Biomimetic Research for Applications Addressing Technical Environmental Protection

Abstract

Biomimetic research has increased over the last decades, and the development process has been systemized regarding its methods and tools. The aim of biomimetics is to solve practical problems of real-life scenarios. In this context, biomimetics can also address sustainability. To better understand how biomimetics research and development can achieve more sustainable solutions, five projects of applied research have been monitored and analyzed regarding biological models, abstracted biological principles, and the recognition of the applied efficiency strategies. In this manuscript, the way in which sustainability can be addressed is described, possibly serving as inspiration for other projects and topics. The results indicate that sustainability needs to be considered from the very beginning in biomimetic projects, and it can remain a focus during various phases of the development process.

Biomimetics for Sustainable Developments—A Literature Overview of Trends

“…In their comparison, biomimicry is classified with a strong to very strong sustainability, while biomimetics is more intermediate, indicating that sustainability is not a priority in biomimetic design, even though the potential is there. Other studies support this classification [5,18]. In our study, we could show that biomimetics is the most used term in the scientific literature on biomimetic sustainable design (Figure 1).…”

“…Biomimetics holds the promise to potentially contribute to sustainable design [4], and to do so, clear methodologies need to be developed on how to respect this topic in biomimetic developments. Several previous projects focused on such connection [5][6][7], and the potential is well-known [8,9].…”

Biomimicry Industry and Patent Trends

“…Biomimicry refers to studying nature, ecology, and living system to find solutions to problems faced by humanity, and it could provide sustainable, efficient, and innovative solutions [ 1 ]. Biomimicry has the potential to transform the majority of domestic and international economies, making it possible to achieve both economic growth and environmental goals simultaneously [ 2 , 3 ]. Although the commercial application of biomimicry is still irregular, several well-known achievements, such as Shinkansen and Velcro, demonstrate the potential of biomimicry [ 4 , 5 , 6 ].…”