials

The self-assembly of biological structures is defined as the ability of a system to adopt, without external influences, a specific structural arrangement or pattern. A good example of self-assembly in nature, that could potentially lead to useful insights for fiber design, is the self-assembly of cellulose micro-fibrils. Cellulose is one of nature's most abundant polysaccharides and has great commercial significance. Better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of various processes associated with cellulose micro-fibrils, including their self-assembly, could inspire the design of new fiber materials, according to The Swedish Center for Biomimetic Fiber Engineering. The tarsi of Beetles is another example of self-assembly as the tarsi consist of hair-like structures that display highly controlled self-organisation. Research on these structures has helped scientists develop new synthetic nanofibers that can imitate this property.

2. Sensors

An organism's ability to effectively collect information from a variety of sources about its surrounding environment is an essential part of its existence and plays a crucial role in its ability to survive. Organisms can detect in their environment a range of physical, chemical and tactile signals. Interpreting these signals is vital for organisms to communicate, find food, and avoid predators. Organisms often have detection systems with unique features that can be used to enhance current technologies. The Nissan Motor Company, imitating the bumblebee's visual system, developed a laser range finder to improve safety.

3. Acoustic sensing

Acoustic sensing is based on the use of sound by an organism to identify objects. This adaptation is often associated with bats which have developed heightened hearing abilities that are more useful for hunting at night than vision. A number of technological developments could benefit from the re-application of the bat's technique, especially in regard to navigation systems.

TRENDS IN THE APPLICATIONS OF BIOMIMICRY Page 16

4. Chemical sensing

To some extent, all organisms have a mechanism for sensing chemicals and odours in their surroundings. Some plankton species have chemosensory abilities that allow them to communicate. Despite the strong currents they are often exposed to, lobsters are able to detect trace odours in their surroundings. Seabirds have an advanced olfactory system that helps them navigate. Improving our understanding of how this is achieved so effectively and accurately by certain organisms could lead to the development of new chemo-based sensors.

For example, many species can readily detect low-level CO2 changes. Gaining a thorough understanding of the exact mechanism by which this is achieved could help to develop new chemical sensors for atmospheric pollutants or environmentally toxic compounds.

Temperature sensing organisms can respond to changes in temperature, and some of their mechanisms that detect changes can be used to develop new synthetic sensors that may regulate fans or heating at home. Snakes have a unique IR sensory detection system thanks to a specialised facial structure (the pit organ) that can activate a temperature-sensitive ion channel and detects infrared signals.

Another demonstration of an innate ability to detect infrared light can be observed by the jewel beetle, which does so to locate the burnt wood in which it lays its eggs. Their sense organs include pits containing large quantities of modified mechanosensory. Researchers at Bonn University have engineered their application of biomimicry to produce a new system that is not as sensitive as current sensors, but can be produced much cheaper than commercially available IR sensors.

Biologists at the Design Table

The Biomimicry Guild has commenced an effort to help biologists to develop the design process at the Design Table (BaDT). The BaDTs are biologists who have training in a biomimicry design methodology developed by Benyus and biomimicry.net, and who excel in searching through biological research. They can find the natural strategies to meet specific design challenges and evaluate the most promising ones.

The biologists are experts in translating the strategies of nature into strategies for design problems. They can also provide feasibility analyses and action plans to implement a selected biologically inspired strategy. The service also exists as an on-call biology-service, called "Dial-a-Biologist." Here experts answer technical questions and participate in brainstorming to detect ways to improve a product or process by helping nature's ideas. The service also offers lectures, workshops and networking between scientists and design firms.

TRENDS IN THE APPLICATIONS OF BIOMIMICRY Page 17

Databases of Biomimicry

Multiple attempts have been made to develop databases that designers and engineers can use to access the biological information they need for their work. Three notable attempts are:

The Biomimicry Database is being developed by the Biomimicry Institute and is “…intended as a tool to cross-pollinate biological knowledge across discipline boundaries”. Designers, architects and engineers will use advanced tools to search for biological information, find experts, and work together to find ideas that can resolve their challenges. Six different information types are included in the Biomimicry database: challenges, strategies, organisms, individuals, quotes and products.

