What in the World is Biomimimcry?!

 

 

This week in class we learned about a neat concept called biomimicry. "What is biomimicry?" Well I'm glad you asked! Biomimicry is an approach to innovation that seeks sustainable solutions to human challenges by emulating nature's time-tested patterns and strategies. The concept behind this idea is that we as humans begin to learn from nature, which has already solved many of the problems we are grappling with. Its actually very very cool. There are some very cool new inventions and innovations that many companies have made based on this concept. Essentially, biomimicry helps kill two birds with one stone. It not only solves your problem, but it also encourages sustainability and aspires people to work towards a cleaner world.

So after learning about this amazing concept, I decided to see what other companies were involved with these kinds of innovations. I didn't really think there would be too many out there, especially bigger companies, who were more focused on making money than the environment. But to my surprise, one of the first and most recent companies that came up was Ford. Yeah that big car company in Michigan who pretty much went bankrupt a few years ago. Apparently, they have been very familiar with biomimicry, and for the past decade have been looking towards finding more nature-inspired technologies, with recent successes in yarn production for seating materials and headliners. Currently, one of their challenges for vehicle production sustainability is "glue used to adhere foams to plastics and metals can make disassembling parts for recycling nearly impossible." So what Ford decided to do was take a look at the amazing gecko for some inspiration. "The company explained that the lizard’s toe pads allow it to stick to most surfaces without liquids or surface tension. The reptile can then easily release itself, leaving no residue." And according to Debbie Mielewski, Ford senior technical leader for plastics and sustainability research, the gecko could inspire a host of adhesive innovations for global applications at Ford.

Pretty cool stuff huh? I would have never thought that a company like Ford would ever even consider applying biomimicry to their product design. I think that more and more companies are starting to discover the true power and inspiration of nature. In my opinion I honestly think that this is the future of product design, and that if more companies like Ford would invest in these kinds of innovations, the world would be much much more cleaner. But hey don't take my word for it, take it from the great Steve Jobs who said, "I think the biggest innovations of the 21st century will be at the intersection of biology and technology. A new era is beginning." You believe me now?

http://waste-management-world.com/a/ford-looks-to-make-its-cars-easier-to-recycle-with-gecko-inspired-adhesive