Have you ever heard of Biomimicry?
Put simply, it is the application of a variety of forms of nature and ecosystems to make a design both more efficient and appealing. Nature-influenced product design eventually produces natural solutions to routine problems as it can directly and intuitively connect with users.
Natural selection allows a species to develop a series of advantageous traits that give it an edge over other species. Therefore, nature stands as the master of innovation. Like the internet, trends are trial and error on a massive scale. Some rise and die out, leaving the strongest. For instance, Reddit is a far cry from winning any beauty awards but thrives amongst us. Its design is simple and does not have to look comely to survive, and relies on its uniqueness and advantageous traits to attract users.
Factually, animals respond to their environment through their unique endowments, and it is these abilities once studied that allow designers and scientists alike to create new designs based on nature. For example, unlike Homo sapiens, Dragonflies have more than 28,000 lenses per eye compound, allowing them to have a nearly 360-degree vision. Inspired by this vision, the digital space came up with the idea of a mobile application with a simple user interface for the viewers to see many options together. Furthermore, just like a crab leaving its trails on the sand, users of the application too can leave traces behind. This pathway is then used by designers to track user behavior to improve the design to meet their specific needs.
Perhaps, one of the most famous examples of Biomimicry is the airplane. Despite weighing almost 36 tonnes, the humpback whale is the most elegant swimmer in the sea, courtesy of its unique aerodynamic properties. These are seen in the bumpy protrusions on the front called the tubercle, helping to dive and navigate through the waters. Aircraft wings have been designed by engineers with these principles and observations in mind. Their different steeping angles, use of uneven and smooth-edged blades and other wind turbines, influenced by the formation of a whale’s power, help the aircraft make lift and balance during air turbulence.
Another instance, the lotus, bears hydrophobic qualities. As a result, water does not touch the surface and rolls off. The reason behind such high repellency is the micro-protrusion coated surface of the plant. The waxy hydrophobic material repels the water particles from coming in contact with the flower itself. One might call it a self-cleaning mechanism, as the coating also allows the dirt to roll away with the water molecule. Observing and utilizing this mechanism, CeNano developed a nano tool which is water, fat, and oil-repellent sealant bearing superhydrophobicity properties. Delicate and environment-friendly, this coating is used on the screens of our electronic devices to avoid fractures and damages from any spills.
Just like nature keeps surprising us, the list of nature-inspired designs is also endless. We have a distinct advantage of nature which is the master of many application designs. We can say that nature has done all the hard work for us since the beginning of time. It is next to a portfolio of works with attractive and practical designing solutions. While we are here glaring at our screens, nature is constantly inspiring designers to evolve. Take a look around, there is no limit to the number of great ideas nature offers!
