What is Biomimicry?

Taken from the Greek

Bios- life

Mimesis – Imitate

 

Other terms:

Biometic

Bionics

Bio-inspired

 

.. ‘Nicking ideas from nature’

 

Nature has had 3.3 billion years to evolve – Jakki Mohr 2012

Similar to 95% of biological structures, textiles are inherently fibre based – jeronimidis G 2008

 

Nature as a designer

• Through the millennia of evolution nature has adapted and improved itself

• Through this development nature has developed highly sophisticated structures and systems

• Resulted in diverse and efficient methods od solving problems

• Many structures utilise combinations of fibres

 

Biomimetic = used a design tool for aesthetic reasons, people looking at understanding how nature is structured, material process development

Spiral form – fibinarchy – golden segment – wild carrot flower

 

Fibre -> yarn -> cloth

Layers

What happens if you embed licrer fibre into paper?

• Concrete? Thread? Food? Flowers? Fruit skins – blend stuff together? Bubbles?

Different layers – different elements

Two forms- add pulp to them which adds strength

 

Bamboo – versatile material – hollow – less material

 

Form follows function / function follows form?

 

Study of palm stem and suggested surfaces

Look at creases – help to hold its weight

Corrugated mesh – not flat so its stronger

 

Karl culmann – 1866

Frei Otto  – Tensile structure and Diatom

 

The water cube

 Beijing games

 

The cabbage leaf effect / Lotus leaf effect

• Waterproof???

• Tyvek paper

 

Leonardo Da Vinvi

Wright brothers – mimicked birds in flight more than early planes did

 

Velcro

Spider silk – stronger than steel – produce different filaments at different times in different areas = control

 

Just by inserting cuts into paper you can create a structure that moves

Honeycomb structure folded in on itself

Auxetic materials – bendy, folded materials