Biomimicry

Art’s Natural Origins

Some of the earliest human art was a collaboration with cave bears. In France’s ancient Lascaux cave network, early hominins of the Paleolithic era colored the scratches cave bears left on stone walls with ochre pigment. Some Paleolithic artists could mimic animal’s cave markings so well that more than one archeologist has mistakenly interpreted the scratching of a cave bear or other animal as the brilliant work of a long-gone artist. 

For most of human history, we have lived close to nature. The things we live closest to and interact with most tend to influence our creativity, inspiration and culture. Andy Warhol created his famous paintings of Campbell’s Soup Cans. They were familiar and the completely normal enjoyment of soup inspired him to paint. Nature — the plants and animals people saw most often, the landscapes they lived in, the natural systems they observed — was once so ubiquitous to life it couldn’t be ignored either. 

When looking at older technology, it’s hard to draw a line between inspiration and availability. Did the Hausa people of Northern Nigeria and southern Niger build with sun-dried mud bricks because they were inspired by the insulating properties of mud? Or because it was an easily accessible, widely available material? Were the Inuit inspired to make wet weather clothing from sealskin when they saw water wicking easily off seals’ fur? Or did they observe that it was the best available material for the task?

In many cases, the answer is likely both. These reasons for developing technologies — inspiration or availability — are probably too intertwined to unweave. At least, they have been for a long time. 

Inspired Innovation

In the 21st century, we no longer depend exclusively on the materials in our environment. With the creation of plastics, synthetic products and complex production processes, we simply rely less on the raw, natural materials in our immediate environment. When we rely less on naturally available materials, it can start to seem like inspiration is moving away from nature. 

However, some scientists, designers and artists are making focused attempts to reconnect innovation and creativity with nature, the original wellspring of inspiration. This movement is called biomimicry. Jean M. Benyus popularized the term in her 1997 book Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature, but she didn’t invent it. The term can be found in a few earlier publications. However, even prior to earliest records of the term “biomimicry,” the idea that nature could inspire technological advances never really disappeared.

In the 1940s, George de Mestral, a Swiss electrical engineer, noticed burrs stuck in his dog’s fur. Naturally, he wondered why the burrs would stick. This curiosity about nature inspired him to create Velcro which, like plant burrs, uses tiny hooks to grab onto fabric (or fur). Velcro has since become commonplace in our society, but it was once breakthrough technology with nature at its roots. 

Today, biomimicry continues to revolutionize technology. At the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, a Speedo brand swimsuit called the LZR Racer (pronounced “laser racer”), co-created with NASA, dominated swimming competitions. More than twenty world records were broken. News outlets reported that the LZR Racer was worn both by a majority of world record-breaking swimmers and most Olympians who medaled in swimming. 

The LZR Racer is part of Speedo’s Fastskin line of performance swimwear. Fastskin is inspired by sharks! Sharks’ skin is made of thousands of tiny scales called “dermal denticles.” 

Dermal denticles decrease the resistance a shark encounters while speeding through the ocean. Grooves in their scales cause water to break large currents of water into smaller streams. These smaller streams reduce drag. Reduced drag means faster sharks. Translated into a human suit, the “scales” become rigid, polyurethane sheets strategically placed to improve posture and compress the swimmer’s body. This reduces drag while repelling water and trapping air, making swimmers more buoyant. 

Despite the modern change in materials, human innovation still benefits from the natural world. The enormous scale of nature’s ingenuity continues to inspire work across disciplines and across the globe, including in Iowa. 

Dr. Caterina Lamuta is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Iowa. She’s also the principal investigator at the University’s Smart Multifunctional Material Systems Laboratory (SMMS Lab). Their research is often bio-inspired.

Reminiscent of the inspiration LZR Racer’s took from shark skin, the SMMS Lab is currently developing a material that mimics tiny movements of octopi’s skin. The octopus is known for its camouflaging abilities. Octopus camouflage doesn’t just require color change; it also requires a change in skin texture. An octopus camouflaging itself in front of a bumpy, gray rock may turn gray, but it will also match the rough texture of the rock. 

How does the octopus achieve this amazing feat? By literally changing the texture of its skin. Octopi skin is covered in tiny projections called papillae. Tiny muscles can project the papillae several millimeters away from the octopus’s skin. They look a bit like human goosebumps, except they’re much longer and would make you a hide-and-seek champion.

SMMS Lab developed a synthetic material that mimics the movement of octopus papillae called “twisted spiral artificial muscles” (TSAMs). TSAMs, which look like tiny conical springs, move like octopus papillae. When assembled on an artificial skin with the correct stimuli, they create random patterns across the surface of the artificial skin.

The synthetic octopus skin has many potential applications, including dynamics or camouflage. One use currently in development at SMMS Lab is anti-fouling.

