Do you know who is the best designer in the world!?
Even if you are an atheist; you would still agree that NATURE is the best designer ever! There is such perfection in Nature that you must feel that you already have the final product! All you need to do is reverse engineer and make the next big thing!
This whole aspect of getting ‘inspired’ by nature or ‘life’ is known as Biomimicry!
Biomimicry is thus the process of sustainably creating policies, products, and services for the betterment of living beings. This implies that biomimicry is the process of imitating life!
The central idea behind biomimicry is that nature, through billions of years of evolution, has already solved many of the problems that humans face today.
The basic idea is that nature has already developed efficient ways to Harvest and store energy, Manage resources and minimize waste and Adapt to changing environmental conditions. Now when you already have an amazing system in place, all you need to do is use your brain to use the blueprint of the nature!
Modern turbine blades form a prominent example of biomimicry. The concept of modern turbine blades is inspired by the structure of the flippers of humpback whales which are about 5 meters long and have bumps or irregularities called pectorals that help them accelerate at a significantly high rate.
The modern turbine blades typically contain three-dimensional bumps on their edges. This helps provide a separate passage for the smooth flow of fluids thereby improving the overall efficiency of the device. It also helps reduce noise pollution by a considerable amount!
In fact there are many such examples in nature! In fact one of the most common things used in our day to day life is the Velcro!
The design of Velcro was inspired by how burrs stick to animal fur!
You can also see how the tip of the high speed trains are shaped or been modeled after a kingfisher’s beak to reduce noise and improve aerodynamics!
Biomimicry is closely related to terms like biomimetics and bionics, which also refer to learning from nature but may focus more on the technical reproduction of biological features.
If you search some place for Biomimicry then you can see that in architecture also Biomimicry has been extensively used the inspired!
The Eastgate Centre in Harare, Zimbabwe has a passive cooling system which is inspired by termite mounds, which regulate temperature through a complex network of ventilation tunnels. This approach allows the building to stay cool with minimal energy, using only 10% of the energy found in typical air-conditioned buildings!
The Gherkin in London has a double-layer glass facade which mimics the structure of the Venus flower basket sponge, using air pockets for insulation and an aerodynamic shape that minimizes wind resistance, thereby enhancing energy efficiency and structural strength!
Then you have the Garden by the Bay in Singapore. The structure has Super trees, vertical gardens that mimic real trees’ functions. These structures provide shade, collect rainwater, house plants, and harness solar energy, demonstrating urban biomimetic design!
Of course Biomimicry can be seen everywhere! And if you want to make a new thing or a new device or any new way of making something better then all you need to do is think about Biomimicry!
Then again some things in nature may not be having an equal! Like someone like Sunil Shetty who started as a muscular macho dude but became famous as a comedian and how!
Now lets do Biomimicry on ourselves and sleep!
SHubh Ratri!
ramadocblog 