Biomimicry: definition & examples (explained with drawings)

In this whiteboard animation, I present the concept of Biomimicry (imitating life) and how it can be used to solve our most pressing sustainability challenges.
1:38 -- Humpback Whale example; 2:26 -- Kingfisher example
If you find this useful, please subscribe: alturl.com/jc8u6
Biomimicry book by Janine Benyus "Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature" -- amzn.to/2Ddwm53
Biomimicry looks to Nature to provide inspiration and direction to sustainably solve our most pressing challenges. It is innovation inspired by nature. Biomimicry is related to sustainability, sustainable development, circular economy, natural capitalism, corporate sustainability; sustainable design.
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Credits & Resources:
Original script written by Sarah Brooks
Music: Hoedown by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommon...)
Artist: audionautix.com/
www.biomimicry.org
www.asknature.org
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Videos are created by Alexandre Magnin using years of experience drawing and working as a sustainability consultant with businesses and communities: www.amcreative.org
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Transcript:
What is biomimicry? Bio means life; mimicry means imitate. So biomimicry is the practice of imitating life. biomimicry looks to Nature to provide inspiration and direction to sustainably solve our most pressing challenges; it's innovation inspired by nature.
Human beings are clever. We've created cities, economies, and whole societies… but at the same time and without meaning to, we've also created massive sustainability challenges for future generations and ourselves. Biomimicry is a way to address these problems by creating policies, products and processes that are adapted to life on earth. The idea goes like this:
Plants, animals and microbes are amazing. They have spent billions of years engineering and testing ways to thrive on the planet. 3.8 billion years, to be precise. That's a lot of research and development! After all this R&D, what didn't work doesn't exist anymore, and what surrounds us has learned to survive. Solutions to challenges large and small are all around us - we just need to look. Here are two examples.
Sustainable energy provision is a massive sustainability challenge. The race is on to find economically viable sustainable energy solutions. Biomimicry asks, "What could we learn from Nature that could help us produce sustainable energy, or make more efficient the current alternative technologies that are already out there?"
Seemingly large and unwieldy, humpback whales display surprising agility in the water. This is due mainly to their flippers, which have large, irregular bumps called tubercles across their leading edges. Inspired by these flippers, a company called WhalePower has developed turbine blades - with bumps called tubercles on the leading edge. These blades promise greater efficiency in many applications, from wind turbines to hydroelectric turbines, to irrigation pumps to ventilation fans. In fact, using these blades to catch wind could provide up to 20% increased efficiency, making this type of alternative energy competitive with other energy sources. Thank you, humpback whales! Here's another example of biomimicry in action.
The Shinkansen bullet train is one of the fastest trains in the world. Offering high-speed travel between several of Japan's metropolitan areas, it used to travel over 200 miles per hour. But, every time the train emerged from a tunnel air pressure changes made a sonic boom, like a large thunderclap, causing people one-quarter mile away who lived along the train line to complain. Japan has strict noise pollution laws, so this had to be solved. The train's chief engineer was a dedicated bird-watcher. He asked himself, "Is there something in Nature that travels quickly and smoothly between two different mediums?" The kingfisher dives from the air into water to catch fish and produces almost no splash at all compared to similar sized-birds or animals. Modelling the front end of the train after the beak of kingfishers resulted in a quieter train, one that uses 15% less electricity while travelling 10% faster. By emulating Nature, the bullet train designers were able to able to solve an important problem.
Imagine what other problems might be solved by turning to the world around us and asking, "What would Nature do?"

[@learnsustainability]

If you find this video useful, please subscribe alturl.com/jc8u6 and leave us a comment below 😃

[@EwenMackenzie]

I have been thinking about this for years, now I know there's a practice and it's amazing! Thanks 😊

[@learnsustainability]

Wonderful! Definitely check out biomimicry.org and sign up to their newsletters, there so much to learn!

[@robinyilmaz1155]

1:05 "What didn't work doesn't exist anymore" and shows a dinosaur as an example.. That's like having a perfectly nice car, dropping a bomb on it and saying "ah this is a bad design because it isn't working anymore"

[@kurniawanpw]

there are no dino in the 1st place

[@MichaelLynMusic]

Wonderful R&D.....Please Keep Going........Folks like you guys could help us save our environment!

[@gianellamayra]

Without a doubt, nature is very wise. PS: Nice video.

[@WhyIsEveryNameTakenHelp]

Definitely didn’t write everything you were saying in my school assignment

[@STEAMLabDenver]

I’m using these videos with my students. Thank you for creating engaging, informative, and needed videos. I appreciate how positive you are in them as well. ❤

[@learnsustainability]

Wonderful! This is great to hear! Thanks for letting me know!

[@preejaarunkumaremp1638]

very good presentation

[@NewDelhiNatureSociety]

Loving it

[@learnsustainability]

Cheers!

[@QuestingforBandit]

Lovely! And thanks for the fantastic links at the end. Great work. :)

[@learnsustainability]

Thanks for your message/ Very much appreciated!