The Chakrabarti system aims to provide analog design ideas that can be inspired biologically or artificially. It is based on two parallel databases–one that outlines natural systems for certain motions (e.g. insect-flying, fish-swimming, grass-hopper-jumping) and the other that includes artificial systems capable of various behaviours (e.g. gears, vacuum-cleaners, etc). To do this, the movement behaviors in the two databases have been described in a common language.

TRIZ is a well-known tool for creative innovation based on a database of solutions from a number of different areas, including a list of 40 inventive principles distilled from a wide analysis of successful patents. Currently, TRIZ includes little biological data. The University of Bath is currently carrying out a programme of work for integrating biological and biomimetic knowledge into the TRIZ framework.

Critique of tools

In order to help designers, access the large number of biological data available for researchers, the tools referred to above were designed. The designer's objective is often to find tools suited to solve specific problems. These tools provide an efficient, logical and solution-oriented approach to help designers use bio-mimicry, however there are a number of disadvantages. They are all still to some extent in development or initiation (in relation to biomimicry), and therefore usability is difficult to predict. Moreover, the Design Table initiative's biologists are likely to be too much for freelance designers or small design studios, although they offer very handy ways of connecting with biologists. In fact, it seems that an initial active decision is needed to apply biomimicry in the project and this is based on the expectation that the best answer is in nature. This is not the only way of finding a solution for this problem. The mentioned databases could be useful, even though mostly still being developed. Designers, who generally search for solutions and do not need biomimicry "only the way to go," can use them more "sporadically" However, there could be problems with access to software and subscription fees. Another disadvantage could be that database systems involve learning a official language in order to find the designer or company properly and to take time, effort and perhaps the money required. It might be useful therefore to have a tool to help designers indicate that biomimicry might be interesting in their particular projects early on in the design and without requiring a large number of resources.

TRENDS IN THE APPLICATIONS OF BIOMIMICRY Page 18

Case Studies

By 2050, the world's population is projected to rise to 9 billion which will lead increasingly to water shortages that could affect half the world. Some animal species, for example those that live in deserts, have developed survival capabilities that allow them to deal with water scarcity. New technologies and biomimicry can provide solutions for easy, reliable and affordable water collection and purification.

Fog harvest: Even in areas without significant rainfall, air can contain sufficient humidity that it can be captured and stored at certain times of the day. Fog harvesting refers to the collection of water using a large vertical canvas to condense the fog into water drops which are then gathered in a trough. This system has the benefit of being passive and does not require an external source of energy for collection.

Sustainable water filtering: Sustainable water filtration systems can be the difference between life and death in some areas. Some low-tech methods use plants, seeds, ashes or manure. Other systems are even easier and only use the sun as the source of energy, such as The Watercone and Eliodomestico which are used to distill seawater.

Biomimetic dew harvesters: The Stenocara beetle, which lives in the Namibian desert, can collect dew on its back. This can be used to improve the water output of man-made dew condensers that replicate the nanostructure on the back of the beetle. Researchers have found that it is an ideal model for catching water trapping tents and building coverings.

Wind turbine: Eole Water, a French-based company is testing a wind turbine in the UAE which they say can produce hundreds of litres of drinking water from the desert air. Tests in Abu Dhabi have resulted in the production of 500 to 800 litres of water per day and the company believes that it can reach up to 1,000 litres per day.

Warka water: Warka water is an inexpensive structure that gathers fresh water from the air. Arturo Vittori, an industrial designer, and his colleague's invention does not involve difficult gadgetry or engineering feats, but relies instead on shape and material. Each tower's rigid exterior consists of lightweight, elastic stalks woven in a pattern that provides stability in the face of strong wind turbulences while allowing still air to flow through. A nylon or polypropylene mesh net resembling a large Chinese lantern hangs inside and collects droplets of dew that form on the surface. The droplets collect in a container at the base of the tower as cold air condenses.

