Nature always has its own set of solutions for any mechanical and structural problems without generating excess wastes. Mimicking nature needs an amalgamation of biological sense and technological data together. Although both systems have a different evolutionary timescale, for instance, the biological process has been evolving for the past thousands of centuries, while technology has been escalating only for a couple of hundred years. The differences between the technology and the protocols that nature follows are immense, including the genetic codes, environment, and biological clock.

Despite these challenges, Frosch and Gallapoulous once presented a special note on developing ecosystems keeping a balance between nature and humankind. The concept is presumed to be the inception of the new terms in the twenty-first century, such as Biomimicry, biomimetic, bionic, Biodesign, biomorphic, bioutilisation, biophilia, and bioderivation. With the evolution of science, Biomimicry has taken a new direction that connects sustainability with technology and ecological frame of reference to evaluate the viability of our inventions.

The context of Biomimicry may be classified into three stages, such as the form, the process, and the ecosystem. The process is initiated with the duplication of the characteristic traits of the organism, namely, appearance, visual shape, components, materials, and morphological features. The next step is to investigate further the viability of the attributes to apply to the medium under observations. If both of these processes exhibit a positive result, the method then seeks to duplicate the form and processes of an ecosystem.

Mazzoleni and Price stated that Biomimicry surpasses an analogy and executes on diverse stages, such as organism, behavior, and ecosystem. Biomimicry ranges from architecture to material science and chemistry where it continues to provide new and innovative insights into engineering problems. The evolution of Biomimicry has escalated over the last 30 years, inspired by insects, reptiles, mammals, and other invertebrate species.

Adaptive envelopes are the first generation bio-inspired material that was mimicked from the valvulae pollination mechanism in Strelitzia reginae flower called Flectofins. The envelope employs the traits of the reversible material deformation in the presence of an external force, inducing an external shading system. The investigation of the shading stem was further attributed to the kinematic mechanism inspired by the motions of the planned movement known as FlectoFins. A shading system adapts and responds to changing sunlight conditions during the daytime. Active materials are now being prepared based on the natural phenomena of the response of the spruce cones when they come in contact with the humidity. Hygroskin uses such inspiration and uses relative humidity to sense and interact with the surroundings.

However, although efforts are being made to enact nature, stress must be laid on how these techniques may be used to develop a greener future and a sustainable future.

Here is the 5 best third-generation biomimetics developed in the field of engineering science

1. Bullet Trains Inspired by Kingfisher Birds2. Water Harvesting as Ctenocara beetle3. Cephalopod Camouflage4. Shock Absorbing mimicking the woodpeckers5. Wind Turbines analogous to humpback whales

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

Read the original:
The Evolution of Biomimicry in Human innovation - Economic Times