Biomimicry: Creative analogies to natural phenomena

Biomimicry is a design principle whereby inspiration is taken from natural patterns and processes in the development of new technology.^[1] Numerous surfboard shapers have developed designs based on naturally occuring shapes, particularly within aquatic environments. George Greenough is said to have modelled his revolutionary fin design on the tail fin of the bluefin tuna. In this instance, the function is more or less identical, whether the fin is on a surfboard or on a tuna. However, there need not be an obvious correspondence between the natural form that gives the inspiration and the product developed from that inspiration. Often, the correspondence has to do with an underlying principle influencing efficiency. For example, a more efficient fan blade has been designed using the logarithmic spiral found in the shells of molluscs.

Of course, natural forms can be incorporated into designs simply for their aesthetic appeal. So long as it invokes a desired response, one could argue that such features serve a function of sorts, especially when the purpose is to attract a mate (or, by extension, a customer). However, the evolution of form in living tissue also reveals traces of the forces acting on the physical presence of the organism (as distinct from it's social presence).

The underlying argument is that the evolution of biological form is founded on generic physical forces, which presumably served as morphological templates within which genetic selection could operate.^[2] While the similarity between so many physical and organic forms suggests such a connection, the case is rather more compelling if one considers that many unrelated organisms have similar morphological features that are also similar to physical forms. According to Newman, "... virtually all morphogenetic and patterning effects seen during early development can, in principle, result from the action of generic processes on embryonic cells or tissues."^[3] For example, the logarithmic spiral found in seashells is also evident in the spiraling of tidal-washed kelp fronds and in the shape of our own skin pores, through which water vapor escapes.

Creative analogies are only one aspect of the design process. New designs still have to be tested and refined more or less through trial and error. However, the more innovative designers aren't so inspired by incremental variations on a current design. They are drawn moreso to the possibility of discovering an altogether radically different approach. Biomimicry enables them to take advantage of the millions of years of incremental variations made through biological evolution and gain insight into the underlying principles determining naturally evolved shapes.

References

↑ Benyus, J.M. (1997), Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired By Nature, William Morrow & Co., New York, NY.
↑ Newman, S.A. (1992), Generic physical mechanisms of morphogenesis and pattern formation as determinants in the evolution of multicellular organization, J. Biosci., Vol.17, Number 3, pp193-215.
↑ Newman, S.A. (1992), Generic physical mechanisms of morphogenesis and pattern formation as determinants in the evolution of multicellular organization, J. Biosci., Vol.17, Number 3, pp193-215.