Assessing the state of biologically inspired design from three perspectives: academic, public, and practitioners

Abstract

Biologically inspired design (BID) applies natural solutions to engineering challenges. Due to the widespread success of BID, we examine the following research question: how does the purpose of applying, the inspiration source, and the application of BID differ between academics, the public, and practitioners? Answering this question can help us design the tools used to support BID, provide an understanding of the current ‘state of BID’ and identify where BID solutions have not been widely utilized. Identifying gaps in utilization could prompt investigations into BID methods in new fields. To answer this research question, 660 BID samples were gathered equally from three data sources: Google Scholar, Google News, and the Asknature.org ‘Innovations’ database. The data were classified across seven dimensions and 68 subcategories. The conclusions of our research deliver insights into three areas. First, we identify trends in BID independent of source. For example, 72.5% of the biomimicry samples had the purpose of improving functionality and 87.6% of the samples impacted the usage phase of a product’s life cycle. Secondly, by examining the distribution of BID within each source, we identify areas for potential outreach or application. Finally, by contrasting BID results between three sources (academic, news, and practical case studies) we gain an understanding of the disparities between the three. This analysis provides BID researchers and practitioners with a useful insight into the present state of this field, with the goal of motivating future research and application.