The world is ever evolving, whether through the natural environment or manmade innovations. Humans take inspiration from each other, but they are more significantly influenced by nature. Biomimicry is the practice of learning and mimicking the way living organisms, outside of humans, solve problems that are similar to ones faced in society. The earliest known biomimicry is Leonardo Da Vinci, where he observed the anatomy and flight of birds to sketch a “flying machine”. This later inspired the Wright brothers to successfully build a working airplane. The first informal biomimicry use, however, was the Chinese invention of the umbrella in 1700 by Lu Ban, who was inspired by kids using lotus leaves to hide from the rain. There are many more examples of biomimicry in society. Helicopters are inspired by the wings rotation of hummingbirds, Velcro by cockleburr getting stuck on fabric/animal fur, and Shinkansen bullet trains in Japan resembling the aerodynamic kingfisher bird.
The 2022 United States census identified 254.5 million drivers. Many higher end vehicles are modeled from animals- The Corvette Stingray was inspired by a Mako shark. The vehicle went through three design phases, each of which contributed to the current design. Mercedes Benz also created a marine based design which was revealed as the Bionic in 2005. It was inspired by a boxfish, however it never made it to market. Frank Stephenson designed several animal inspired cars, including the McLaren which was modeled from cheetahs and the Mini Cooper which took inspiration from the British bulldog.
Biomimicry is used in extremely important fields like medicine and the U.S. military. The U.S. Naval uses biomimicry in the GhostSwimmer, a drone that’s used underwater, to mimic the flexibility of shark skin, allowing the drone to look and swim like a surface shark. The Navy also has a possibility to launch torpedoes to look and act like sea urchins, starfish, and other invertebrates. They can be fitted with artificial squid skin that was made in 2015. The small autonomous vehicles made of biomimetic flexible shark skin, that have existed for about seven years, look like a school of fish and can also have adhesive that mimics octopus suckers, allowing the vessels to stick to enemy ships and use for the U.S. Navy’s advantage.
Biomimicry is seen in a variety of forms globally. It is used to help societies grow and work towards solving problems mimicking solutions found in nature. Nature is the inspiration for the development and designs of objects that have been or are being created for the ever growing world we live in.
Citations
Biomimicry Institute. (2024, September 17). What is biomimicry - The Biomimicry Institute. The Biomimicry Institute. https://biomimicry.org/inspiration/what-is-biomimicry/
Calabria, M. F. (2021, June 14). Move Like a Shark, Vanish Like a Squid. U.S. Naval Institute. https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2021/july/move-shark-vanish-squid
Daynes, A. (2023, August 30). The Complete History of Biomimicry (with Examples). www.learnbiomimicry.com. https://www.learnbiomimicry.com/blog/history-of-biomimicry
Foundation for Traffic Safety. (2023). American Driving Survey: 2022. https://aaafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/202309_2022-AAAFTS-American-Driving-Survey-Brief_v3.pdf
Insider Cars. (2021, October 20). How Nature Inspired The Design Of The McLaren P1 And Mini Cooper | Carsplainers. Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fFrDVfGyg4
Tucker, S. (2022, November 3). Americans Keep Buying More Luxury Cars. Kelley Blue Book. https://www.kbb.com/car-news/americans-keep-buying-more-luxury-cars/
Ward, L. K. (2016, July 29). These Sleek, Sexy Cars Were All Inspired By Fish. Smithsonian; Smithsonian.com. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/these-sleek-sexy-cars-were-all-inspired-fish-180959966/