biomimicry
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Janine Benyus joins “World’s Most Influential Designers”
Posted by davidwfox on 02 Feb 2010 | Tagged as: biomimicry
Adding to a growing number awards she has received over the past few years, Janine Benyus is included in a list of “Most Influential Designers” put together by BusinessWeek:
Not only is “influential” difficult to measure, but “design” is also nigh on impossible to define neatly. Nonetheless, we decided to put together a list of some of the design world’s most influential movers and shakers. From design thinkers to hands-on design doers in industries from graphics to industrial to auto design, our chosen 27 luminaries represent a diverse cross-section of design disciplines. But all those selected have one thing in common: They are in some way responsible for shaping the world around us.
Airbus: Biologically inspired engineering or ‘biomimicry’ is the future
Posted by davidwfox on 21 Jan 2010 | Tagged as: biomimicry
Airbus joins the “inspired by nature” meme:
Andrea Debbane, Vice President Public Affairs and Communications at Airbus, said, “Aviation is already putting a huge effort into reducing the 2% it contributes to manmade emissions … Biodiversity is also vital for the future of aviation and economic development. The natural world has been, and continues to be, a source of inspiration to engineers in creating eco-efficient aircraft. Biologically inspired engineering or ‘biomimicry’ is the future, and we need to ensure this is preserved.“ Continued at: http://www.ftnnews.com/content/view/8420/27/
ASU joins Biomimicry Affiliate Program
Posted by davidwfox on 20 Jan 2010 | Tagged as: biomimicry
Some great news from the Biomimicry Institute:
Arizona State University has become the newest member of the Biomimicry Affiliate Program of the Montana-based Biomimicry Institute. ASU is the only U.S. institution to be awarded affiliate status and joins Iberoamericana University, Mexico City, and the Ontario College of Art & Design, Toronto.
The agreement between ASU and the Biomimicry Institute will foster greater cooperation in a variety of areas. They include developing biomimicry-based courses and other educational opportunities, pursuing joint grant opportunities and stimulating the development of biomimicry-based technologies and ventures at ASU.
Biomimicry is an emerging discipline that explores the materials, processes and functions of nature for clues to solving human problems. The approach is being used by companies around the world as a strategy to guide the sustainable design of a wide range of products, from energy efficient buildings and self-cleaning paints to brighter electronic displays and power-sipping impellers and fans.
ASU has become a leader in biomimicry. Examples include:
• InnovationSpace – a joint venture established by ASU’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, W.P. Carey School of Business and the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering – is pioneering biomimicry in its core curriculum as a fundamental strategy for creating sustainable product concepts.
• Center for Bio-Inspired Solar Fuel Production – backed by a $14 million grant from the Department of Energy, the center focuses on unlocking the secrets of energy conversion in photosynthetic organisms and will use these natural processes as a model for creating an artificial system of solar-powered fuel production.
• ASU’s School of Life Sciences will host a conference on “Social Biomimicry: Insect Societies and Human Design,” Feb. 18-20.
The international conference will convene biologists, computer scientists, artists, designers, architects and engineers who will explore how the collective behavior and nest architecture of social insects can inspire more efficient and sustainable solutions to human challenges in areas such as manufacturing, communications, transportation and green building.
“Arizona State University faculty are exploring a wide range of possible applications for biomimicry,” said ASU President Michael Crow.
“We have active research in biomimicry that could affect such fields as renewable energy, new materials and bioengineering. We also are working to integrate biomimicry into our curriculum offerings to our students, with the goal of educating future generations of students in this important technological field.”
The Year in Biomimicry: By Tom McKeag
Posted by davidwfox on 13 Jan 2010 | Tagged as: biomimicry
Tom McKeag teaches bio-inspired design at the California College of the Arts and UC Berkeley and closely tracks the burgeoning biomimicry industry. Here are his “Tommy” awards for the best and brightest biomimetic products/concepts from 2009:
It’s time to review last year’s bio-inspired products and services and pick my favorites, and, since this is my “sandbox,” I have decided to shamelessly name my awards the Tommies. …The impact of the linking of brilliant, logical theorizing with careful biological research and tenacious engineering development cannot be overstated…
Continued at http://greenerdesign.com/blog/2010/01/13/year-biomimicry-fins-humans-aquapenguin-and-robots-whiskers.
Mimicking the Building Prowess of Nature
Posted by davidwfox on 12 Nov 2009 | Tagged as: biomimicry
Long-time Australian friend Tony Smith copied me a link to a recent MIT Technology Review article that offers some some stunning nano-scale images like the one above. Clearly we have the power to remake the way we make things - here’s hoping we do so with good intentions and mindful of the Precautionary Principle.
