Emulate

• One of the Three Pillars of Biomimicry

• Easiest one to visualize because there is a clear end product

• Is the intersection between Ethos and (Re)connect

• Emulation: bringing the principles, patterns, strategies, and functions found in nature to inform designs

Emulate

• No matter what career you go into, you will be a "designer" at some point in your life

  • Unique problems will arise that you will need to develop a solution to

• In Using a biomimicry mindset, you view the natural world as three things: Mentor, Model, and Measure

• Emulation requires a disciplined practice

  • Hard to do without following a pattern

The Biomimicry Process

• Biomimicry practitioners have come up with a method of using biomimicry thinking for design

  • Based on standard design processes in engineering

• While shaped like a wheel, the process can jump about in any order

Scoping

• The Preparation for Your Design

• The time to identify the problem and what is needed to solve it

  • If not done, can make the project more difficult

• Involves setting the scenario as well as setting up goals

• Three main parts

  • Define Context

  • Identify the Function

  • Integrate Life's Principles

Discovering

• The Phase of research and exploration

• Uses the context you established to come up with a list of model organisms that achieve the same function within the same or very similar context

  • With that list of organisms, you Abstract the Biological strategy and convert it biology to design

Creating

• The process of putting a design into action

• Involves making and testing prototypes

  • May not be exactly like the final product, but give a general idea

• This can lead to new context or function needs that require rescoping

Evaluating

• Once a solution is reached, it is necessary to evaluate it

  • Asses how appropriate/viable it is

• Looks for missed opportunities and places for refinement

• Usually results in revisiting other phases

Methods of Biomimicry Design

• There are two main methods that bring about biomimetic designs

  • Biology to Design

  • Challenge to Biology

Challenge to Biology

• The most common start of the Biomimicry process

• Involves a problem that requires research specific to the context you are working in

• Companies and individuals may seek out the help of specialists

Biology to Design

• A person notices a biological function and abstracts how that can be beneficial for a human problem

  • Generally found by being very engaged in Nature

• Not as common as a challenge to biology, but still happens

  • Example: Velcro

Biology to Design Example: Humpback Whale

• Dr. Frank Fish-Studies biomechanics and fluid movement

  • looked at a sculpture of a Humpback Whale, and noticed the tubercles (bumps) on the fins were on the leading edge

    • Assumed it was a mistake by the artist until shown live whales

• Worked with another scientist by taking the fins from a dead whale and putting it in a wind tunnel

  • Found that adding tubercles decreased the drag and made it easier to move