Biomimicry

Some time ago I listened to a TED talk by Janine Benyus, her talk was encouraging and inspiring. She encouraged her audience to look to nature as a means of solving problems and she inspired the listener with examples of how innovators and designers are emulating systems, forms and process that already thrive in balance with Earth’s complex systems. The word used to describe this is biomimicry. Biomimicry is the design and production of materials, structures and systems that are modelled on biological entities and processes in other words creating technology inspired by biology.

Let’s have a look into an example where nature has inspired design and innovation. Where our scientists’ aka nature’s apprentices have asked themselves ‘how does nature solve this?’  

Problem: Superbugs

With hospital-acquired infections on the rise due to a resistance to harsh cleansers and anti-bacterial products scientists asked the question, how does nature repel bacteria? Their attention was turned to the Galapagos shark, a basking and slow-moving shark having no bacteria on its surface. Let’s first understand what shark skin consists of. Sharkskin is covered in tiny flat v-shaped scales called denticles. You may recall it is these denticles that inspired Olympic swimwear designers to create a fabric that mimics the exact proportion of the shark's denticles. When swimmers were diving into the pool wearing shark-like skin they were able to decrease drag and turbulence and yield faster times. Michael Phelps broke seven world records at Beijing wearing the full body shark suit, and then the suits were banned.  

Answer: Sharks skin

Anyhow it is the architecture of these denticles that prevents bacteria from landing and adhering. Scientists created a surface that mimics the denticles to offer a textured surface that bacteria were less likely to attach to. The living organisms or infection-causing bacteria, easily infect surfaces by sneezing, is resisting attachment to this surface. The mimicked sharks skin is proving to be the fight against the superbugs that all hospitals need. 

Our inventors are honing in on organisms to learn how they do what they do, and the bonus is nature is teaching them how to do this sustainably. So if nature is an inspiration for our innovators and designers whom else can she be a teacher too?