Lesson Biomimicry and Sustainable Design:
Nature as Engineering Marvel

Learning Objectives

After this lesson, students should be able to:

• Define biomimicry and provide examples from the natural world that have been copied for human gain.
• Explain how biomimicry supports sustainable design and why humans cannot simply replace natural systems with human designs.
• Explain how aeronautical design has benefited from biomimicry.
• Explain "Nature's Nine Laws" as stated by Janine Benyus. Defend why these laws should or should not be widely implemented.
• Demonstrate a grasp of how the function of natural systems is dependent upon its endemic species and their unique adaptations.
• Provide a solution for approaching and improving the ways in which we design products, systems and cities by incorporating biomimicry in their individual designs.

Educational Standards

Each TeachEngineering lesson or activity is correlated to one or more K-12 science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) educational standards.

All 100,000+ K-12 STEM standards covered in TeachEngineering are collected, maintained and packaged by the Achievement Standards Network (ASN), a project of D2L (www.achievementstandards.org).

In the ASN, standards are hierarchically structured: first by source; e.g., by state; within source by type; e.g., science or mathematics; within type by subtype, then by grade, etc.

Common Core State Standards - Math

International Technology and Engineering Educators Association - Technology

State Standards

Worksheets and Attachments

Introduction/Motivation

Human-designed systems—cities, industries, product manufacturers, agriculture, industrial and personal fuel demands and expenditures—all share something in common. In large part, all of these systems harm the planet and its natural resources through depletion or pollution. Consider what you have just learned about natural systems that have been "designed" over countless millions of years. Nature recycles, decomposes and operates solely within the realm of organic, nontoxic chemistry. Its species provide for one another as members of communities and food webs. Energy is efficiently managed and waste is minimized through the cooperative dependency of producers, consumers, scavengers and decomposers.

How does nature accomplish that what civilization has failed miserably with—despite the support of academia, governments and human intelligence? Can we benefit from studying these systems in their areas of energy usage, community design, species adaptations? Might this study reveal innovative ways to design future products or implement urban patterns that emulate the successful reduction of pollutants witnessed within ecosystems?

During this lesson, countless examples will illustrate the wisdom of nature and the means by which organisms are adapted (to name only a few) in their body styles, physiological processes, water conservation, thermal radiation and mutualistic relationships to assure their species continuing perpetuation within their environment and through the conservative use of its unique limiting factors. In large measure, all of these adaptations result in the minimization of energy expense and the reduction of waste. These two variables are of immeasurable interest to design engineers and manufacturers. Speedo featured its Faskin® body suits at the 2009 Summer Olympics; the swim suit material was designed to mimic shark scale design that prevents eddies and vortexes from forming and creating drag. New world records were made. Aeronautical engineers have long studied the flight capabilities of the hovering hummingbird and spiraling steep dives of peregrine falcons for inspiration in aircraft design. Refer to the Bird Flight Adaptations: Inspiration for Aeronautical Engineering activity to have students learn about real-life engineering applications. Numerous articles and videos are referenced in this unit. Each strengthens the framework of evidence in substantiating the indisputable fact that organisms operate "smarter." This provides humans with pragmatic solutions for approaching and improving the ways in which we design products, systems and cities. In some cases, biomimicry is challenged to rival nature's design; students can investigate such scenarios in the activity Bees: The Invaluable Master Pollinators where engineers struggle to find sustainable and viable solutions.

The Test Your Mettle phase of the Legacy Cycle continues. Analyze the benefits of each biomimicry example discussed in this lesson. How has our industrialized civilization performed this process or production up until now? Why is nature's way smarter? What earlier outcome is avoided or improved upon when biomimicry is implemented? Should we reevaluate all process implements as we move into the future? This section gives you an opportunity to apply natural laws to human innovation. What considerations should be adopted as we move forward? Do humans have limitations as to how well we are capable of mimicking nature?

Lesson Background and Concepts for Teachers

Legacy Cycle Information

As with Activity 4a, this lesson continues the Test Your Mettle phase in which students are asked to demonstrate their grasp of how the function of natural systems is dependent upon its endemic species and their unique adaptations. These adaptations, when studied, often provide insight into ways in which engineering problems can be resolved or improved upon. The information covered in this lesson and its accompanying activities exposes students to learning opportunities available in the biomes and ecosystems that they have just studied. They are provided with valuable examples of innovative ways to consider approaching their Challenge Question from the direction of sustainable design. This lesson concludes with the first aspect of Go Public and involves a test over the entire subject matter covered in this module.

