Biomimicry: definition & examples (explained with drawings)
Summary
TLDRIn this video, we explore biomimicry, the concept of drawing inspiration from nature to solve sustainability challenges. From humpback whale-inspired turbine blades that boost efficiency by 20% to the Kingfisher-styled Shinkansen train that reduces noise and energy use, biomimicry showcases how learning from nature's billions of years of R&D can lead to innovative solutions. Visit biomimicry.org and asknature.org to delve deeper into this practice.
Takeaways
- đż Biomimicry is the practice of imitating life to find sustainable solutions to human challenges.
- đ€ It draws inspiration from nature, which has spent billions of years perfecting survival strategies.
- đïž Human innovation has led to sustainability challenges, and biomimicry offers a way to address these.
- đł Humpback whale flippers, with their tubercules, inspired more efficient turbine blades for wind and hydroelectric power.
- đ The Shinkansen bullet train was redesigned based on the Kingfisher's beak to reduce noise and increase speed and efficiency.
- đĄ Biomimicry can lead to policies, products, and processes that are better adapted to life on Earth.
- đ Nature is a vast repository of solutions to problems, both large and small.
- đ Efficiency gains from biomimicry can make alternative energy sources more competitive with traditional ones.
- đ Solutions inspired by nature can have significant environmental and economic benefits.
- đ For more on biomimicry, visit biomimicry.org and asknature.org for stories and examples.
Q & A
What is biomimicry?
-Biomimicry is the practice of imitating life, where we look to nature to provide inspiration and direction for sustainable solutions to our most pressing challenges.
Why is biomimicry important for addressing sustainability challenges?
-Biomimicry is important because it leverages the billions of years of research and development that nature has undergone to create efficient and sustainable solutions that are adapted to life on Earth.
How long have plants, animals, and microbes been 'engineering' solutions to survive on Earth?
-Plants, animals, and microbes have been engineering and testing ways to thrive on Earth for approximately 3.8 billion years.
What is an example of biomimicry in sustainable energy provision?
-Inspired by the tubercles on humpback whale flippers, WhalePower has developed turbine blades with similar bumps to increase efficiency in wind and hydroelectric turbines, among other applications.
How much increased efficiency can the tubercle-inspired turbine blades provide?
-The tubercle-inspired turbine blades can provide up to 20% increased efficiency, making alternative energy sources more competitive.
What was the noise issue with the Shinkansen bullet train?
-The Shinkansen bullet train used to create a sonic boom-like noise when emerging from tunnels, which caused complaints from people living near the train line.
How was the noise issue of the Shinkansen bullet train resolved?
-The front end of the train was redesigned, taking inspiration from the beak of the Kingfisher, which allowed the train to be quieter, use 15 percent less electricity, and travel 10 percent faster.
What is the significance of the Kingfisher in the context of biomimicry?
-The Kingfisher's ability to dive into water with minimal splash inspired the design of the Shinkansen bullet train, demonstrating how biomimicry can lead to significant improvements in technology.
What are two resources mentioned in the script for learning more about biomimicry?
-Biomimicry.org and AskNature.org are two resources mentioned for learning more about biomimicry, including stories and examples.
How can viewers support the creation of more sustainability videos?
-Viewers can support the creation of more sustainability videos by subscribing, visiting the website sustainabilityillustrated.com, or contributing on Patreon.
What is the role of human ingenuity in the context of biomimicry?
-Human ingenuity plays a role in biomimicry by observing and imitating nature's successful strategies to create innovative and sustainable solutions to modern-day challenges.
Outlines
đż Introduction to Biomimicry
The video begins with Alex introducing the concept of biomimicry, which is the practice of imitating life to solve sustainability challenges. Biomimicry draws inspiration from nature, which has spent billions of years perfecting survival strategies. Despite human ingenuity in creating cities and economies, we face significant sustainability issues. Biomimicry offers a way to address these by creating policies, products, and processes that are in harmony with Earth's ecosystems. The video suggests that by observing the solutions that nature has developed, we can innovate to meet our needs sustainably.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄBiomimicry
đĄSustainability
đĄInnovation
đĄNature
đĄHumpback Whale
đĄTurbine Blades
đĄShinkansen Bullet Train
đĄKingfisher
đĄEfficiency
đĄPolicies
đĄProducts
Highlights
Biomimicry is the practice of imitating life to inspire sustainable solutions.
