HUMAN INVENTIONS INSPIRED BY NATURE´S DESIGNS

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better” Albert Einstein (n.d). Nature designs have contributed in human´s inventions facilitating their lives. Long times ago, human’s style life was not as now. Nowadays, human beings use technology and inventions without knowing the origin of them and how those inventions were inspired. One example of it is the airplane. According to Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (n.d) “On December 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright made four brief flights at Kitty Hawk with their first powered aircraft. The Wright brothers had invented the first successful airplane” But what was their inspiration? It is claimed that the Whight brothers found their inspiration on bird´s design in that time to copy a nature design was not recognized as a science. At the present time, the imitation of nature design is known as Biomimetics. Bio means “living things” mimetics means “copying”. Actually, animals and plants can teach humans a lot about design and engineering.  As a result, many engineers, scientists, and designers spend time studying animals and plants to copy their designs.

GECKO ROBOT (Stickybot)

 

In a room a Stanford University, scientists are studying a small animal called Gecko. It is an amazing animal because it can move very quickly up and down a tree and even upside down on ceiling. The scientists are particularly interesting in the gecko´s feet. They want to use the same design on a metal robot that looks very similar to the gecko. It has four feet and can walk up walls made of glass or plastic however, it still has trouble walking upside down. According to, Stanford news (2010) “Mark Cutkosky, the lead designer of the Stickybot, a professor of mechanical engineering and co-director of the Center for Design Research, has been collaborating with scientists around the nation for the last five years to build climbing robots”.Those robots could be used in future in space projects due to; they could be able to walk in a rustic environment without trouble walking and climbing rocks. The gecko robot is going to be really useful for future aerospace research.

 

 

VELCRO

Velcro is probably the most famous example of biomimetics. Most people have some Velcro on an item of clothing. It was invented by the Swiss engineer George de Mestral in 1948. He was walking in the countryside when pulled a burr of his pants. He noticed how well the burr stuck to his clothes so he studied its design. The result was Velcro, which became an affordable alternative to the traditional zipper. Humanity is surrounded by nature and its amazing beauty, but inside its design the perfection is hided. Therefore, it is possible to say that when humanity has a problem nature often has the answer.         

 

LOTUS PLANT

In 1982, inventor Wilhelm Bartlott got a great idea studying the leaf of a Lotus Plant. He noticed that water always ran off the leaf. When he had a closer look, he discovered how it worked. Bartlott copied the leaf´s special surface and now you can find it in specialized paint products that do not allow water and dirt to stick.  According to, Join Nature Conservation Committee (2003) “Examination of the surface of lotus leaves under a microscope reveals that they are not smooth but rather have an outer layer of cells (epidermis) which display a bumpy surface. This bumpy epidermis is covered by a thin layer of wax crystals which are water-repellent (hydrophobic).  These two properties make the leaf super-hydrophobic and self-cleaning”. Undoubtedly, Wilhelm Bartlott idea has been useful for humanity even if they are not conscious of how those products were inspired.
 

In conclusion, human inventions inspired by nature´s designs have been helpful to the humanity, making their life easier and providing very important tools to facilitate daily activities. Biomimetics not only has helped to design our world but promises many more possibilities. Unfortunately, they might take a long time to develop. This is not really surprising: it took nature millions of years to design its animals and plants. Without a doubt, human´s abilities are endless, they can analyze and use nature to change the world in a positive way. 

 

 

 

References

Committee, J. N. (13 de september de 2003). Join Nature Conservation Committee. Obtenido de http://archive.jncc.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=5592
 

museum, s. n. (s.f.). smithsonian national air and space museum. Recuperado el 28 de julio de 2019, de https://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/wright-brothers/online/fly/1903/designing.cfm
 

news, S. (24 de August de 2010). Stanford news. Obtenido de https://news.stanford.edu/news/2010/august/gecko-082410.html

Einstein, A. (s.f.). brainyquote. Recuperado el 29 de July de 2019, de http://www.brainyquotehttps.com/lists/topics/top_10_nature_quotes