BiomimicryBy: Ken Samoei, Jon Lockie, Rachel Beres, Cory Williams,

Andrew Kulikowski, and Chad Pietkowski

Biomimicry, is an innovative process which generally comes from one of two directions.

• The innovator sees a process in nature and connects it to an existing technology or problem.

• Other times, the innovator studies an existing design problem and turns to nature for help

What is biomimicry?

Butterfly-Inspired Displays Qualcomm looked towards the

unique properties of butterfly wings to improve display technology. These highly developed structures reflect light so that specific wavelengths interfere with each other to create bright colors.

This same principle was applied to cutting-edge display technology to make brighter, more readable, lower-power displays in mobile devices

Whalepower Wind Turbine Humpback whale bumpy skin• Surprising agility in the water compared to size• 25-30 mph underwater• Cuts down on drag through the water

Whalepower Wind Turbine 32% less drag 8% increased lift in their movement through

air or water 20% increase in efficiency

Insect-Inspired Autonomous Robots

Insect Capabilities For mobility• Insect-like ability to cover various terrain• Climb different surfaces• Better stability

Insect eyes• Greater resolution• Panoramic range for small places that other

animals can not get to• Ability to adapt to changing environments

Fruit Fly-inspired Robot Delicate 60cm wingspan• Used to explore non-steady-state airflow• Designed to investigate how small creatures, like

insects can stay in flight Despite their small size, high wing speed and very

small wingspan This robot was designed by Michael

Dickinson in 1999 modeled after the common fruit fly

Flippers

Invented By Ben Franklin in the 18th century Flippers closely resemble the webbed feet of a

frog. Allow for more efficient movement through water

Self-Healing Plastics

Mimics the body’s power to heal itself after inflicted with a scrape or cut

This light weight composite material is still being developed

Current studies are looking in to utilizing this material for planes, cars, and spacecraft

How Self-Healing Plastics Work

The material is made of hollow fibers that contain an epoxy resin that is released if these hollow fibers undergo stress. The resin bonds to fill the void of the damaged material and is nearly as strong as the original product.

The tape is a material covered with nanoscopic hairs that mimic those found on the feet of gecko lizards.

These millions of tiny, flexible hairs exert van der Waals forces that provide a powerful adhesive effect.

Gecko Tape

The synthetic hairs have to be soft and flexible enough to attach to uneven surfaces but not so weak that they would break easily or bunch together.

The substrate that the hairs are mounted on also have to be sufficiently flexible for the material to work.

Gecko Tape

Associated Press. "If the suit fits…" CNN Sports Illustrated. July 2, 2000.http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/news/2000/07/02/bodysuit_craze_ap/

Benyus, Janine M. "Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired By Nature." Harper Perennial. 1997.

"Biomimicking Sharks." Biomimicry Institute. (June 13, 2008) http://www.biomimicryinstitute.org/home-page-content/home-page-content/biomimicking-sharks.html

Work Cited

Work Cited DISQUIS, “The 15 Coolest Cases of Biomimicry.” Brainz.

(2009-2010). 8 February 2010. <http://brainz.org/15-coolest-cases-biomimicry/>.

Beer, Randall D., “Biologically Inspired Robotics.” Scholar pedia. (January 2010). 8 February 2010. <http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Biologically_inspired_robotics#Two_Examples>.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn3785

http://brainz.org/15-coolest-cases-biomimicry/

Work Cited http://swimsuits.lovetoknow.com/

Who_Invented_Swimming_Flippers http://californiaherps.com/frogs/id/

backfeetnoclaws.jpg http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/

gg277/andrew388/flippers.jpg http://brainz.org/15-coolest-cases-

biomimicry/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-

healing_plastic