The Biomimicry Institute promotes learning from and then emulating natural
forms, processes, and ecosystems to create more sustainable and
healthier human technologies and designs. Learn more...
To learn about more examples of biomimicry, visit our case studies or our online database of nature's strategies AskNature.org
Why Biomimicry?
Biomimicry is the science and art of emulating Nature's best biological ideas to solve human problems. Non-toxic adhesives inspired by geckos, energy efficient buildings inspired by termite mounds, and resistance-free antibiotics inspired by red seaweed are examples of biomimicry happening today -- and none too soon. Humans may have a long way to go towards living sustainably on this planet, but 10-30 million species with time-tested genius to help us get there.
Award-winning Ask the Planet music CD makes a great gift and supports biomimicry
Winner of the 2009 Creative Child Magazine Preferred Choice Award, iParenting Media Best Product Award, Parents' Choice Award. The music and lyrics in Ask the Planet are designed to
reconnect children to nature, create a sense of awe for the environment
and teach them about the concept of biomimicry.
A material based on sharkskin stops bacterial breakouts
29-October-2009 - A whale’s skin is easily glommed up with barnacles, algae, bacteria and
other sea creatures, but sharks stay squeaky-clean. Although these
parasites can pile onto a shark’s rippled skin too, they can’t take
hold and thus simply wash away. Now scientists [at Sharklet Technologies ] have printed that
pattern on an adhesive film that will repel bacteria pathogens from
hospitals and public restrooms.
Otter Inspires dry, warm clothing that uses fewer chemicals, saves energy in manufacturing and can be recycled
30-October-2009 - Most of the baselayers it sells are made of the soft, high-performance
wool of sustainably-raised merino sheep. But the company is not only
using materials from animals in its products, it’s also designing
products that mimic the way that animals stay warm and dry. In
developing this season’s Humboldt and Storm Tracker Finisterre jackets,
the designers employed biomimicry.
Nissan Eporo car aids in avoiding collision by mimicking schools of fish
1-October-2009 - So what do a bumblebee and a school of fish have in common? Both
demonstrate extraordinary "anti-collision" abilities, navigating
instinctively and intelligently through challenging terrain by
detecting and avoiding obstacles - just as future Nissan safety
vehicles may have the
capability to do. But where bees - and the
BR23C robot car - are likely to travel alone, the schooling behavior of
fish, or a group of vehicles, presents a far greater challenge in terms
of collision avoidance. In developing EPORO, three rules of fish
behavior were applied to its driving control. >Read the full press release from Nissan
Secrets of the sandcastle worm could yield a powerful medical adhesive
17-August-2009 - The sandcastle worm makes a protective home out of beads of zirconium oxide in
a lab. At the University of Utah, scientists
have created a synthetic version of this
glue for possible use in repairing
fractured bones. > Read the full American Chemical Society press release
Evolution meets creation
27-July-2009 - At first glance, a humpback whale and a wind turbine don’t have a lot in common. For that matter, neither do a shellfish and a sheet of plywood. But both sea creatures are the inspiration behind products designed using biomimicry, or looking to nature’s designs and processes to solve human problems.
For those who know where to look, biomimetically inspired products can be found in almost every corner of the marketplace, from medicine to transportation. But where the emerging field has the potential for the greatest impacts, according to advocates and practitioners, is in changing the way we think about our built environment—not only in designing individual building products, but in conceiving of entire communities as biomimetic systems, not to mention businesses, government bodies and other "systems." >Read the full "Evolution meets creation" article in Sustainable Industries
Panelite ClearShade Insulating Glass Unit inspired by honey bees
27-July-2009 - Just as the hub of a bee hive is the honeycomb, the hub of New
York-based Panelite’s ClearShade insulating glass unit is its "tubular
polycarbonate" core. Modeled after the hexagonal structure of a
honeycomb, ClearShade’s core limits sunlight coming through glass
thereby reducing heat gains as well as energy costs. Because light rays
can only make it through when they hit the glass perpendicularly, the
sun is most obscured when it is highest in the sky. At midday,
ClearShade has a low shading coeffcient and a low solar heat gain
coefficient—which Panelite touts as "four times better than a typical
insulating glass unit." >Read the full article from Sustainable Industries
Dolphins inspire efficient flight
29-June-2009 - The flippers that some marine mammals use to glide
underwater have a lot in common with the wings of passenger jets and
fighter planes. >Read the full Scientific American article
Clams inspire new joining system
15-June-2009 -
Queensland inventor Dean Cameron has developed a new joining system
that replaces screws, bolts, glue, flanges and nails.
The
Joinlox system is likened to "industrial velcro" and can be used for
products ranging from food crates and pipes to cars, planes and bridges.
Thursday, December 10 - 7 pm PST. Janine Benyus will speak live at the Virtually
Speaking Amphitheater on CommonWealth Island in Second Life (in Avatar)
before a virtual studio audience. Simulcast on BlogTalkRadio. Call-in
Number: (646) 200-3440.
Student Competition - Biomimicry Design Sketch Submissions due January 10, 2009
The top three sketches will be featured on the AskNature homepage early in 2010. Learn more andfind inspiration on asknature.org , a project of The Biomimicry Institute.
(Above: University of Calgary Schulick School of Engineering student illustration, Photo by Ed Bierman)
February 18-20 - A pioneering collaboration among biologists, designers, engineers, and
businesspeople, Social Biomimicry will explore how the collective
behavior and nest architecture of social insects can inspire more effective
and sustainable solutions to human challenges. The conference will
promote exchange of concepts, perspectives, and tools to enrich biology
and advance biomimetic design. Download pdf flier >
29-October-2009 - A whale’s skin is easily glommed up with barnacles, algae, bacteria and
other sea creatures, but sharks stay squeaky-clean. Although these
parasites can pile onto a shark’s rippled skin too, they can’t take
hold and thus simply wash away. Now scientists [at 