Anti-fouling refers to the process of removing biofilm, a collection of microorganisms that cling to the bottom of ships. Removing the biofilm is necessary for maintenance, but it can be costly and difficult. 

“Fouling costs the navy millions because they have to stop the ship and scrape [the biofilm] off,” explains Dr. Lamuta. “When this biofilm becomes really thick, the ship is heavier, so it consumes more fuel.” 

Most recently, the navy and other ship owners applied anti-fouling paint to their ships. However, in the 1960s, scientists found that some of the most effective anti-fouling paints released tributyltin (TBT), a powerful biocide. TBT posed a major threat to marine life. In 2008, a ban on TBT by the International Maritime Organization went into effect. However, concerns about toxins and biocides in anti-fouling paints persist.

A coating of SMMS Lab’s synthetic octopus skin may offer a healthier alternative for aquatic ecosystems. As the synthetic papillae (the TSAMs) extend and contract in random patterns, they could release biofilm before it builds up on the ship. 

In addition to her astounding innovation, Dr. Lamuta’s work benefits current movements towards sustainable tech, including reducing the use of toxic materials and fuel consumption. 

“Sustainability outcomes came naturally from emulating nature,” Dr. Lamuta explains. “In our case, that’s the octopus’ skin.” 

Dr. Lamuta’s sentiment reflects the original philosophy of biomimicry. When the concept was introduced and gained popularity the premise of biomimicry was exactly what Dr. Lamuta explains: If we mimic nature in our innovation, sustainable benefits will naturally follow. 

A Philosophy of Sustainability

Despite all the amazing innovations, biomimicry isn’t just about making things better. As a philosophy, it’s also about making things more sustainable. In Benyus’s book, she writes that if our goal is a sustainable future, Earth’s systems and designs need to inspire our own civilizations and technology. Biomimicry is more than an inspiration machine; it’s a philosophical view that human innovation, advancement and growth can be compatible with a stable, sustained planet. 

In Kansas, prairie ecosystems have inspired the Land Institute’s approach to sustainable agriculture. The Institute is developing perennial grains, legumes and oilseeds for agricultural use. Since perennial plants aren’t replanted every year, perennial crops would decrease the need for annual plowing and herbicide application. Perennials could also help farmers reduce the annual cost of growing crops. The Land Institute is also hopeful that perennial crops would mimic native ecosystems’ ability to protect soil from erosion and improve soil quality since they can improve nutrient retention, carbon sequestration and water infiltration. In other words, the Land Institute has used biomimicry to develop an agricultural system that functions similarly to a natural grassland, benefiting everyone from the earth to the farmer to the community sharing their water and natural resources.

At Iowa State University in Ames, Dr. Yan Zhao, a Professor of Organic and Bioorganic Chemistry, focuses on molecular engineering. Dr. Zhao studies the function of molecules and uses his research to apply those molecular functions to new processes like plastic recycling.

To Dr. Zhao, the original molecular engineer is nature itself. “The best examples of molecular engineering are in nature,” he says. “That’s why we use biomimicry.” 

Dr. Zhao’s work in biomimicry is proving successful. Recently, his lab has been developing a biomimetic catalyst that breaks down a specific plastic: bisphenol A polycarbonates (BPA-PC).

Not only is Dr. Zhao’s catalyst important for managing plastic waste, it also supports health and environmental sustainability. BPA is a known endocrine disruptor that interferes with the body’s natural hormones. Scientists have linked BPA to major health issues including fertility changes, hormone-related cancers and type 2 diabetes. BPAs have been found in agricultural soil and water, creating an exposure risk for many people. 

Photos demonstrate how Dr. Zhao’s biomimetic catalyst breaks down BPA-PC. One image taken under a microscope shows BPA-PC film before it was treated with a natural enzyme (not Dr. Zhao’s biomimetic catalyst). A second image shows the film after exposure to the natural enzyme for 24 hours. The images look nearly the same, because the enzyme fails to break down the plastic. 

In a second set of images, the film looks unaffected at first. But the second picture shows the plastic film has become pitted and uneven, as if someone had been ripping off little pieces. What happened to the second plastic? It was exposed to an enzyme-mimicking catalyst developed in Dr. Zhao’s lab specifically for this purpose. 

Remembering Our Roots

In a world of gadgets and gizmos, with sleek new cars and cellphones debuting every year, it can start to feel like our world isn’t very natural at all. In some ways and in some places, it’s not. But biomimicry and the long human tradition of drawing inspiration from nature also serve as an example of how closely bonded we are to our natural environments. In ways so subtle you may never even notice, nature still shapes our world. Nature is in our art, our architecture, our tools of daily life and even in the most futuristic and advanced technology.