Biomimetics: Drawing inspiration from the design in living things

There is instruction for you in cattle. From the contents of their
bellies, from between the dung and blood, We give you pure milk to
drink, easy for drinkers to swallow.(Qur'an, 16:66)
And there is certainly a lesson for you in your livestock. We give you
to drink from what is in their bellies and there are many ways in
which you benefit from them, and some of them you eat; and you are
conveyed on them and on ships as well.(Qur'an, 23:21-22)
Before scientists and research and development experts embark on new
projects, they usually look for models in living things and imitate
their systems and designs. In other words, they see and study the
designs created in nature by Allah and, inspired by these, go on to
develop their own new technologies.
This approach has given birth to biometrics, a new branch of science
that seeks to imitate living things. In recent times, this branch of
science has come to be widely applied in the world of technology. The
use of the word "ibratan," (to learn from, advice, importance,
important thing, or model) in the above verses is most wise in this
regard.
Biomimetics refers to all of the substances, equipment, mechanisms,
and systems that people produce in order to imitate the systems
present in nature. The scientific community currently feels a great
need for the use of such equipment, particularly in the fields of
nanotechnology, robot technology, artificial intelligence, medicine,
and the military.
Biomimicry was first put forward by Janine M. Benyus, a writer and
scientific observer from Montana. This concept was later analysed by
many other people and began to find applications. Some of the comments
made regarding biomimicry are as follows:
The theme of "biomimicry" is that we have much to learn from the
natural world, as model, measure, and mentor. What these researchers
have in common is a reverence for natural designs, and the inspiration
to use them to solve human problems. 1
David Oakey, product strategist for Interface Inc., a company that
uses nature to increasing product quality and productivity, says:
Nature is my mentor for business and design, a model for the way of
life. Nature's system has worked for millions of years … Biomimicry is
a way of learning from nature. 2
Scientists who began to favour this rapidly spreading idea accelerated
their studies by using nature's incomparable and flawless designs as
models. These designs represent models for technological research, for
they provide the maximum productivity for the least amount of
materials and energy, and are self-maintaining, environmentally
friendly, silent, aesthetically attractive, resistant, and
long-lasting. The High Country News newspaper described biomimetics as
"a scientific movement" and made the following comment:
By using natural systems as models, we can create technologies that
are more sustainable than those in use today. 3
Janine M. Benyus, who believed that models in nature should be
imitated, gave the following examples in her book,Biomimicry:
Innovation Inspired by Nature(Perennial: 2002):
• Hummingbirds cross the Gulf of Mexico on less than 3 grams (one
tenth of an ounce) of fuel,
• Dragonflies outmanoeuvre our best helicopters,
• Heating and air-conditioning systems in termite mounds are superior
in terms of equipment and energy consumption to those made by human
beings,
• A bat's high-frequency transmitter is more efficient and sensitive
than our own radar systems,
• Light-emitting algae combine various chemicals to illuminate their bodies,
• Arctic fish and frogs freeze solid and then spring to life, having
protected their organs from ice damage,
• Chameleons and cuttlefish change the pattern of their skin to blend
instantly with their surroundings,
• Bees, turtles, and birds navigate without maps, and
• Whales and penguins dive without scuba gear.
These astonishing mechanisms and designs in nature, of which we have
cited only a few, have the potential to enrich technology in a wide
range of fields. This potential is becoming ever more obvious as our
accumulated knowledge and technological means increase.
All animals possess many features that amaze human beings. Some have
the ideal hydrodynamic shape that allows them to move through water,
and others employ senses that appear very foreign to us. Most of these
are features that researchers have encountered for the first time, or,
rather, that they have only recently discovered. On occasion, it is
necessary to bring together prominent scientists from such fields as
computer technology, mechanical engineering, electronics, mathematics,
physics, chemistry, and biology in order to imitate just one feature
of a living thing.
Scientists are amazed when confronted with the incomparable structures
and systems they are discovering with every passing day, and use that
amazement to inspire themselves to produce new technologies for
humanity's benefit. Realising that the existing perfect systems and
extraordinary techniques applied in nature are far superior to their
own knowledge and intellect, they became aware of these matchless
solutions to existing problems and are now resorting to the designs in
nature to resolve problems that have eluded them for years. As a
result, they will perhaps achieve success in a very short time.
Moreover, by imitating nature, scientists are making very important
gains with regard to time and labour and also to the targeted use of
material resources.
Today we see the developing technology gradually discovering the
miracles of creation and using the extraordinary designs in living
things, as in the case of biomimetics, in the service of humanity.
Benyus has stated that "'Doing it nature's way' has the potential to
change the way we grow food, make materials, harness energy, heal
ourselves, store information, and conduct business." 4The following
are just a few of the many scientific papers to have considered such
subjects:
"Science is Imitating Nature," 5
"Life's Lessons in Design," 6
"Biomimicry: Secrets Hiding in Plain Sight," 7
"Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature," 8
"Biomimicry: Genius That Surrounds Us," 9
"Biomimetics: Creating Materials from Nature's Blueprints," 10and
"Engineers Ask Nature for Design Advice." 11
In the nineteenth century, nature was imitated only in aesthetic
terms. Artists and architects of that time were influenced by nature
and used examples of the structures' external appearances in their
works. Yet the realisation of nature's extraordinary designs and that
these could be used to benefit human beings only began in the
twentieth century with the study of natural mechanisms at the
molecular level. Scientists today are learning from living things, as
revealed in the Qur'an 1,400 years ago.