article

feature

designed by nature
inspired by

nature
W
ho needs inspiration? Scientists,
technologists, engineers, math-
ematicians, inventors, artists,
teachers, politicians…almost
everyone needs inspiration at some point. People
need inspiration to help them create products,
design solutions, and solve problems.

As teachers of children’s technology and engi-

neering, it is beneficial to help students appreci-
ate the role of inspiration in design. Both novice
and expert designers need inspiration, and it can
come from almost anywhere. When designers
are open to new ideas, chances are they’ll be
inspired by something that can be just the trick
to help them overcome obstacles, fabricate new
goods, or create ingenious products.

Janine Benyus is a scientist and science writer

who has focused much of her attention in the
past 15 or more years on inspiration. Benyus
and many others are passionate about looking
to nature for inspiration on how to solve human
problems and doing so in an environmentally
mindful way. If we want our next generation of
citizens and consumers in this technological
society to value sustainable and environmentally
friendly design, helping young designers to better
by Sharon A. Brusic understand inspiration from nature seems like the
perfect place to start.

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biomimicry and biomimics

Benyus (1997) shares her research and insights in a seminal book
titled, Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. She cleverly de-
fines biomimicry as the “…conscious emulation of life’s genius” (p.
2), and her book is filled with interesting stories about how we can
look to nature to answer important questions such as how to feed
ourselves, harness energy, make things, heal ourselves, conduct
business, and more. Benyus (1997) convincingly explains that
nature has been solving problems for 3.8 billion years and…“in
short, living things have done everything we want to do, without
guzzling fossil fuel, polluting the planet, or mortgaging their future.
What better models could there be?” (p. 2).

Benyus (1997) introduces readers to many of the people she met

and interviewed who study nature for the purpose of mimicking it
to solve human problems. These people—called biomimics—get
inspiration from nature and use this information to design practi-
cal, efficient, and remarkable solutions to human problems. In
effect, biomimics are designing solutions to technological and
engineering problems using nature as their mentor.

People have looked to nature for ideas on solving problems for

hundreds of years. For example, there are well-documented
accounts of Leonardo da Vinci’s observation of wildlife as he
The Biomimicry DesignLens provides designers
designed flying machines and the Wright brothers’ observations
with a useful tool for thinking about their designs.
of vultures to better understand some basic principles of flight.
Image courtesy of Biomimicry 3.8 at biomimicry.net.
Benyus (1997) also notes how most native cultures have demon-
strated a reverence of nature and have long relied upon it as their
guide. Amazingly, she also shares stories about animals that have
relied upon nature to solve their medicinal problems. inspired design stories
The truly noble biomimics do so not only to create better products. Stories of invention and creative problem-solving that relied upon
Their goal is to ensure that whatever they design will also “…fit nature’s influence are plentiful and inspiring. Young designers
seamlessly within the larger natural system” (Benyus, 2012, p. would greatly benefit from hearing some of these stories in order
5) and embody certain principles that are conducive to sustain- to develop a good sense of how technological and engineer-
able life. In fact, Benyus and her colleagues created a Biomimicry ing design is successfully interconnected with nature. One good
DesignLens to help guide designers in assessing the value and example that children will find highly relatable is the story of how
impact of their designs (Biomimicry 3.8, 2008-2013) (Figure 1). Velcro® was invented. This indispensable hook-and-loop fastener
While this DesignLens may be too complex to share with el- was patented by Georges de Mestral in 1955. His inspiration
ementary designers in its entirety, it presents teachers with highly came upon returning from a nature hike with his dog. Both he and
valuable information that will help them to better understand the his dog were covered with burdock burrs, and de Mestral decided
concepts so that they can share these ideals with young design- to look at these clingy specimens under his microscope. He dis-
ers in an age-appropriate manner when the time is right to do so. covered that the burrs contained tiny hooks that clung to the fabric
back to contents September 2013 children’s technology and engineering 19
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loops of his pants. Using this discovery and working with a fabric tunnels resulted in loud and annoying sounds that disturbed
weaver, de Mestral was able to design a hook-and-loop fastener people in the vicinity. The chief engineer was also a bird
system made from cotton—and later nylon—and the rest is his- watcher. He looked to nature for a solution, and he found it in
tory. Today, Velcro® hook-and-loop fasteners permeate all kinds the kingfisher, a bird known to dive from its perch in order to
of products and industries by serving as an incredibly reliable and catch fish. The kingfisher’s long, pointed bill caused very little
convenient fastening system that every child is certain to know disturbance in the water, and this shape became the inspira-
well. tion for a redesigned train nose that led to a quieter, more
energy efficient, and faster train (Biomimicry 3.8 Institute,
Thanks to the work of Benyus and many of her colleagues, there 2012).
is an abundance of interesting stories of how biomimicry has
transformed our designed world that are readily available today. • Beautiful butterflies and lovely lotus leaves have both been
When designers and engineers look to nature for inspiration on aesthetic inspirations for artists. But, lotus leaves and but-
how to solve a problem, they can often find truly remarkable ideas terflies have also inspired designers and engineers because
and examples that can be imitated and reproduced with suc- of their unique ability to shed dirt and water. Biomimics have
cess. Below are just some of the many examples described at learned that the butterfly’s wings and lotus leaf are micro-
the Biomimicry 3.8 website (Biomimicry 3.8 Institute, 2012) or Ask scopically rough. They contain millions of tiny nanoscale
Nature website (Biomimicry 3.8 Institute, 2008-2013), collabora- structures that trap air and allow water droplets to gently roll
tive projects with which Benyus is affiliated today. off of them, taking dirt particles with them. This finding led
to the development of new paint, glass, and fabric finishes
• Engineers studying humpback whales applied what they that are easier to keep clean (Biomimicry 3.8 Institute, 2012,
learned about the whales’ fins to the design of more aerody- 2008-2013). In fact, the National Aeronautics and Space
namic wind turbine blades. It turns out that humpback whales’ Administration (NASA) is also looking at this nature-inspired
flippers have irregular bumps on their leading edges that help technology as a way to keep lunar dust from adhering to
them to maneuver through water with great dexterity and less space materials and equipment (NASA, 2007).
turbulence (Biomimicry 3.8 Institute, 2012).
• Autumn leaves create an interesting and appealing pattern on
• A Japanese bullet train that travels 200 miles per hour had a the forest floor. Despite the fact that the leaves have hap-
noise problem. Air pressure changes when traveling through hazardly fallen into place, the random leaf pattern still looks

