Design and Biomimicry: A Review of Interconnections and Creative Potentials

Abstract

The study and application of biological knowledge favor the creation of innovative projects in several areas, so it is necessary to better understand the use of these resources specifically in the field of design. Thus, a systematic review was undertaken to identify, describe, and analyze the contributions of biomimicry to design. For this purpose, the integrative systematic review model, called the Theory of Consolidated Meta-Analytical Approach, was used, carrying out a search on the Web of Science with the descriptors “design” and “biomimicry”. For the period from 1991 to 2021, 196 publications were retrieved. The results were organized according to areas of knowledge, countries, journals, institutions, authors, and years. Citation, co-citation, and bibliographic coupling analyses were also performed. The investigation highlighted the following research emphases: the conception of products, buildings, and environments; the exploration of natural structures and systems to create materials and technologies; the use of biomimetic creative tools in product design; and projects focused on saving resources and implementing sustainability. It was noted that there was a tendency for authors to adopt a problem-based approach. It was concluded that the study of biomimicry can stimulate the development of multiple skills in design, improving creativity, and enhancing the potential integration of sustainability into production cycles.

Biodigital stool series: Nature-based growing morphologies through additive manufacturing and generative design

“…Regarding a nature-based design , the method by induction was used, in which a phenomenon or system in nature is studied and then possible applications in design are sought, 13 organism level was used. 14 In the Figure 2 the methodological sequence can be seen with this stages and activities 1 Pattern from nature selection, 2 Generative design, 3 3D printing, including 1:5 scale models and 1:1 scale prototypes, 4 Compression test, using 1:5 scale samples, and 5 Generative optimization. It was important a constant experimentation, a non-linear process of trial and error, to do and do again, in a cyclical sequence of activities, integrating conceptual ideas with technical knowledge and with all this experience is possible to obtain a permanent learning.…”

“…Creative professionals are constantly looking for methodologies to design products and services to solve human problems, for this challenge it is essential to explore different alternatives and possibilities, such as those offered by biomimicry. 5 As a result of the synergy between nature-based design and digital technologies emerges Biodigital Architecture and Design, Estévez 6 affirms that it is a fusion between the biological and the digital domains, genetics and cybernetics, natural intelligence and artificial intelligence, biolearning and machine learning, biomanufacturing and digital manufacturing, keywords that shape the Biodigital cloud. In this context additive manufacturing (AM) is highlighted, with this process can fabricate a physical part, object, or system directly from a Computer Aided Design (CAD) file through the successive addition of layers.…”

“…Creative professionals are constantly looking for methodologies to design products and services to solve human problems, for this challenge it is essential to explore different alternatives and possibilities, such as those offered by biomimicry. 5…”

Comparing Business, Innovation, and Platform Ecosystems: A Systematic Review of the Literature

“…Using Citespace, we designate keywords as node types and set TopN as 50, analyzing the top 50% of the most frequent keywords each year. The time slice is set to one year, and the threshold is set to (2,2,20), (4,3,20), and (3,3,20). This threshold consists of three sets of data, each comprising three numerical values representing citation, covariance, and cosine coefficient.…”

“…In these human-created networks, just as diverse as the ecosystems in nature, various elements interact, adapt, and evolve, contributing to the dynamic tapestry of growth and interdependence. Biomimicry, the emulation of nature's design principles in human inventions, has been relatively underexplored in the realm of business strategy, despite its extensive utilization in domains such as design, manufacturing, and architecture [1][2][3]. Instead of focusing on individual organisms or processes, ecosystem mimicry involves replicating entire ecosystems or ecological principles [4,5].…”