Biomimicry, imitating nature's designs and processes to create products for humans, has been heralded as a key to creating our sustainable future.

During the last few centuries, examples of products inspired by biological systems have evolved into standard-setting inventions and developments observed in everyday life: barbed wire was modeled after the thorny Osage orange tree; Velcro was developed after its inventor came home from a walk in the country with cockleburs stuck to his clothing; and diamond powder today is used for oil drills and road machinery. More recent innovations drawn in large part from the natural world include self-cleaning polymers modeled after the lotus leaf, swimsuit material inspired by shark skin, super-strong nanotech glue modeled on gecko feet and textiles inspired by stems of horsetails, all of which could result in effective, optimized biological solutions that really work.

But why stop there? Here are some more intriguing examples of nature-inspired design.

Mussel Glue and Inkjet Printers for Faster-Healing Surgeries
Using the natural "glue" that marine mussels use to stick tenaciously to virtually any type of material — including rock, glass, metal and wood — along with a variation on the inkjet printer, North Carolina State University researchers have devised a way to make medical adhesives that could replace traditional sutures and potentially shorten the recovery time from surgeries. According to an announcement of the findings, the new research shows that adhesive proteins found in the marine mussels' glue are non-toxic and biodegradable, and the mussel proteins "can be placed in solution and applied using inkjet technology to create customized medical adhesives, which may have a host of applications."

The approach may help replace traditional sutures, and lead to faster recovery times and increased precision for exacting operations like eye surgery, according to researchers. (Sources: Journal of Biomedical Materials Research B: Applied Biomaterials and North Carolina State University)

Drone Plane Flies Like a Dexterous Seagull
Funded by the U.S. Air Force and NASA, University of Florida aerospace engineers have built prototypes of 6-inch- to 2-foot-drones capable of squeezing in and out of tight spots in cities. Their secret: seagull-inspired wings that morph during flight, transforming the plane's stability and agility at the touch of a button on the operator's remote control. Mimicking seagulls, the plane's wings can change shape dramatically — turn up, level out and turn down — enabling it to become more agile or more stable as desired.

The plane is a step toward tiny military drones that can soar over cities and dive between buildings to shoot surveillance photos, test for chemical or biological weapons or perform other tasks. The U.S. military is also studying bats and insects for their agility and speed in an effort to enhance plans for future unmanned aerial vehicles. (Source: University of Florida)

Pocket-Sized Anchor Based on One of Nature's Fast Diggers
Scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a small but heavy-duty anchor that, like a clam, burrows into the seabed. Dubbed RoboClam, the pocket-sized device, is 10 times stronger than traditional metal anchors and was modeled after the razor clam (Ensis directus), an oblong mollusk about seven inches long by one inch wide. "For now, the RoboClam can push down with about 80 pounds of force, 36 times greater than a razor clam, and dig up to 15 inches deep," Discovery News reports. "The researchers hope the RoboClam will eventually dig twice as far as a razor clam, which can reach depths of more than 28 inches at a rate of about 0.4 inches per second."

Researchers say the device could be used to anchor anything from small submarines to large offshore oil platforms. (Sources: ACS' Biomacromolecules and Discovery News)

Spitting Bombardier Beetle Inspires Spray Technologies
The bombardier beetle is remarkable in that it can fire a powerful jet of hot, toxic fluid up to 20 centimeters to fight off predators such as ants, birds, frogs and spiders. The key to the beetle's powerful defensive trick is in its combustion chamber's inlet (or entry) and exit valves. The inlet valve opens to receive the chemicals, which begin to boil as soon as they meet, and closes when a sufficient amount of gas has been received. Scientists at Leeds University in England have built an experimental contraption that mimics the process and shoots a spray 13 feet.

The scientists are now working with a company that funds biomimetics-related research to improve the spray technology used in drug-delivery devices, car engines and fire extinguishers. (Sources: Physics World and Biomimicry News)

New Plastic Mimics Sea Cucumber's Ability to Change Rigidity of Skin
Recently, scientists have found an unlikely muse for new medical technologies — in the sea cucumber. One such development is a new plastic that mimics a sea cucumber's ability to quickly change the rigidity of its skin as a defense mechanism. When dry, the new plastic is hard and stiff; when wet, it softens and becomes flexible. Inspired by the makeup of sea-cucumber skin, the material is capable of switching quickly back and forth between the two states.

"One of the potential uses for this new plastic is incorporating it into brain implants that could be used to treat Parkinson's disease or even spinal injuries," according to Popular Science. (Sources: Reuters, Telegraph (UK) and Popular Science)

Future Armor Could Resemble an Ancient Fish
A team of scientists at MIT have suggested looking to a coat of armor that has encased an African fish for nearly 100 million years to produce a particularly resistant armor for soldiers of the future. The Polypterus senegalus, nicknamed "dinosaur eel," is a long-bodied lizard-like fish whose origins can be traced back as far as 96 million years. The species features a full-body armored "suit," a rare characteristic today but quite common among ancient fish. The U.S. Army funded engineers at MIT to tease apart exactly how the multiple material layers of each scale are arranged to protect the dinosaur eel from predators. The engineers at MIT's Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies were the first to map out the exact nature of the ancient fish's layers, revealing a structure in which the layers complement one another in a way that effectively protects the soft tissues inside the fish body.

"Such fundamental knowledge holds great potential for the development of improved biologically inspired structural materials, for example soldier, first-responder and military vehicle armor applications," lead author Christine Ortiz, an associate professor in MIT's Department of Materials Science and Engineering, said in a statement last year. (Sources: Nature Materials and MIT)

As the field of biomimetics continues to mature, scientists and engineers can invent and develop increasingly more advances in areas from materials science to medicine.

Earlier

Engineers Look to Nature for Inspiring New Tricks

Insects, Cabbage Can Teach Engineers

Engineering on a Wing and a Prayer

Additional Resources

Biomimicry Guild

Revolutionary Display Technology - Inspired by Nature
QUALCOMM

Special Issue: Biological Approaches for Engineering
by Robert Allen
Bioinspiration & Biomimetics, 2009

Buildings Inspired by Nature
by Marc Gunther
Fortune, Oct. 3, 2008