Book Recommendations on Biomimicry

Biomimetics was first coined in 1997 by Janine Benyus as the study of natural mechanisms to be used to design and produce materials, structures and systems that are seen in nature. Essentially it is the realization of giving oneself the edge in studying mechanisms.

You can see here talk about the work here.

Following you will find some of these books that introduced this approach to materials in nature.

Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature (Janine Benyus) Link

This book kicked off the study or perhaps a revolution that has inspired a bunch of interesting material science.

Nature runs on sunlight, uses only the energy it needs, fits form to function, recycles everything, rewards cooperation, banks on diversity, demands local expertise, curbs excess from within and taps the power of limits.

In a society accustomed to dominating or ‘improving’ nature, this respectful imitation is a radically new approach, a revolution really. Unlike the Industrial Revolution, the Biomimicry Revolution introduces an era based not on what we can extract from nature, but on what we can learn from her.

Engineered Biomimcry (Akhlesh Lakhtakia and Ranjan Ganguli) Link

Biology is the future of engineering” is a refrain commonplace in engineering colleges today. The ongoing rise of engineered biomimicry in research communities has encouraged a few specialist conferences, new journals, and special issues of existing journals.

The reader may expect this book to be divided into three parts of engineered biomimicry––namely, bioinspiration, biomimetics, and bioreplication. But the boundaries are not always evident at research frontiers to permit a neat division, and the progression from bioinspiration to biomimetics to bioreplication has been followed loosely by us.

We do hope that the insects we caught for our bioreplication research forgave us for translating them from the miseries of life to the serenity of death. Some of them were immortalized on Youtube. Who could ask for anything more!

The Shark’s Paintbrush: Biomimcry and How Nature is Inspiring Innovation (Jay Harmin) Link

With nature, it’s never too late. Nature is a survivor. Nature never gives up. She heals all wounds. Nature pushes up tiny little blades of grass through city concrete and asphalt and overgrows Mayan cities. She keeps putting out billions of seeds, spores, and baby spiders, growing mountains, evolving new species. She is always creating. It’s not just okay to feel optimistic, it’s natural, and essential. Combining our human intelligence with optimism is the best way we can give back to our earth. Right now, across the globe, we humans, the products of nature, have the skills and the technology to solve just about any problem we’re facing, without sacrifice-if the will is there. There is a way, if we allow ourselves to be guided by nature’s optimism and nature’s wisdom. We can do it

Nature is always showing us the best model… A biomimetic way of looking at [molecules] is more behavioral. Instead of forcing molecules to interact, I ‘ask’ molecules what their role should be by studying their fundamental structure… We have to let go of ego and let the inherent properties of materials teach us what to do.

Biomimcry in Architecture (Michael Pawlyn) Link

Biological systems have evolved to thrive in closed loops, in which the concept of waste does not exist: everything is nutrient.

iomimicry involves learning from the many remarkable adaptations found in biological organisms in order to inspire new design solutions. It is based on the way functions are delivered in biology rather than just looking at forms, and in many cases can lead to innovations that achieve radical increases in resource efficiency

That’s one of the exciting things about biomimicry, it points towards a very different relationship with nature, looking to nature as a source of wonder and as a source of some of the best solutions that we need to tackle the challenges of the present day.”

Biomimicry Resource Handbook: A Seed Bank of Best Practices (Dr. Dayna Baumeister) Link

Biomimicry is more than just looking at the shape of a flower or dragonfly and becoming newly inspired; it’s a methodology that’s being used by some of the most innovative organizations in the world.”

Life’s Principles…is the most important and influential component of biomimicry.

Biomimetic Technologies (Trung Dung Ngo) Link

Finally, a wide range of applications are investigated in Part Four, where biomimetic technology and artificial intelligence are reviewed for such uses as bio-inspired climbing robots and multi-robot systems, microrobots with CMOS IC neural networks locomotion control, central pattern generators (CPG’s) and biologically inspired antenna arrays.

Biomimetic engineering takes the principles of biological organisms and copies, mimics or adapts these in the design and development of new materials and technologies.

Bulletproof Feathers (Robert Allen) Link

Nature is the ultimate engineer. For billions of years, plants and animals have been developing solutions to the challenges of survival. Now, scientists are learning to borrow those solutions to solve human problems.

The feathers of a bird are not just for flight, but for waterproofing, insulation, and even display. Their complex structure has inspired the design of advanced materials that are both lightweight and strong.

Termite mounds are masterpieces of natural engineering, maintaining constant temperature and humidity inside despite extreme conditions outside. Architects and engineers are now using these principles to design more energy-efficient buildings.

The Biomimcry Revolution: Learning from Nature How to Inhabit the Earth (Henry Dicks) Link

Modernity is founded on the belief that the world we build is a human invention, not a part of nature. The ecological consequences of this idea have been catastrophic. We have laid waste to natural ecosystems, replacing them with fundamentally unsustainable human designs. With time running out to address the environmental crises we have caused, our best path forward is to turn to nature for guidance.”

The biomimicry revolution, then, is above all a revolution with respect to the being or beings we take as model, measure, and mentor: not God, not Man, not anything and everything, but nature. And yet, at the same time, we must also rethink what nature is, for we must ground the biomimicry revolution in a revolutionary understanding of that which is to hold the role of model, measure, and mentor.

Biomimetics: Biologically Inspired Technologies (Yoseph Bar-Cohen) Link

Nature is the world’s foremost designer. With billions of years of experience and boasting the most extensive laboratory available, it conducts research in every branch of engineering and science. Nature’s designs and capabilities have always inspired technology, from the use of tongs and tweezers to genetic algorithms and autonomous legged robots

Some commercial implementations of biomimetics can be readily found in toy stores, where robotic toys are increasingly appearing and behaving like living creatures. More substantial benefits of biomimetics include the development of prosthetics that closely mimic real limbs as well as sensory-enhancing microchips that are being used to interface with the brain to assist in hearing, seeing, and controlling instruments.

The Gecko’s Foot: Engineering New Materials from Nature (Peter Forbes) Link

As we continue to study nature, bio-inspiration will transform our lives and force us to look at the world in a new way

The cutting-edge science of bio-inspiration gives way to architectural and product designs that mimic intricate mechanisms found in nature

The story of how the lotus leaf inspired self-cleaning paint (both have hairs that allow water to form globules that carry off dirt) is improved by quotations from Buddhist texts. Forbes is confident enough to confess his own ‘lotus epiphany’