article of s kakati for ignite

8/9/2019 Article of S Kakati for IGNITE

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Biomimicry - A paradigm shift in Technology for Sustainable Development

Search for definition of sustainable development in Google Search Engine leads to

6,!",""" results# This is an indication of the global concern for SustainableDevelopment$ E%perts define Sustainability and Sustainable Development in as many as

&"" different 'ays$ (o'ever, the most acceptable definition is the one authored by the

)orld *ommission on Environment and Development +)*ED$ The *ommission

suggests that development is sustainable 'here it meets the needs of the present 'ithout

compromising the ability of future generations to meet their o'n needs.$

/ur ancestors lived very closely 'ith nature because it 'as vital for their survival$

0an1ind gradually gained limited control over nature by domesticating animals and

gro'ing their o'n food$ (o'ever, these civili2ations still lived closer to nature than 'e do

today because they 'ere more dependent on nature to gro' crops, cure diseases and clean

up the 'astes they generated$ 3ndustrial revolution changed the relationship bet'een

humans and the natural 'orld in several 'ays$ 3n 4ust 5"" years human activities robbed

the 0other Earth of the 'ealth she had created over 5"" millions of years$ (uman beings

also processed this 'ealth into products causing pollution to land, air and 'ater$ se and

disposal of products after use caused further damage to the nature$

To'ards the later part of the last century, nations started reali2ing the grave blunders they

'ere committing in the name of industriali2ation and other economic activities$

*onse7uently, Sustainable Development became a bu22'ord$ Scientists, Engineers started

loo1ing for non-to%ic, non-harmful materials and production processes that 'ould have no

negative effects on the natural environment$ There 'ere t'o broad options8 first, there

could be continuous cycles of the same product 'ithout losing their integrity or 7uality so

that these materials could be used over and over again instead of being 9do'n cycled9 into

lesser products, ultimately becoming 'aste: secondly, it could be organic materials that,

once used, could be disposed of in any natural environment and decompose into the soil,

providing food for small life forms 'ithout affecting the natural environment$ (o'ever, it

'as reali2ed that the best possible 'ay to save ;ature 'ould be to emulate and ta1e

inspiration from the models, processes and elements of ;ature itself to solve human

problems$ ;ature has carried out 5< Billion years of research = development through &"-

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5" million species$ ;ature ma1es things 'ithout either of heating to high temperature or

beating 'ith high pressure or treating 'ith most to%ic chemicals$ ;ature does not generate

6> 'astes to ma1e ?> products$

Biomimicry is a design discipline that see1s sustainable solutions by emulating nature@s

time-tested patterns and strategies$ The term Biomimicry has been derived from t'o Gree1

'ords, vi2$, bios +meaning human life and mimesis +meaning to imitate$ The core idea is

that ;ature, imaginative by necessity, has already solved many of the problems 'e are

grappling 'ith in modern 'orld8 energy, food production, climate control, non-to%ic

chemistry, transportation, pac1aging, and a 'hole lot more$ Biomimicry studies organisms

and ecosystems and apply the underlying design principles to innovate ne' products and

processes$ This approach introduces an entirely ne' direction for entrepreneurship, 'hich

could contribute to'ards innovative designs and solutions to human problems as 'ell as

a'a1en people to the importance of conserving the biodiversity on Earth$ ;ature has so

much yet to teach us#

Study of nature to solve human problems is not entirely ne'$ eonardo da inci +&?


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;ature as a 90odel, 0easure, and 0entor9 and emphasi2es sustainability as an ob4ective

of Biomimicry$

Biomimicry derives &C Big 3deas@ from Biology$ These 3deas and the sources in ;ature

are given belo'$

&$ Self-Assembly8 0other of pearl is t'ice as tough as our toughest ceramics, but

does not apply any heat in its formation process:

C$ CO2as a Feedstock8 For plants */Cas not a pollutant, but is a food:

5$ Solar Transformations8 Khotosynthesis in plants converts solar energy to

chemical energy by splitting 'ater to release hydrogen:

?$ The Power of Shape8 Butterflies are 'onderfully coloured 'ithout any pigment,

lotus leaves remain clean 'ithout any detergent:


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using the Biomimicry ta%onomy$ 3nterested readers may go through

http8LL'''$as1nature$org, a thoroughly engrossing 'eb site$

A fe' interesting e%amples of application of Biomimicry are stated belo'$

()ample* +

The Eastgate *entre, a shopping center and office building located in (arare, Mimbab'e

'as designed by studying the architectural design of the mounds of 0acrotermitine

Termites$ 0ounds of 0acrotermitine Termites maintain homeostasis through tunnels,

chimneys and use of 'ind creating pressure fields$ These insects construct mounds that

maintain a constant internal temperature at 5"N-5&N * +the optimum temperature for the

fungi these termites cultivate 'hile the temperature ranges from CN-?"N* outside$

*onstructed in &


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()ample*

Erlus, a German *ompany invented the self-cleaning clay roof that stays clean for years

compared to conventional roof tiles$ The etched surface finish of Erlus otusO clay roof

tiles destroys organic dirt particles such as fat deposits, grime, moss and algae using

sunlight and rain 'ashes them clean$ The inspiration for the product 'as dra'n from the

leaves of sacred otus flo'er$ otus plants stay dirt-free in typically muddy habitats, and

they do so 'ithout using detergent or e%pending energy$ The plantJs cuticle is made up of

soluble lipids embedded in a type of 'a%$ (o'ever, its 'ater repellency is e%treme

because of the micro-topography of their leaf surfaces$ Self-cleaning biological surfaces

have no' been applied to paints, glass, te%tiles, and more, reducing the need for to%ic

chemicals and costly labour$

()ample* .

Designs for light'eight structures for use in vehicles, buildings, bridges, prosthetics etc$

have been derived from Scots Kine trees 'here trun1s and branches 'ithstand e%ternal

stresses through load-adaptive gro'th$ Trees achieve an even distribution of mechanical

tension through the efficient use of material and adaptive structural design, optimi2ing

strength, resilience, and material for a 'ide variety of load conditions$ For e%ample, to

distribute stress uniformly, trees add 'ood to points of greatest mechanical load$ At the

scale of the cell, trees arrange fibers in the direction of the flo' of force, or principal stress

tra4ectories, to minimi2e shear stress$ Engineers have incorporated these and other lessons

learned from trees +and also from structure of bones into soft'are design programs that

optimi2e the 'eight and performance of fiber-composite materials$ *ar parts and entire

cars designed 'ith these principles have resulted in ne' vehicle designs that are as crash-

safe as conventional cars, but up to 5"> lighter$

As else'here abroad, in our country too significant research is ongoing in the field of

Biomimicry$ The 3ndian 3nstitute of Science, the 3ndian 3nstitute of Technologies and other

leading educational = research institutions are pioneering in this research$ 3t is high time

'e encourage our children 'ho plan to pursue their career in Engineering to study Biology

too as seriously as mathematics#

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About the author8

San4eeb Ra1ati is currently the Director +0anagement Services of Third Eye 3nfosys +K

td$, Gu'ahati$ (is professional 'or1 areas include Kroductivity enhancement, Quality,

Environmental, /ccupational (ealth = Safety 0anagement System and Rai2en$ (e can

be contacted at Ralpataru@ Building, ($B$ oad, Kanba2ar, Gu'ahati !& ""&: *ell8

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