Cloud seeding using laser beams: In order to improve cloud formation, silver iodide crystals, dry ice and other chemicals are inserted in the clouds in the rarified atmosphere. While aircraft or land-based dispersion devices, such as generators or canister-filled rockets, have traditionally been used to carry out the seeding, more recent research has examined the potential of lasers. According to the science journal Nature Photonics, researchers at the University of Geneva have already used lasers to produce small clouds on request in the laboratory. Now the researchers will try to optimise the laser wavelength, focus and pulse duration to improve the impact and produce droplets of rain.

LEAF self-generating water resource: This is an example of future water creation technology that could transform many lives in the humid regions of the world. Pune-based Indian student Anurag Sarda was awarded the first prize in the international Time to Care Sustainable Design Award for his solar powered LEAF Self-Generating Water Resource. The LEAF is an 18-foot

high water condensation unit that is able to produce 20 litres of drinking water per day. Similar to a natural leaf, the unit transforms the condensation into water, which is purified and finally collected in an earthen pot via a fixed sand filtration unit. To generate electricity, LEAF utilises solar energy to cool its metallic top surface and to enable the formation of dew, which is collected through the leaflike structure shape. The unit is extremely low maintenance and the filter just has to be cleaned from time to time.

Early Innovations from Russia

The first person to be credited with successful helicopter design and construction was Mr. Igor Sikorsky, a Russian-born engineer, who introduced his VS-300 in the 1940s. This helicopter became the prototype for all modern helicopters. Sikorsky's XR-4 was the first large-scale military helicopter to be used by the American Army to a limited extent during World War II.

The similarities between helicopters and dragonflies may seem unclear at first, but they are notable. Dragonflies have two semi-identical sets of wings which can sometimes operate in unison but can also operate independently of each other, depending on the direction of travel.

Engineers discovered that using metal rotor blades did not permit the agile handling of the aircraft and did not withstand flight stress. Composites, such as carbon fibers were finally used in rotor blades as the material of choice because both are strong and flexible and don't crack under stress as easily. This allows the helicopter to be quick and maneuverable, which is a requirement for modern aircraft. Similarly, the wings of the dragonfly are a "composite" composed of many smaller, paper-thin wing sections.

Biomimicry &

Sustainability

•

Biomimicry and Sustainability

Through biomimicry, designers can lead the development of technologies with net zero or net positive environmental consequences, because biological solutions have been developed over many years of evolution. TRIZ, the most widely used problem solving engineering tool, was adapted for the creation of BioTRIZ. The original TRIZ was developed in 1946 by the Soviet inventor Genrich Altshuller and his colleagues.

Emulating biology is different from harvesting or domesticating organisms to perform a desire. Instead of manipulating energy, biological solutions tend to leverage information transfer and structure. But newcomers to biomimicry often try "to use an organism to do what it does" instead of taking advantage of the design principles that the organism embodies. Biomimicry does not necessarily produce sustainable results; however, a multilevel approach is most effective for achieving solutions that produce a sustainable outcome.

1. ⠀Form

The giant leaves of the Amazon water lily are an example of the emulation of form. The shape and support ribs of the leaves can inform a new innovation of lightweight but structurally strong building panels. This innovation could, however, be sustainable or not. The costs outweigh the benefits if these panels come from toxic substances that pollute the environment.

2. Process

The second stage of biomimicry focuses in particular on the emulation of biological processes. Nature assembles structures using non-toxic chemistry at ambient temperature and pressure. In contrast, most factories produce output at high temperature and pressure by carving, bending, melting and casting or otherwise manipulating them. The factory approach shows tremendous scope for improvement compared with biological production. It is much more energy-intensive, polluting and wasteful. The significant change in infrastructure required will make it difficult to encourage a large transition from conventional to biomimetic production. In theory, a team could imagine an environmentally sustainable biomimetic solution, but if there are no appropriate manufacturing techniques at hand, it could be impossible to achieve the solution. The construction of infrastructure is therefore a constraint on producing eco-friendly, cost-effective biomimetic products.

