Lab+8+Biomimicry


 * CCT333 Tutorial 8 Biomimicry: Janine Benyus and the Biomimicry Institute and Guild **

Janine Benyus is the head of both the nonprofit research Insitute Biomimicry as well as the Biomimicry Guild, which is for profit. Her main objective as head of both organizations is to provide designers and engineers with the tools to develop and translate ideas into corporate and commercial services/ products. In 1997 she published a book called 'Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature'. The book illustrates the deep connection between designs and nature. Personally four favorite design products clearly spoke to me as being significant in design. Using similar methods of navigation currently being used by animals in nature is a wonderful idea. By implementing such techniques we can continue to find solutions to everyday problems we currently face. The UltraCane is not only unique but highly efficient because of its use of sonar to pick up objects before a visually impaired person may collide with them. Using this feature bats are naturally equipped with, we can liberate visually impaired people and allow them a greater extent of freedom, which is highly valuable. ** 2) Keeping the Bugs out ** I find this idea to be quite exciting. By being able to prevent harmful bacteria’s to form after an infection is something everyone can benefit for. Using seaweed to block infections from entering and growing effectively reducing the risk of getting infections and also works against bacteria using a different method of “anti-biotic” Overall, this method can be used for other various medical reasons such as contact lenses, reducing infections caused by them.
 * 1) Echolocation **

By investigating the certain characteristics within nature, researchers have discovered essential properties that enable agility, smoothness, as well as high resistance. In owls and avian birds, the feathers are able to reduce noise. In regards to the bullet train, which travels at 200 mp/h, such aspects were considered and influenced the design of the train. In example, grooves on the train act like feathers and reduce noise levels when the train is traveling, while also the train’s nose replicates a kingfishers beak. The kingfisher is able to quickly dive into water and resurface with little resistance while effectively containing its speed. Using this on the train enables it to go in and out of tunnels in a smoother more effective manner.
 * 3)** **Avian Elements:**


 * 4) The Skeleton Key: **

Bones have always been an unique medical topic. The strength of bones as well as its shape and functionality are remarkable. Using biomimicing, scientists want to reproduce its structure to be used for furniture, making it more durable and stronger. Computer software programs recreate the process of a bone growing and mirror that to be used for furniture, a major feature to be embedded is the hollowness of a bone into hollow furniture which makes it much stronger.

**Write three paragraphs defining how, according to Janine Benyus, "the simple, elegant mechanics developed by nature often make sense in a human context, too". (3 paragraphs)**

Biomimicing is a great aspect to consider for all designs to maintain effectiveness and sustainability. Within each field of engineering and design, biomimicing can be implemented, withdrawing certain vital characteristics from nature. Because animals and plants have a vast amount of unique features that have not been replicated or used in design and engineering, they can be effective tools to help reduce chemicals, carbon dioxide, and emissions while still imploring valuable design aspects.

In her book, Janine Benyus illustrates effective methods for natural design aspects and business products to coordinate to make highly effective products. She explains that through nature we can learn and understand crucial ways of life that have been proven so be greatly successful with regards to animals and nature. Some examples have already been implemented from nature such as the wings on a plane, with further influence determining its wingspan from storks who have larger wings and are able to fly longer distances. In addition by changing the tips of the wing we can increase efficiency by 32%. Furthermore, Benyus feels that by observing nature we can understand common methods it uses to solve its own problem, which could inevitably also work for us. An advantage to using nature as a design stencil provides us with concrete examples as to how it is already successful, makes designs more eco-friendly, develop a profound natural design that is highly sustainable and atheistically pleasing.