Ideas from nature

By Michael Kloet

At an ever-increasing rate, we are starting to realize that our rigid and mechanical approaches to everyday issues aren’t sustainable. Fossil fuel reserves are running out, agriculture is depleting the soils and lately we’ve been thinking that incinerating our waste is a good idea instead of reducing our waste output. We’ve become stuck, and the environment suffers from it. People have to see there is a bigger picture and work with it instead of blindly painting over it with fire and bulldozers. I think it is perfectly clear that our current ways of ‘dominating nature’ are what stands between us and a bright future for humanity and the planet. Fortunately, people are becoming more environmentally aware and there are many different fields of study that aim to find sustainable alternatives to our current unsustainable ways.

Fractal patterns of a Romanesco broccoli. Image: PD-PDphoto.org

Biomimicry is one of those fields, studying patterns in nature and imitating them in order to design more efficient and sustainable solutions to our problems. The essence of biomimicry is the idea that nature contains everything we need because organisms have, through millions of years of evolution, adapted and optimized themselves to live on this planet. The Romanesco broccoli is a visually striking example that showcases nature’s mathematical brilliance. It’s up to us now to tap into this brilliance and use it in creative ways.

Burdock burr under microscope. 

 Image: SecretDisc, Wikimedia commons

So what are some examples of products and technologies that take their inspiration from nature? One product that we undoubtedly all have used at some point in our lives is Velcro. This brilliant material with countless uses, ranging from shoe fasteners to astronaut equipment, was invented by Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral. He was walking his dog in the Alps and he kept noticing the burrs of the burdock plant (see image on left) kept sticking to his clothes and dog’s fur. Examining the burrs under the microscope he learned that they have hundreds of small hooks that catch on to any material with some kind of loop structure. Of course, the burdock plant has developed this system because it greatly assists with seed dispersion and therefore reproduction.

Sharks have also proven to be a major source of inspiration for technologies. Sharks can alter the texture of their skin to control the amount of friction during swimming, thereby optimizing their hunting prowess. Shark skin also has a specific surface structure (see image below) which makes it almost impossible for bacteria, algae and parasites to settle. 

Shark skin technology. Image: hightech-edge.com

Coatings inspired by shark skin have immensely varied applications in for example the naval, automobile and healthcare sectors. The streamlining effect can greatly increase fuel efficiency of crafts, while the antibacterial and organism-repellant property of the surface structure is an answer to the problem of biofouling. This is a phenomenon where bacteria and larger organisms, such as clams and barnacles, attach themselves to a surface and form a film. In the naval sector, biofouling slows moving ships down significantly, causing fuel to be wasted. By utilizing a coating inspired by shark skin, these organisms cannot settle and in turn there is no need to use toxic compounds to remove them from the hull of the ship. This is a great relief for the environment. In the healthcare sector, the coating could assist in the prevention of disease spread. Another positive effect is that this would reduce the need for disinfection methods.

These are just some examples of brilliant solutions that have been inspired by nature. Some further reading will tell you there are many other biomimicked technologies, and fortunately more and more are being developed all the time. New ways of electricity generation, better energy efficiency and materials that can repair or heal themselves are just some of the many developments. I believe there is vast potential in nature that can, and hopefully will play a big role in our journey towards a sustainable future. Is there any pattern or system of nature you can think of that could potentially be of great use for humans?