Nearly every biological material has a carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur combination. The combination of these ingredients provides a wide range of useful functions for biological materials. Manufacturers take a different approach. This key difference can be further illustrated by the following: A beetle’s shell provides strength, breathability, color, and waterproofing but is made from only chitin and a protein, which, in turn, are made from only the six elements previously named. In contrast, a chip bag is made of several different materials that each fulfills a separate function. The shell of the beetle is biodegradable; however, the chip bag ends in a waste dump. There’s still a long way to go before we produce our own multifunctional materials from a small chemical palette. Natural systems are generally still completely functional, even with minor defects.

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BIOMIMICRY & SUSTAINABILITY Page 23

• 3D printing involves the creation of a solid object from a digital model by defining successive layers of material, an approach that imitates the material-efficient production processes of nature. Opportunities to improve technology require consideration of other aspects of biological production. 3D printers are currently using toxic resins, powdered metal and ceramics as base material; however, research is currently underway to investigate the viability of using benign, natural feedstocks such as wood chips, paper, plastic scrap, clay and carbon dioxide. The amount of energy consumed by the printing process is another problem. The electricity consumed by 3D printers is currently approximately 50 to 100 times higher than injection molding in order to produce a product of equal weight.

3. Ecosystem

The development of a product with net zero environmental effects cannot be guaranteed by even emulating both form and process. All organisms are a part of a bio-sphere biome. The high level of biomimicry emulation of the ecosystem is most difficult, as it requires skilled systems to ensure the design fits smoothly in the biosphere. This makes the continued prosperity of each organism dependent on the health of the biosphere.

Biomimicry 3.8 has developed a tool called the Life Principles (the 3.8 refers to 3.8 billion years of development). It helps to evaluate the sustainability of the biomimetic design on the ecosystem. Life’s Principles sum up repeated patterns and principles embodied in Earth organizations and ecosystems. The tool describes six main principles and 20 subprinciples. These models are meant to support a sustainable biosphere. Life's principles are inconsistencies indicating a potential unsustainable innovation and identifying opportunities for further optimizing your design. These inconsistencies can be easily detected and resolved if the tool is used as a benchmark throughout the design process and if the team strives to integrate the principles of life. Like all concepts, organic designs, including those which are potentially dangerous or counterproductive, can be used in a variety of manners.

Another aspect of biomimicry at ecosystem level is to ensure that biomimetic designs are used in socially advantageous ways. It is not always possible to regulated how innovations are used, but designers still do everything they can to ensure solutions are useful without being harmful.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has supported biomimicry research as well as the development of biomimicry concepts financially. DARPA’s Defense Sciences Office (DSO) focuses on “understanding and emulating the unique locomotion and chemical, visual, and aural sensing capabilities of animals.” DARPA’s DSO funded the development of BigDog, a dynamically stable quadruped robot that can run over rough-terrains and carry heavy loads.

BigDog is a robot that can accompany soldiers on terrain too hard for standard vehicles. Biomimetic robotic technologies such as BigDog can be used both productively and destructively and can be used as a means of preventing potential human injury or death in remote or dangerous areas. This analysis requires the designer's efforts to selectively transfer desirable aspects of the natural model into the final design and to promote its use for positive purpose.

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Uniting the world in shaping the future of manufacturing is the goal of the Global Manufacturing & Industrialisation Summit (GMIS). A unique and unprecedented cross-industry forum, we bring together governments, the business world, and civil society to create a roadmap of the development of a sector that accounts for million jobs, 17% of global GDP, and 84% of world trade exports – ensuring its evolution mirrors the way the world is changing and supports progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals. A joint initiative by the United Arab Emirates and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, GMIS – as a platform for leaders to transform manufacturing, a builder of cross-sectoral partnerships, and a knowledge-base that identifies opportunities for the sector to generate universal benefit – is committed to placing manufacturing at the heart of economic regeneration, policymaking, international collaboration, and contribution to global good. Should you wish to participate or share any of your papers or reports, please drop us a note on research@gmisummit.com The Global Manufacturing & Industrialisation Summit reserves the right to all content contained within its reports and publications.