Website with list of biomimicry courses at the university level, sponsored by the Biomimicry Institute. "Biomimicry is rapidly spreading and growing in academic institutions all over the earth! Professors, instructors, research  ... more

Website with list of biomimicry courses at the university level, sponsored by the Biomimicry Institute. "Biomimicry is rapidly spreading and growing in academic institutions all over the earth! Professors, instructors, researchers, and students -- inspired by nature -- are creating innovative ways to teach, learn, and use biomimicry at universities and colleges in the U.S. and abroad. Explore the growing list of academic institutions that are integrating biomimicry into their teaching and research programs."   less

Explore these biomimicry examples from our growing database of 2100+ technological innovations and ideas, each inspired by Nature's genius.  ... more

Explore these biomimicry examples from our growing database of 2100+ technological innovations and ideas, each inspired by Nature's genius.   less

Engineering Pathway's blog for May 29 to commemorate the life of John McMasters at the Mudd Design Workshop VII. Excerpt: "In the month prior to his death, John prepared a set of annotated slides and documents to preserve his l  ... more

Engineering Pathway's blog for May 29 to commemorate the life of John McMasters at the Mudd Design Workshop VII. Excerpt: "In the month prior to his death, John prepared a set of annotated slides and documents to preserve his legacy of innovations in biomimetics design and engineering education. These documents are being made accessible on the Engineering Pathway digital library and will be presented at a dinner tribute to John at the Mudd Design Workshop VII on May 29, 2009."   less

Brief history on the loop and hook design of Velcro inspired by nature. Image caption: 94x magnification (when viewed at 100%), taken with a Nikon SMZ1500 Stereomicroscope coupled with a Spot Insight Digital Color Camera. Placed  ... more

Brief history on the loop and hook design of Velcro inspired by nature. Image caption: 94x magnification (when viewed at 100%), taken with a Nikon SMZ1500 Stereomicroscope coupled with a Spot Insight Digital Color Camera. Placed in the top 30, Nikon Small World 2005.   less

Video of the GEKKO III Junior cleaning robot walking on a steep solar plant and cleans it with water and its brush. The surface gets very clean and increases the efficiency of a solar plant immensely. The robot is designed to clim  ... more

Video of the GEKKO III Junior cleaning robot walking on a steep solar plant and cleans it with water and its brush. The surface gets very clean and increases the efficiency of a solar plant immensely. The robot is designed to climb around on even vertical surfaces and won’t need any additional complicated installations. This allows for a lot of versatility and easy use. The GEKKO robot is a product of the Serbot AG in Switzerland in cooperation Niederberger-Engineering AG.   less

"The Biomimicry Institute has a passion for both formal and informal public education from K-12 and university to museum exhibits, nature center programs, media, and publications. Wherever we teach biomimicry, we have the choice o  ... more

"The Biomimicry Institute has a passion for both formal and informal public education from K-12 and university to museum exhibits, nature center programs, media, and publications. Wherever we teach biomimicry, we have the choice of teaching it as a separate subject, or incorporating it as a problem-solving method into any number of different subjects. We feel that the latter is a more useful way of naturalizing biomimicry in the culture. For instance, teachers can introduce biomimicry as a way to get ideas for green reactions in chemistry class, better structural designs in engineering class, or even better policy in economics class. We think this integration of bio-inspired problem-solving into all subjects prevents the “siloing” of biomimicry. What teachers tell us they need, in addition to a description of the method, is access to biological information that will help inspire their students. For this reason, the Institute would like to create “biological know-how” modules that will simultaneously meet the needs of all of our educational efforts. An example might be a module on how nature filters and purifies water. The module would contain information on nature’s champion filterers, such as mangroves, filter feeders, and kidneys, along with case studies of any technologies that have been inspired by these mentors. The same module would serve several different educational venues. For example, photos, content, and case studies might appear as a supplement to a water exhibit at a science museum. Project Wild! type curricula packets on the topic could be posted on the portal for easy distribution to K-12 teachers. Design studios helping direct designers toward specific biomimetic design solutions could also use the same theme-based content. Scientific content on water filtration would also be in the portal, hopefully encouraging engineers and designers to research nature’s strategies for their designs. We also plan to write short articles for the media on the topic."   less

Slides for panel session to commemorate the life of John McMasters at the Mudd Design Workshop VII. Excerpt: "In the month prior to his death, John prepared a set of annotated slides and documents to preserve his legacy of innovat  ... more

Slides for panel session to commemorate the life of John McMasters at the Mudd Design Workshop VII. Excerpt: "In the month prior to his death, John prepared a set of annotated slides and documents to preserve his legacy of innovations in biomimetics design and engineering education. These documents are being made accessible on the Engineering Pathway digital library and will be presented at a dinner tribute to John at the Mudd Design Workshop VII on May 29, 2009."   less

A collection of slides, papers and other resources developed by aerospace engineer John McMasters.  ... more

A collection of slides, papers and other resources developed by aerospace engineer John McMasters.   less

Research laboratory with an exciting robot gallery and research on robots, many using novel biomimetics features. "To support the laboratory's research, prototype robots are designed and manufactured on-site. Projects as diverse  ... more

Research laboratory with an exciting robot gallery and research on robots, many using novel biomimetics features. "To support the laboratory's research, prototype robots are designed and manufactured on-site. Projects as diverse as submersible sensors, flying autonomous robots and artificial rat whiskers, require innovative solutions. Unusual materials, extreme scale and complex programmable electronics all combine to form the 'robotic characters' that populate BRL: Some of the following have movie files for download." Their mission is to understand the science, engineering and social role of robotics and embedded intelligence. Their multidisciplinary approach aims to create autonomous devices capable of working independently, with each other, or with us in our human society. BRL is a collaborative research partnership with the University of Bristol and the University of the West of England.   less

Biomimetic example using cockroaches to inspire running robots. Excerpt: "The sight of a cockroach scurrying for cover may be nauseating, but the insect is also a biological and engineering marvel, and is providing researchers at  ... more

Biomimetic example using cockroaches to inspire running robots. Excerpt: "The sight of a cockroach scurrying for cover may be nauseating, but the insect is also a biological and engineering marvel, and is providing researchers at Oregon State University with what they call "bioinspiration" in a quest to build the world's first legged robot that is capable of running effortlessly over rough terrain. If the engineers succeed, they may owe their success to what's being learned from these insects and other animals, such as the guinea hen, that have their own remarkable abilities. The latest findings -- just published in the professional journal Bioinspiration and Biomimetics -- outline how animals use their legs to manage energy storage and expenditure, and why this is so important for running stability. The work is being supported by the National Science Foundation. "Humans can run, but frankly our capabilities are nothing compared to what insects and some other animals can do," said John Schmitt, an assistant professor in the School of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering at OSU. "Cockroaches are incredible. They can run fast, turn on a dime, move easily over rough terrain, and react to perturbations faster than a nerve impulse can travel."   less