Overview

Nature has been doing R&D for 3.8 billion years. Whatever problem we are trying to solve (flying, sticking, filtering water), nature has probably already solved it—and done it more efficiently, without toxic waste. Biomimicry is the humility to ask: “How would nature do this?”

Core Idea

The core idea is Nature as Mentor. Instead of trying to dominate nature, we should emulate it. Nature runs on sunlight, uses only the energy it needs, fits form to function, and recycles everything.

Formal Definition

The imitation of the models, systems, and elements of nature for the purpose of solving complex human problems.

Intuition

  • Human Engineering: Heat, beat, and treat. We make things by heating metal to 2000 degrees and pounding it. It’s energy-intensive and wasteful.
  • Nature’s Engineering: A spider makes silk (stronger than steel) at room temperature, using water and dead flies. It is elegant and sustainable.

Examples

  • Velcro: Invented by George de Mestral after he took his dog for a walk and got burrs stuck in its fur. He looked at the burrs under a microscope and saw tiny hooks. He mimicked them to create the hook-and-loop fastener.
  • Shinkansen Bullet Train: The train was so fast it created a sonic boom when entering tunnels. The engineer (a birdwatcher) redesigned the nose to look like the beak of a Kingfisher (which dives into water without a splash). It made the train quieter and 10% more efficient.
  • Sharkskin Swimsuits: Shark skin has tiny scales (denticles) that reduce drag. Speedo copied this texture for swimsuits, which were so fast they were banned from the Olympics.

Common Misconceptions

  • It’s just “using nature”: Using wood to build a house is bioutilization. Designing a concrete that heals itself like skin is biomimicry.
  • It’s always green: You can use biomimicry to make a better weapon. It’s a tool, not a moral philosophy (though the movement emphasizes sustainability).
  • Circular Economy: An economy where there is no waste, only food for the next cycle. Modeled on ecosystems.
  • Generative Design: Using AI to evolve designs (like a bone structure) rather than drawing them.

Applications

  • Architecture: Buildings that cool themselves like termite mounds (The Eastgate Centre in Zimbabwe).
  • Wind Turbines: Blades with bumps on the edge like a Humpback Whale fin, which increases lift.

Criticism / Limitations

  • Complexity: Nature is incredibly complex. It is hard to copy a spider’s spinneret. We often can only copy the shape, not the chemistry.

Further Reading

  • Benyus, Janine. Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. 1997. (The book that started the movement).
  • Pawlyn, Michael. Biomimicry in Architecture. 2011.