Comments on: Design with Constraints

By: Hanna McEnaney

Hanna McEnaney — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 12:34:50 +0000

When I first started to explore the world of boimimicry, I didn’t find it that fascinating. I found common examples of how nature had influenced the fashion industry such as using spider silk to create clothing. This did not seem like a huge deal to me because it was not much different than people using silk worms for clothing purposes. Sweat induced messaging did not appeal to me either. I thought this idea seemed like it would be awkward. There are people who are work out fiends but the concept of wearing around a sweaty t-shirt to promote a message just strikes me as unpleasant.
I discovered other examples of biomimicry that seemed reasonable and I understood how society would benefit from these advances. The discovery of fast skin was inspired by the shark and allowed people to increase their speed at which they swam. This advance would be a great advantage to people who are training for triathlons. The gecko has also been an inspiration to advances. Researchers have been studying the gecko’s ability to climb upside down and vertical surfaces. A type of adhesive tape has been created that uses weak intermolecular attractive forces to be super sticky at one moment and not at the next. The adhesive tape mimics the setae on the bottom of the gecko’s feet.
Biomimicry can be inspired by the plants in nature. The lotus flower has had a great impact on society. The lotus flower is hydrophobic which means it repels water. As water droplets fall the bead up and roll off while picking up dirt and other particles to clean the surface. An aerosol spray has been created that mimics the waxy coating of the lotus flower. The spray works better on rough surfaces such as paper, leather and other textiles. This spray is great for water proofing clothing and makes the idea of a self-cleaning shoe possible.

By: Elle Chard

Elle Chard — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 03:07:17 +0000

Biomimicry is “innovation inspired by nature.” An example would be studying a leaf to invent a better solar cell. Biomimicry is made up of three things; Model, Measure, and Mentor. A model is using nature to solve problems of mankind. By measure, nature has learned what will work and what will last. A new way viewing and valuing nature is referred to as mentor. We are looking for what we can learn from the natural world and not what we can extract from it. The more we let our world function like the natural world, the longer our world will last and grow.
From reading about Biomimicry, I have learned that this world has taken a lot from the natural world around us. We learned to fly by studying birds. We learned to make swimsuits to increase speed by studying sharks. Swiss Engineer George de Mestral invented Velcro. He studied burrs that were stuck to his dog.
Turbine came from research on whales and paint from the lotus flowers.
Biomimicry is very important to the functioning world. It has helped scientists/ engineers create new ideas. Without Biomimicry we wouldn’t have as much advanced products produced today.

By: Tiffany Nicole

Tiffany Nicole — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 18:02:27 +0000

The process of studying nature’s ideas and imitating them can solve almost all human problems. Nature is a genius. It is our job to transfer these ideas of biology to technology. For example, Janine Benyus studied spiders that create web silk as strong as the Kevlar used in bulletproof vests. Other examples include fabric that emulates sharkskin, biomimicry for camouflage used in the army, and adhesive glue from mussels. This article from above follows these same biomimicry practices.
Using engineering on the molecular level to mimic the surface of a lotus leaf so that water and oil can roll off its surface is innovation itself, coming directly from nature.

By: Jordan

Jordan — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 04:29:57 +0000

Until a few weeks ago, I wasn’t aware of the significance of biomimicry, or even its concept. However, the idea that nature has already solved dilemmas we struggle to deal with today is quite intriguing. An article I came across introduces a new technology in helmets. Eighty percent of fatal motorcycle crashes are due to head trauma; the rough shell of a typical helmet does not provide the function of protection that needs to be implemented into our safety system. Yet, a new innovation has been devised based on biomimicry that could potentially save lives. ‘Superskin Helmet’ is made of comfort padding, inner lining, and a shell, just as every other helmet, but added in an outer membrane that will stretch and slide to protect the head from harsh forces. There is a layer of lubricant between the membrane and shell to better imitate the best helmet that nature has already invented: the skin on a human’s skull.
Students in the Textile Features program at Central St. Martins have invested time designing textiles that were inspired by nature. One of which is a print that reacts to the body’s emotions, the print will blend in with its surroundings when the wearer feels self-conscious and become bold when the wearer wants to be noticed, much as a chameleon does. Another student designed a crocheted project, ‘Symatic Symbiosis’ in which the textile harvests kinetic energy and creates electricity when manipulated. This causes floral patterns to grow as more energy is generated. The textile looks as if you were watching a garden bloom, analyzing every flower as it grows with its cluster. Researchers at the University of Arkansas designed another interesting textile I came across. They have developed a smart textile in which sensors can monitor the wearer’s cardiac signs and relay the information with doctors, no matter where the wearer is located at the time.
Biomimicry can play a huge part in our future , looking towards nature’s past to help with present innovations. This discipline is a creative, efficient way of solving problems we encounter daily. Who knew that nature knew best all along!

By: Haley Packer

Haley Packer — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 21:40:57 +0000

Biomimicry is an amazing advancement in technology; “Biomimicry focuses on using nature as an inspiration to solve problems faced by humans” (www.wisegeek.com), which literally means, the “imitation of life”. Today this technology is used in many different types technology such as weaving, knitting, non-woven, and many other combinations. These textile structures are amazing because of their low weight, flexibility and extraordinary properties. Whether it is a protective turnout coat for the firefighter, a set of tires mounted on the landing gear of the newest aircraft, the Teflon-coated Kevlar airbags used in landing space crafts or a super-absorbent diaper, all of these innovations are made from the new advancements in Biomimicry textiles. One of the Biomimicry textiles that I believe is one of the coolest is the fast skin that was created for the 2008 U.S. Olympic swimming team. Researchers studied sharks, the way they move and how their gills and skin affected the movement of the shark. This technology was collected and used in the making of the fast skin for the swimmers, to improve their speed. Another animal that scientists have studied for textiles are spiders, Orb spinning spiders are able to spin a variety of different silks based on their needs. Orb spinning spiders spin protein based silks and glues, which help in the making of different textiles. I believe that in the future Biomimicry textiles will become a part of our everyday life, not just at the gym or while swimming.

By: Alex O'Laughlin

Alex O'Laughlin — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 05:14:01 +0000

Biomimicry is a discipline that has long interested scientists. Although it was first introduced by George de Mestral who used the technology to imitate the action of a burr sticking to his dogs’ fur, thus patenting velcro in 1955. Since then, biomimicry has caught the eye of many across several disciplines. From the army using biomimicry for camouflage purposes, athletes using shark’s skin technology to give themselves an advantage in the water, to designers using innovative ideas from nature to put products on the runway, biomimicry has become the backbone to numerous new technologies.
The specific example of Herman Miller’s Quilty textile given in the above article follows the practices of de Mestral set forth over a half century ago. Engineering textiles on a molecular level to mimic that of a lotus leaf in its ability to resist water absorption is a feat in and of itself; moreover, innovation of this magnitude in the field of biomimicry is immeasurable.