Nature has spent billions of years engineering ways to thrive on Earth.
Biomimicry seeks to address sustainability challenges by adapting natural solutions.
Humpback whale's flippers with tubercules inspire more efficient turbine blades.
WhalePower's turbine blades with tubercules could increase efficiency by up to 20%.
The Shinkansen bullet train's noise problem was solved by mimicking the Kingfisher's beak.
The redesigned train is quieter, uses 15% less electricity, and travels 10% faster.
Biomimicry.org and asknature.org offer resources on nature-inspired innovation.
Sustainability challenges can be addressed by looking to nature for solutions.
Biomimicry is innovation inspired by nature, focusing on sustainable problem-solving.
Human-created sustainability challenges can be mitigated through biomimicry.
The efficiency of humpback whales' movement in water inspires technological advancements.
The Kingfisher's diving technique leads to a quieter, more efficient bullet train design.
Biomimicry can inspire policies, products, and processes that are life-sustaining.
The Shinkansen bullet train's problem-solving showcases biomimicry in action.
Nature's solutions, after billions of years of R&D, are a treasure trove for sustainable innovation.
Sustainabilityillustrated.com offers videos on sustainability for free learning.
Contributions on Patreon support the creation of more educational videos on sustainability.
Transcripts
Hi Alex here. In today's video we're going to talk about biomimicry. What is it?
Bio means life; Mimicry means imitate; so biomimicry is the practice of imitating life.
It looks to nature to provide inspiration and direction to sustainably
solve our most pressing challenges. It is innovation inspired by nature.
Human beings are clever. We've created city's, economies and whole societies
but at the same time and without meaning to
we've also created massive sustainability challenges for future generations
and ourselves. Biomimicry is a way to address these problems by creating
policies, products and processes that are adapted to life on Earth. The idea goes like this...
Plants, animals and microbes are amazing. They have spent billions of years
engineering and testing ways to thrive on the planet.
Three point eight billion years to be precise. That's a lot of research and development!
After all this R&D, what did not work does not exist anymore and what surrounds us
has learned to survive. Solutions to challenges large and small are all around us.
We just need to look. Here are two examples:
Sustainable energy provision is a massive sustainability challenge. The race is on
to find economically viable sustainable energy solutions. Biomimicry asks
"what could we learn from nature that could help us produce sustainable energy or make more
efficient the current alternative technologies that are already out there?"
Seemingly large and unwieldy humpback whales display surprising agility in the water.
This is due mainly to their flippers which have large irregular bumps
called "tubercules" across their leading edges. Inspired by these flippers, a company
called WhalePower has developed turbine blades with bumps called tubercules
on the leading edge. These blades promise greater efficiency in many applications
from wind turbines to hydroelectric turbines,
to irrigation pumps, to ventilation fans. In fact, using these blades to catch wind
could provide up to 20% increased efficiency, making this type of
alternative energy competitive with other energy sources.
Thank you humpback whales! Here is another example of Biomimicry in action.
The Shinkansen bullet train is one of the fastest trains in the world. Offering high-speed
travel between several of Japan's metropolitan areas, it used to travel
over 200 miles per hour.
But every time the train emerged from a tunnel, air pressure changes made a
sonic boom like a large thunderclap causing people one quarter mile away
who lived along the train line to complain.
Japan has strict noise pollution laws so this had to be solved.
The train's chief engineer was a dedicated birdwatcher.
He asked himself: "is there something in nature that travels quickly
and smoothly between two different mediums?"
The Kingfisher dives from the air into water to catch fish and produces almost no splash at all
compared to similar sized birds or animals. Modelling the front end of the train
after the beak of Kingfishers resulted in a quieter train,
one that uses 15 percent less electricity while traveling 10 percent faster.
By emulating nature, the bullet train designers were able to solve
an important problem.
Imagine what other problems might be solved by turning to the world around us and asking...
what would nature do?
Check out biomimicry.org and asknature.org to learn more about
this exciting practice of innovation inspired by nature
as well as stories and examples.
If you found it useful please subscribe.
You can also find all our sustainability videos on our website sustainabilityillustrated.com.
You can help us make more videos so people can learn about
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