Biomimicry & Biomimicry Marketing

Introduction

Biomimicry is an approach to innovation aimed at seeking sustainable solutions to the problems of humans (Biomimicry Institute). Steve Jobs explains that the intersection of technology and biology is among the biggest innovations of the 21st century; it is a new era in beginning (Biomimicry Institute). Thomas Friedman is also big believer in Biomimicry. According to him, the companies, communities, and countries that most consciously and closely mirror Mother Nature will thrive in the Age of Accelerations (Biomimicry Institute). In a similar fashion, Michael Pawlyn sees nature as being a catalogue of products that have been benefited and sustained for billions of years (Biomimicry Institute). Janine Benyus also believes in the natural world to be the only model working over long periods of time without a failure (Biomimicry Institute).

History of Biomimicry

Humans have always been inspired from the nature to solve problems. The study of birds with the purpose of enabling humans to fly is one of the earliest examples of Biomimicry. According to Romei and da Vinci (2008, p. 56) numerous sketches and notes of initial flying machines were made in the beginning. The Wright Brothers translated these sketches in to reality (Howard, 2013, p. 33). An American inventor and academic, Otto Schmitt, coined the term Biomimetics, and it entered the Websters Dictionary in 1974. Jack Steele, an engineer and psychiatrist, coined the term bionics in 1960; it is defined as the science of systems copying functions from nature (Howard, 2013, p. 33). It entered the Websters Dictionary in 1960. As early as 1982, the term Biomimicry surfaced through the works of author and scientist Janine Benyus, who suggested looking to Nature as a Model, Measure, and Mentor (Merrill, 1982; Benyus, 1997).

Biomimicry Marketing

Hopes have been high for Biomimicry marketing since the new approach to design and engineering captured the world's imagination in 2002 (Benyus, 2000). The ability of lotus leaf's structure to repel dirt has been incorporated in self-cleaning paints; the idea hit the market in early 1999s. Today, the annual sales of such paints have reached over $100 million with Sto, Ferro and Degussa; these are some of the companies enjoying the benefits. Sharkskin swimsuit is another example. With its scale-mimicking technology, this swimsuit gives unfair advantages to swimmers. A company named Calera converts carbon dioxide into reactive cement that successfully replaces the traditional cement. Biomimicry has also made its place in the fields of computer science and robotics. Velcro, the most commercially successful biomimetic design of all time, mimics the fastening structure of cocklebur; it has been incorporated in products like packaging, medical equipment, and clothing worldwide. Such success stories of Biomimicry marketing motivate major corporations, entrepreneurs product developers to find ways to making the best of the findings coming out of the field.

Thesis Statement

In this regard, Biomimicry primarily focuses on emulating nature's time-tested strategies and patterns. Human is a clever creation of God. However, without having an intention to, humans have created message sustainability problems for the generations in future. Luckily, the solutions to be problems lie around the globe. Therefore, the prime purpose of Biomimicry is to create policies, processes and products, all leading to new ways of living. The core idea behind the concept is that the solutions of most of the problems of humans are present in the nature. Microbes, plants and animals are the consummate engineers. Failures of fossils after years of developmental research, and the secret to survival surround the humans.

For this reason, paradigm changing, poetical and elegant, Biomimicry and bio inspired design, the sibling discipline, have been speaking to the hopes to harness nature's elegant solutions for a more sustainable future.

Works Cited

Benyus, Janine M. "Biomimicry: Innovation inspired by nature." (1997).

Benyus, Janine M. "Biomimicry: innovation inspired by nature." (2002).

Biomimicry Institute. What is Biomimicry? Available at: https://biomimicry.org/what-is-biomimicry/ (Accessed: 29th May 2019).

Howard, Fred. Wilbur and Orville: a biography of the Wright brothers. Courier Corporation, 2013. P. 33

Merrill, Connie Lange. Biomimicry of the Dioxygen Active Site in the Copper Proteins Hemocyanin and Cytochrome Oxidase: Part I: Copper (I) Complexes Which React Reversibly with Dioxygen and Serve to Mimic the Active Site Function of Hemocyanin. Part II: Mu-Imidazolato Binuclear Metalloporphyrin Complexes of Iron and Copper as Models for the Active Site Structure in Cytochrome Oxidase. Diss. Rice University, 1982.

Romei, Francesca, and Leonardo Da Vinci. "The Oliver Press." (2008). P. 56