Another biomimetic innovation – this one inspired by gecko feet – edges closer to commercial reality.

The key innovation by Bartlett and colleagues was to create an integrated adhesive with a soft pad woven into a stiff fabric, which allows the pad to “drape” over a surface to maximize contact. Further, as in natural gecko feet, the skin is woven into a synthetic “tendon,” yielding a design that plays a key role in maintaining stiffness and rotational freedom, the researchers explain. Continued at http://www.umass.edu

A defining feature of life is that it senses: sound, smell, touch, temperature, humidity, light, motion, vibration, orientation. Most of us carry multiple sensors with us every day inside our smartphones. Sensors that know which way you’re holding the phone and re-orient the screen image for instance. Our automobiles contain dozens of sensors that make them more efficient and safer. And in the coming decade  you’ll find sensors showing up in all sorts of places. To get a glimpse into the (very near) future check out these two three Kickstarter projects:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/supermechanical/twine-listen-to-your-world-talk-to-the-internet -

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ninja/ninja-blocks-connect-your-world-with-the-web?ref=category

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/108684420/node-a-modular-handheld-powerhouse-of-sensors?ref=category

For more insights take a listen to this interview with the creator of “Twine”: http://itc.conversationsnetwork.org/shows/detail5168.html

First an inspiration for more efficient wind power, the Tubercles on the fins of humpback whales may now inspire a new generation of helicopter rotor blades:

When looking for ways to delay the onset of stalling in helicopters, researchers at Göttingen struck gold with humpback whales – which is somewhat surprising at first glance. “These marine mammals are renowned for their great speed and acrobatic skills,” says Holger Mai from the DLR Institute of Aeroelasticity. This is due to their unusually large pectoral fins, which have characteristic bumps along the front edge. “Research has shown that these bumps cause stalling to occur significantly later underwater and increase buoyancy.” Continued at http://www.dlr.de.

Via my friend Scott Mize: Advanced Materials reports on a  reversible mechanical interlocker inspired from the wing locking device of beetles.

The interlocker is highly flexible and displays an extremely high shear locking force of ∼40 N/cm² as well as an easy normal lift-off.

The image shows an illustration for the wing-locking device of beetles that is operated by interconnecting densely-populated microhairs (termed microtrichia) on the cuticular surface.  Continued… (subscription required)…

For 20+ years we’ve been talking about the role of computers in transforming education. Today’s iBooks announcement is another step in the right direction, especially when Apple launches with a biology book!

Schiller was particularly excited about announcing a partnership with the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation, saying they aim to “reinvent the biology textbook”.The first E.O. Wilson title, Life on Earth, will be exclusive to iBooks. Continued at: http://techcrunch.com/ and the google.

Frog, one of the world’s leading design firms, picks Biomimicry as a trend for the coming year

In 2012, we’ll see increasing numbers of scientists, technologists, architects, corporations, and even governments looking to biomimicry—designing objects and systems based on or inspired by patterns in nature—as an efficient innovation strategy. Continued at FrogDesign.com…

Meet Bill O’Connor: part of the Corporate Strategy + Engagement team at Autodesk. Bill has a big idea. Actually, much more than an idea. Check it out:

To me the Innovation Genome Project is a way to help us move from Innovation Thinking and Innovation Talking to Innovation Action. Meaning, making your own (and my own) work more innovative. It’s about going beyond innovation as some celestial abstraction shining in the sky, and transforming it into an energized, tough-minded, exhilarating real-world thing to do to make sure our work has as much positive impact as possible on a world that can use all the innovation it can get.

Continued at: http://www.innovationexcellence.com

The Fermat spiral has long fascinated mathematicians who have found that each sunflower floret is turned at a “golden angle” of about 137 degrees with respect to its neighbor. By rearranging the mirrors in a sunflower-like spiral pattern with each mirror angled about 137 degrees relative to its neighbor, the researchers found they could reduce the footprint of the mirrors used in the PS10 layout by 20 percent while increasing the plant’s potential energy generation.

Continued at Gizmag…

Dear Friend of Biomimicry,

As someone who lives in CA, you’re in the vicinity of one of the world’s most exciting film festivals in the country, coming up in a little over a week!We’re thrilled to announce that our documentary Second Nature: The Biomimicry Evolution is screening at the 10th Annual Wild & Scenic® Film Festival (January 13-15) in Nevada City, CA. We would love for you to attend!

Considered the largest of its kind, the Wild & Scenic Film Festival draws top filmmakers, celebrities, leading activists, social innovators, and now Biomimicry 3.8’s very own Taryn Mead, Director of Consulting and Biologist at the Design Table (BaDT), to its theaters and halls.

Taryn will take questions after the film and will hold a one-hour workshop titled “Biomimicry in a Nutshell,” that engages participants in a personal exploration of the concepts of biomimicry.Second Nature will screen both Saturday evening and Sunday morning. Taryn’s workshop will be held from 12-1pm Sunday. Colin Mangham, our Chief Marketing Officer, and an occasional filmmaker himself, will also be in attendance and eager to chat about all things Biomimicry 3.8. You can find a schedule of events and information on tickets, directions, and more on the Wild & Scenic Film Festival website.If you’re unable to attend the festival in Nevada City, there’s still a chance for you to see our documentary as part of Wild & Scenic Film Festival’s nationwide tour. Check their tour calendar for more details.We hope you’ll consider making the trip to Nevada City to watch Second Nature , meet Taryn and Colin, and participate in an event that celebrates the natural world and the individuals working to protect and preserve it for future generations. See you at the movies!

More amazing stuff from nature, via the latest Biomimicry Institute Newsletter:

This month’s Nugget focuses on the pistol shrimp, which stuns its prey using a fast and powerful…wait for it…bubble! But this isn’t just any bubble. Watch Janine Benyus, our co-founder and Biologist at the Design Table (BaDT), explain cavitation and how the tiny marine shrimp uses a bubble in a most ingenious way. You’ll find a fresh Nugget in every issue of our newsletter, and each one will, by definition, ask, “What would nature do?”