Biomimicry

9th

Bio

BIOMIMICRY

INFOGRAPHIC

Anju

Aoi

woo

Kingfisher

Bullet Train

Mantis shrimps have strong and lightweight clubs made of material arranged in a spiral-like (helicoid) structure. This structure allows the club to absorb shock on impact by dissipating the energy. Moreover, the helicoid structure has minimal outer surface area at the point of contact and requires far less material than a solid prism. Materials that incorporate the helicoid structure are strong, lightweight and have a smaller carbon footprint. These materials can be used to build objects like wind turbines.

Wind turbine

For all the challenges we face, nature has a solution."

-Biomimicry Institute

click to interact

Compass termites farm fungi which need to be kept at a constant temperature of 87ºF. The network of channels inside their mounds moderate the temperature, acting as heating and cooling systems. Moreover, the mounds are shaped like huge flat chisel blades with their longer axis facing north and south to get the minimum sunlight at noon and maximum sunlight in the early morning and afternoon. The structure of this building has many open areas and openings which enable passive internal airflow, similar to the air channels and holes in a termite mound.

Mantis shrimp

Self-cooling building

Termite mound

What is Biomimicry?

Biomimicry is a practice recently developed that applies biological principles to technology and design. Not to be confused with biomorphism (designs visually resembling life forms), biomimicry emulates function, and does not necessarily look like the organism it is inspired by.

3 Levels of Biomimicry

ORGANISM

mimicking the form and function of an organism

BEHAVIOR

mimicking interactions between an organism and its environment

ECOSYSTEM

mimicking interactions between the parts of an environment