This article offers a complementary approach to research and education in biologically informed disciplines through the lens of bionics, biomimetics, and biomimicry terminology. For the purpose of developing this approach, we look at past and current contexts in which the three fi elds have emerged and identify three issues: an absence of common ground that unites the fi elds of bionics, biomimetics, and biomimicry while recognizing their contextual differences, a non-standardized use of the terminology that leads to ambiguity within the fi eld of biologically informed disciplines, an incomplete and disorganized historical and contextual knowledge about the fi eld that inhibits a common starting ground for collaboration, and confuses non-scientists who seek biological understanding. We offer a fundamental understanding of the fi elds from theoretical perspective by bringing together opinions of researchers and practitioners of bionics, biomimetics, biomimicry, bio-inspiration and offering a comprehensive analysis of terms culminating in the introduction of an overarching term 'biologically informed disciplines'.
The author has granted a non exclusive license allowing Library and Archives Canada to reproduce, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, communicate to the public by telecommunication or on the Internet, loan, distrbute and sell theses worldwide, for commercial or non commercial purposes, in microform, paper, electronic and/or any other formats. AVIS: L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, preter, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou autres formats. Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu manquant.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.