Lecture Information

The concepts of this lesson are provided in the many linked articles. This information provides definitions and explanations as well as supplemental visuals. Nature is resilient and creative in its approaches to successful existence. Janine Benyus, author of "Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature," provides a list of Nature's 12 Laws that are natural properties that must be considered for any biomimetic design. Her rich arguments supported by examples found in nature are viewable at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n77BfxnVlyc.

This is a critical component of this lesson. Benyus articulately defines the concept of biomimicry and outlines the arguments for its implementation in sustainable design. She strongly advocates for researchers, engineers and manufacturers to focus on nature as a primary model, measure and mentor for all future design considerations. After listening to Benyus, the following articles provide valuable references to biomimicry application and a variety of visual reinforcements.

• "How Biomimicry Works" by Robert Lamb: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/evolution/biomimicry.htm. This article explores how biology and engineering are bridged by biomimicry, which helps improve current and future technology by looking at the innovation of the natural world. The article provides examples of biomimicry that are currently found in industry and describes "Nature's Nine Laws":

1. Nature runs on sunlight.
2. Nature uses only the energy it needs.
3. Energy fits form to function.
4. Energy recycles everything.
5. Nature rewards cooperation.
6. Nature banks on diversity.
7. Nature demands local expertise.
8. Nature curbs excess from within.
9. Nature taps the power of limits.

• "Biomimetics: Design by Nature" National Geographic Magazine: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/print/2008/04/biomimetics/tom-mueller-text. This article describes the unique adaptations that organisms have in response to their environment. Because of these adaptations, scientists are now studying them in order to replicate their designs to solve problems in engineering, materials science and medicine. Examples include butterfly iridescence, lizard hydrophobic skin, termite's ability to regulate temperature in mounds, and spider silk strength.
• "Biomimetics, technology that mimics nature," by Rhett Butler: https://news.mongabay.com/2005/07/biomimetics-technology-that-mimcs-nature/. This article clarifies the definition of biomimetics, provides specific examples of biomimicry in action, and lists several potential exploration areas.
• "Biomimicry" https://biomimicry.org/what-is-biomimicry/. This article provides specific examples of biomimicry that may shape the future. These include self-cleaning surfaces, redesigned signs, the lotus effect, carpet coloring and sustainable agriculture systems.
• "The NEXT Industrial Revolution" The Atlantic Online: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1998/10/the-next-industrial-revolution/304695/. This article describes "eco-efficiency" and the impact of biomimicry as a potential solution to the problems that industry creates.
• "Self-Cleaning Materials" by Peter Forbes, pp. 88-95; August 2008. If this specific magazine is not available, visit https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/self-cleaning-materials/ for an online version of the key concepts. "Self-Cleaning Materials" describes the lotus plant ability to repel dirt and its application to self-cleaning and antibacterial materials and microfluidic devices.

Associated Activities

• Bird Flight Adaptations: Inspiration for Aeronautical Engineering - Students study the wing shapes of birds and the types of bird flight mastered with these adaptations. Then students learn about engineering attempts to replicate these same aerial feats. They watch a NOVA documentary, Raptor Force, which shows how the study of bird flight footage inspires engineering designs.
• Bees: The Invaluable Master Pollinators - Bee pollination-dependent crops are a multi-billion dollar market. Recent, unexplained losses of bee colony numbers threaten the survival of these crops. Since no human replacement for bee pollination exists, this situation is critical. Students watch the Silence of the Bees documentary to make it clear that while biomimicry is valuable in modeling for human design, it is never considered a substitute for nature itself.

Assessment

Post-Lesson Assessment

Questions: Ask students the following discussion questions to gauge their comprehension:

• What is the difference between biomimicry and sustainable design?
• Why is biomimicry viewed as an important model for future design and manufacturing systems?
• What adaptations should we study if we focus on the success of a rainforest compared to the desert?
• Are economic considerations a part of the strength or weakness of biomimicry study?

Test: Administer the Sonoran Ecology Test to assess student learning. Note that some graphs need to be drawn in before copying for students. The Sonoran Ecology Test Answer Key suggests some images that support the first section answers.

References

Copyright

Contributors

Supporting Program

Acknowledgements

The contents of this digital library curriculum were developed under National Science Foundation RET grant nos. 0338092 and 0742871. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policies of the NSF, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.