The article also spurred a discussion over at Slashdot…
A Problem-Solver’s Guide to Copycatting
Posted by davidwfox on 14 Oct 2009 | Tagged as: biomimicry
FastCompany giving biomimicry some attention:
Let’s say you’re looking to create a detergent that works superbly in cold temperatures. This would seem to be a Chemical Engineering Problem. But, as the zoo’s scientists tell us, it’s also an Antarctic Icefish Problem. When the icefish eats other fish, it has to digest the oils of its prey, and this process is remarkably similar to what happens in the wash with the oily taco stains on your T-shirt. Furthermore, the icefish typically dines in water as cold as — 2 degrees Celsius. (Try that, All-Temperature Cheer!) So, thanks to this cold fish, you have a working model for an ultra-low-temperature detergent — and it’s a solution that would have never occurred to an expert. Continued at FastCompany…
Biomimicry Symposium in San Diego
Posted by davidwfox on 02 Oct 2009 | Tagged as: biomimicry, events
Congratulations to the San Diego Zoo, The Biomimicry Institute and Qualcomm/mirasol for putting on a GREAT conference in San Diego today. The room was full and the event brought together a terrific cross-section of academia (students, teachers, professors), entrepreneurs (like me!), city officials (inc. Mayor of San Diego giving the opening keynote) and biologists (most notably the extraordinary Janine Benyus).
The zoo is promoting biomimicry to help its conservation efforts. If humans learn that nature is a treasure trove of engineering solutions perfected over millions of years, then conservation and environmental protection will take on commercial value, the reasoning goes. Continued at NC Times…
More on the event at http://www.sandiegozoo.org/conservation/biomimicry/ and I expect there will be additional stories in the coming days http://news.google.com/news
Morphogenesis
Posted by davidwfox on 14 Sep 2009 | Tagged as: biomimicry
Wow! In the tech industry we would call this “disruptive” technology.
“…a new set of design tools, included in the newest release of ID CAD software SolidThinking. The technology, which ST is calling Morphogenesis, is a sort of semi-automated biomimicry toolbox…”
Continued at http://www.core77.com/blog/
Biomimicry and the US Financial System
Posted by davidwfox on 01 Sep 2009 | Tagged as: biomimicry
Harold Raveche, president of the Stevens Institute of Technology, offers an opinion piece suggesting a look at nature will provide answers as the US government works to overhaul the country’s financial system.
The options are stark and clear: Do we want an inflexible and stifled state-controlled economy or a vibrant and responsive free-market system that has human capital as its resource for competing in the global economy? Biomimicry provides the answer. Continued at The Washington Times…
2009 Biomimicry Symposium
Posted by davidwfox on 15 Aug 2009 | Tagged as: biomimicry, events
A great list of collaborators and sponsors for the 2009 Biomimicry Symposium - mark your calendar!
From : “Helen Cheng” <HCheng@sandiegozoo.org>
1. Our featured speakers include nationally-renown experts, Janine Benyus, Jay Harman and Chip Heath.- Janine Benyus is a biologist, innovation consultant, and author of six books, including Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. She recently was awarded a UN Champion of the Earth Award presented by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).- Jay Harman is a serial entrepreneur and inventor. His latest company, PAX Scientific, uses nature’s streamlining geometries to design energy efficient, quiet, and ecologically friendly technology.- Chip Heath is a Professor of Organizational Behavior in the Stanford Graduate School of Business. His research examines why certain ideas survive and prosper in the social marketplace of ideas, and he co-authored the best-selling book titled Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die.Our Education panel features an international group of educators who have taught biomimicry both formally and informally. They will provide practical insight and advice on biomimicry education.Our Business panel includes members of the business and government community who have been involved in the development of biomimetic inventions and can talk about the practical aspects of commercializing nature-based products.2. Our presenting sponsor is mirasol®, a display innovation by Qualcomm. Additional sponsors include Jump Associates, Bioneers, Pax Scientific, InterfaceFLOR, Charles & Diane Smith, Corning, UCSD Sustainability Solutions Institute, UCSD Rady School of Management, UCSD Division of Biological Sciences, and UCSD Scripps Institution of Oceanography.Conference partners include the City of San Diego, Envision Solar, Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego State University, and the UCSD von Liebig Center. For more information on sponsorship opportunities, please contact Helen Cheng at hcheng@sandiegozoo.org or 619-557-3927.
3. Participants will be treated to a special biomimicry bus tour of the San Diego Zoo, then stroll through a mini Invention Convention to see real examples of biomimetic designs and products. If you have biomimetic technology and would like to exhibit your product in this Invention Convention, please contact Helen Cheng at hcheng@sandiegozoo.org or 619-557-3927.
4. Scholarships will be available on a limited basis to students, educators and non-profit organizations. Please visit http://www.sandiegozoo.org/conservation/biomimicry/registration/ to download an application form.
We hope to see you there!
