BIO-MIMICRY: THE QUICKEST ROAD TO SUSTAINABILITY

We humans are surrounded by brilliant people, by brilliant ideas and by brilliant inventions. Could anything possibly outsmart the human brain? Of course there has to be something, and that something is what we call Nature.

Janine Benyus

First and foremost, let us give the credit to Ms.Janine Benyus, founder of The Biomimicry Institute and the reason why bio-mimicry is popular today. According to her, the best and the most brilliant ideas come from nature.

“What if every inventor, at the moment of creation asked ‘How would nature solve this?'”

There are a million things that we could observe, learn and mimic from nature. Many companies have already borrowed ideas from nature. Few of the most interesting examples are:

• CALERA :   This Cement manufacturing company mimics nature’s use of Carbon dioxide. Organisms, unlike humans don’t think of carbon dioxide as poison,  instead things like coral reefs use it as it’s building block. This company borrows the recipe from these reefs, without causing any harm to them. It uses carbon dioxide as a building block in cement.
• LOTUSAN : This company creates self-cleaning paint, inspired by the lotus leaf. The company modeled the micro texture on the lotus leaf. The lotus leaf has bumps that do not let water to stay on the leaf, instead forms beads that roll down carrying dirt particles with them. The paint works the same way. When it comes in contact with water, it cleans itself.
• BIOMATRICA : A San Diego based company imitates the working of ‘Tardigrades’ that are capable of drying itself to up to 120 years. It used this mechanism to freeze vaccines so that they do not need to be refrigerated.
• SKYRIVER  : This company produces water dispensers that make water out of thin air! The idea is taken from a creature called the ‘pillbug’. The pillbugs have special tube shaped structures called uropods on its rear that can produce water from air whenever it wants to quench its thirst. The same mechanism was used in this machine.
• GECKOBIOMEDICAL : This biomedical company produces surgical glues that are safe to use on even the most sensitive parts of the body. The company’s idea was inspired by sandcastle worm secretions. These worms secrete protein-based adhesives that they use to hold their building materials together, such a sand, while creating tube shaped homes.
• FLUID EARTH: This surfing board manufacturing company imitates the bumps on the fin of a humpback whale. The bumps on the board increase efficiency, decrease drag and increase lift by 40% .
• PHILIPS HEAD PROTECTION SYSTEM (PHPS) : This company fits in a specially designed membrane on the outside of a traditional helmet to reduce risk of head injuries. The membrane reduces the direct impact on the head by 60%. This whole idea was inspired by god’s most brilliant creations, the human itself. The skin on the human body protects and acts as an additional layer to the skull.

These are only few examples of how the world is working its way towards sustainability. It’s a very smart move if you think of it – saving the environment by borrowing ideas from the environment itself. If – like Ms.Janine mentioned, if we all thought how nature would resolve an issue, we can always find the most sustainable and safest ways to create things.