[@jl7165]

you are tight lad, alex my man

[@climatematterstoo]

Nice video

[@learnsustainability]

Thanks

[@imidenly]

Keren abis

[@maricelaceron1701]

SO AMAZING

[@smilingvolunteersprojectsv3343]

I love it!! thanks so much

[@chasek.497]

Thank you!

[@sai_priya348]

Products processes that are adapted 👂what after the above line unable to clear pronounced

[@adbhutsingh7619]

that is awesome you explain in detail thank you sir to tell in detail

[@learnsustainability]

Cheers! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@evaniltonpires2238]

Hi. I loved this video and the way the concept was presented. Is there a way I can download it and use it in my classes?

[@learnsustainability]

Hi, you can always download KZbin videos using an extension or an add-on for your browser, just search for "KZbin download + [name of your browser]"

[@codingandgeology5882]

You can download videos by going to this video and see the easiest way to download videos from youtube kzbin.info/www/bejne/rnXTpH-jdqplra8

[@maleehadurrani508]

i want to learn about elephants...I am an architect and my thesis project is biomimicry...

[@Inkulabi]

When life sucks research biomimicry

[@kopanomolebatsi3638]

Your comment was 4 years ahead of its time. Reporting live from the corona tower

[@Inkulabi]

@@kopanomolebatsi3638 Hey , 4years on you may also enjoy learning about Ephemeralization 🌹

[@jamesrisner3301]

Evolution is engineering and testing?

[@seanogallchoir3237]

Thank you,

[@learnsustainability]

No worries!

[@drbenithagolda6618]

This presentation has borrowed heavily from the Ted talk by Janine Benyu's "Mimicry in Action" The animations are good though

[@learnsustainability]

I have not seen this video but yes, this video borrows on the book and all the incredible work by Janine Benyus who brought Biomimicry science into the spotlights over the past 25 years.

[@sai_priya348]

Sir please spell the word you say we students keenly following your video but confused the word of audio, please arrange of words written in screen so that we can write down in our notes audio create just confusion of word?

[@learnsustainability]

Hello, if you click on the "cc" ion under the video you will activate the subtitles and be able to read the words as you hear them.

[@sai_priya348]

@@learnsustainability ya got it thanku☺😄

[@Ecotourist_aruj]

Hi how to draw ✍️ to explain our logic , like u did .. want to adapt same pattern for my channel can you plz guide me, I don’t do professional work there.

[@learnsustainability]

I posted a video explaining how I create them kzbin.info/www/bejne/f4TLqoyQr5Vonbs Check it out if this is of interest to you.

[@gl1tchingturd810]

What's the difference between biomimicry and bio-inspiration?

[@learnsustainability]

Hmmm, if there is a difference, I'm not sure what it would be since biomimicry is innovation inspired by nature. It sounds very similar to me although I have to admit I am not an expert on these topics.

[@gl1tchingturd810]

Sustainability Illustrated Okay, thanks

[@TheHahashishi]

inspiration gives you ideas that can help create your own concept/version. Mimicry is copying. simple.

[@harley8399]

at 0:31 i dont get it all i can understand is without meaning to we have created massghdryuiothvjsf... halp

[@learnsustainability]

"we have created massive sustainability challenges for future generations and ourselves"

[@harley8399]

@@learnsustainability thanks

[@mohitjoc25]

Sir make more vedios🔥🔥 frequently

[@learnsustainability]

Thank you! I will try my best 😊

[@harrystyles3450]

Who is a year 7 and is here as online homework because school shut down

[@rezurrecter6011]

Erika Xoxo I know this is soo boring

[@mr_mashman8645]

me

[@rawrrl5999]

yeh aha

[@amayajallowpalmolive_960]

Me, my textiles teacher set it.

[@mkmega869]

lol

[@lefthandovRA]

This is literally the same example given in a new vox video,this feels like talking points being repeated everywhere.Couldnt the same design improvement be calculated using mathematics? Biomimcry feels like applying the design of a bird that is thousands of times lighter to an object traveling in a different medium and scale

[@TheHahashishi]

yes it could be calculated. In this case the Kingfisher was the inspiration and based off of that they made their calculations. In a lot of cases nature has already done the calculations for us. When mathematics and nature are combined we get Biomimicry.

[@conkybonks4917]

ok but what is biomimicry

[@learnsustainability]

Good question! It is using nature as an inspiration to design stuff. Feel free to watch again to understand better. KZbin is great for that!

[@winths5413]

Sustainability Illustrated ye but what is it

[@rameshpokharel649]

Biomimicry is the use of nature to create designs, maybe.

[@sai_priya348]

That are adapted👂

[@ceviche4life951]

but humans will be sued by the animals for copyright

[@tomdaniel872]

Seviche 4 life lol

[@malihaider2669]

Steal it and patent it

[@teacup9161]

Banana

[@edwardthemememan]

'ello

[@ACC_CLIPZ]

Hi! I’m here for DT 🥱

[@edwardthemememan]

@@ACC_CLIPZ me too its edward

[@Motivatededits0]

put the baby in the oven

[@matyasrostas5677]

e

[@TheTruth-fully]

By nature you mean The Creator (God)

[@KrugTheOrc]

Faizah Alkatheri not everyone is Religious, stupid.

[@TheHahashishi]

leave religion out of it FFS