As I revise for the subject that just keeps giving (see earlier posts e.g. All costs are relative) for an exam in a format that just keeps amusing, I was reminded of one of the cooler concepts we covered, biomimicry as part of a series of lectures from the Natural Edge Project.
It's not rocket science and that, my dear friends, is both its attraction and its beauty. The concept is simple - "mimic" solutions in nature to solve challenges in society which could be design, process or business based.
There are three main types of innovation derived from nature;
form - examples include shapes (see Mercedes Benz's avant garde concept vehicle inspired by a box jellyfish) and non-chemical adhesive methods (Gecko tape)
process - examples include cooling systems, filtration (including sewerage treatment) and desalination (fair to say, probably not a reference process in the various desal plants popping up all over Australia at the moment)
ecosystems - examples include feedback loops and symbiotic relationships (and everyone wants one of those..)
(Source: TNEP notes)
In an increasing energy constraint world, one of my favourite observations is that most of the products and services of nature are biotic - that means they occur at ambient temperature, low pressure and in low toxicity conditions. There are, of course, some spectacular exceptions - volcanoes, tidal waves, cyclones and bushfires, but just imagine the reduction in energy if we could make the things we needed at standard temperatures and pressures.
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