Universities find Biomimicry Design Solutions

Universities Tap Bio-Mimicry – Innovation Inspired by Nature – New Solutions Emerge – It’s Second Nature

Annoying Weed

Ohio State is developing an enhanced waterproofing project based on a weed. Salvinia molesta is an annoying plant that clogs waterways. Its eggbeater-shaped hairs trap air which allows the plant to float on the surface of water. The shape of the hairs trap air in small pockets, and the tips of the hairs are sticky so they actually cling to water. Engineers who have been able to recreate these unusual features think it could be ideal material for boats and other aquatic transport. Bharat Bhushan, director of Ohio State University’s Nanoprobe Laboratory for Bio and Nanotechnology & Biomimetics, estimates that between 2005 and 2008 alone, the top 100 biomimetic products netted $1.5 billion in profits

Sea Urchin “Bionic” Dome

University of Stuttgart’s Institute for Computational Design (ICD) and the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) collaborated on an incredible wood structure based on the skeleton of a sea urchin. A fantastic and fantastical example of Biomimetric-Architecture.