20 children’s technology and engineering September 2013 back to contents

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attractive. Carpet, flooring, and fabric designers can use this

“organized chaos” concept as inspiration for new products.
For example, modular carpet tiles are being manufactured
today that enable consumers to easily replace damaged
portions of flooring without concern for perfect color matches
and without the need to rip out entire rooms full of flooring.
This greatly reduces waste and improves cost effectiveness
(Biomimicry 3.8 Institute, 2008-2013).

• The Eastgate Centre building in Zimbabwe has a unique ven-

tilation system modeled after African termite mounds. These
termites have engineered their nests to maintain temperature
within one degree despite significant fluctuations of more than
60 degrees Fahrenheit. The termites do this by opening and
closing vents in their mounds. Engineers studied the termites’
design in order to create an efficient building heating and air Biomimicry 3.8 Institute. (2012). Biomimicry 3.8. Available from
conditioning system that operates in a similar fashion (Doan, www.biomimicry.net
2012). The building uses less than 10% of the energy for Biomimicry 3.8 Institute. (2008-2013). Ask nature. Available from
heating and air conditioning than a conventional building of www.asknature.org
its size. The cost savings and reduced environmental impact Doan, A. (2012, November 29). Biomimetic architecture: Green
over the lifetime of this building is significant (Biomimicry 3.8 building in Zimbabwe modeled after termite mounds. Avail-
Institute, 2012). able from http://inhabitat.com/building-modelled-on-termites-
eastgate-centre-in-zimbabwe/
inspiring young designers International Technology Education Association (ITEA/ITEEA).
(2000/2002/2007). Standards for technological literacy: Con-
Children are curious and impressionable people. Imagine the tent for the study of technology. Reston, VA: Author.
influence on the next generation of scientists, technologists, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). (2007).
engineers, and inventors if we can promote inquisitiveness and Lotus coating: Mimicking nature’s self-cleaning properties to
instill important values about nature and design at a young age. control lunar dust. Available from http://gsfctechnology.gsfc.
If human problems were tackled with greater attentiveness to nasa.gov/TechSheets/Lotus_Goddard_final.pdf
environmental impacts, there is no telling how much better off our Suddath, C. (2010, June 10). A brief history of Velcro. Available
world could be in the future. At the very least, teachers who are from www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1996883,00.
committed to implementing a curriculum based on Standards for html
Technological Literacy (ITEA/ITEEA, 2000/2002/2007) or one that
promotes the integrative study of science, technology, engineer-
ing, and math (STEM), will find the study of biomimicry and Sharon A. Brusic is an associate professor in
nature-inspired design to fit perfectly within the curriculum. the Department of Applied Engineering, Safety
and Technology at Millersville University of

references Pennsylvania. She can be contacted at Sharon.

Brusic@millersville.edu.
Benyus, J. M. (1997). Biomimicry: Innovation inspired by nature.
New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
Benyus, J. M. (2012). A biomimicry primer. Available from http://
biomimicry.net/about/biomimicry/a-biomimicry-primer/
back to contents September 2013 children’s technology and engineering 21
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