Biomimetics: An Approach to Enhance Sustainability - An Overview

Abstract

Biomimicry is the study of natural structures, mechanisms and ecosystems to create more ecologically sustainable designs. It plays a vital role in searching for new tools and techniques to solve human problems by adopting natural phenomena. Many experts now view nature through biomimicry for motivation with its instinctive ability for sustainability and proven flexibility to interruption. Biomimetics is not a recent trend; the idea of looking into nature for inspiration is in practice for a long time. Human innovations have borrowed from nature throughout history. Essential elements of biomimicry are ethos, emulate and reconnect. Philosophies of biomimicry emphasise nature’s features, thereby implying that humans have much to learn from nature with evolutionary knowledge. Biomimicry is a modelling tool; the design process is usually divided into two categories; biology to design and challenge to biology. Research folk imitate natural phenomena in three levels viz., form, process, and ecosystem level. Nowadays, biomimicry is used in almost every field, from architecture to computer science. Biomimicry can help with structural quality, water efficiency, zero-waste systems, the thermal atmosphere and energy supply. Fluid-drag-reduction swimsuits inspired by the structure of shark skin, velcro fasteners inspired by burrs, aeroplane shapes inspired by the appearance of birds and stable building systems inspired by termite mounds, honeycombs, and other biomimetic experiments are only a few examples.