DURING BTECH WE PRESENTED THIS PPT IN SOFT SKILL CLASS.HOPE IT WOULD BE INFORMATIVE.

2. Application of biological methods and systems found in nature to the
study and design of engineering systems and modern technology.
DEFINITION
bion → 'unit of life'
ic → 'like' or 'in the manner of'

3. OBJECTIVES
 Implementing a function found in nature.
 Not just imitating any biological structures.
 Tries to develop engineering solutions from biological models.

4. CRITERION ON WHICH TECHNOLOGY CAN
BE MODELED
 Mimicking natural methods of manufacture.
 Imitating mechanisms found in nature.
 Studying organizational principles from the social behavior of
organisms.

6. DIRT AND WATER REPELLENT PAINT
&
GLASS WINDOWS
Lotus plants are generally seen in muddy regions.
Surface of this plant is slippery.
Shows lotus effect.
The lotus effect refers to self-cleaning properties that are a result of
very high water repellence.

7. Dirt particles are picked up by water droplets due to the micro- and
nanoscopic structure on the surface
Minimizes the droplet’s adhesion to that surface.
This concept can be used in making window glasses.

8. VELCRO
Swiss engineer George de Mestral took his dog for a walk. Burdock burrs
were picked up on the walk to it’s fur. While cleaning he realized how the
hooks of the burrs clung to the fur. Burrs contained hundreds of tiny hooks.
It could catch on loops of hair or clothing.

9. Based on this he developed
a series of fastening
products “hook and loop
fastener" named Velcro.
velours → velvet
crochet → hook
Nylon is used due to its
durability.

10. BULLET-PROOF
SKIN
&
FLEXIBLE TAPE
Spider silk is both stretchy and lightweight. It is
sticky in some places to catch prey, and not
sticky in others so that the spider can scuttle
across it. A flexible tape has been develop based
on this. It can be peeled off a wound without
damaging the tissue underneath.

11. SUPER-ADHESIVE TAPE
Geckoes have toes that can
exploit the surface tension that
all materials possess.
It’s foot has lots of tiny hairs.
 These are able to get into all
the microscopic surface
irregularities .
Giving a very large surface
area of foothold.

12. Gecko's ability can be
copied by making a tape.
Can stick to surfaces and
then be peeled off without
losing its sticking ability.
Can be applied to
handwear and footwear to
climb up and down.

13. PROPELLERS
The humpback whale has
fat, bumpy fins letting it
navigate water.
Popular for it’s acrobatic
skills and swiftness due to
it’s warty skin.

14. The bumps on the leading edge of each fin breaks the water into high-
speed channels.
Water flows more smoothly over the wings.
Increases buoyancy and significantly reduces drag.
This design is used in windmills and helicopters.

15. SWARM INTELLIGENCE
A single bee is incapable of seeing beyond its
own tasks or thinking anything complex. A hive
of bees can function as an intelligent, cohesive
unit. Pollen-gathering missions are organized,
carried out, and relayed back to the hive. It is
more complex than simply stinging. But it is
done without a thought.
With the proper algorithms in place, a group of stupid individuals with no
knowledge of the overall system will nonetheless be able to carry out its
mandates.
Swarm Intelligence is used in large, complex and frustratingly unmanageable
systems like power grids. It has got minimal human intervention.

16. RETROREFLECTOR
Percy Shaw studied the mechanism of cat eyes. Cats have tapetumlucidum.
These are reflecting cells, capable of reflecting the tiniest bit of light. In 1935
he invented Cat's eye reflectors.
Cat's eye reflectors is a safety device used in road marking
and in raised pavement markers. This is a surface that reflects light
back to its source with a minimum of scattering.

17. PACKAGING MATERIAL
Disposing polystyrene chips is
problematic.
Cannot be recycled and decomposes
very slowly.
Treated only by combustion.
Ecovative Design made an insulation
and packaging material.
Consists of a mushroom(mycelium).
Can be composted.

18. SWIM SUIT
Ten scales per millimetre on the skin surface of shark.
Makes lot of micro-turbulences where water whirls around close to the
body surface.
Reduces the drag effect of the outer layers of water around the body.
Imitating this gives the swim suit a lower drag effect and allows the
athletes to move faster through the water.

19. DISPLAYS FOR E-READERS
Butterfly wings gleam in bright light.
Display by LCD monitors is based on
transmitting light from behind the screen.
Inspired by this Qualcomm MEMS
Technologies created the first full-color,
video-friendly e-reader prototype.
This display (Mirasol) works by
reflecting light.
Can be read in bright sunlight and has
longer battery life.

20. SOLAR CELLS Plants convert sunlight into energy.
Their “solar cells” are tough, numerous
and grow back if stripped. Human made
solar panels are expensive, unwieldy,
delicate, and terribly inefficient. For
efficient, cheaper and durable solar cells
idea is taken from leaves.
A team at North Carolina State
University developed a gel-filled bag
with specialized chemicals and plant bits.
They’ve successfully arranged
chlorophyll molecules in the gel to
generate a weak electrical current.

21. Aquaporins are proteins present in cell membranes. This regulates the
flow of water into and out of the cell. Too much water can cause a
cell to burst, and too little can cause it to shrivel. It maintains the
correct balance of various ions and solutes, for the cell to function.
Aquaporins are especially good at moving water quickly in and out of
the cell, without letting anything else past.
WATER FILTER

22. Structure of aquaporins have been replicated for use in water
filtration. This is rapid, relatively cheap water filtration device. It is also
capable of desalinating water. The process in use is outrageously
expensive and energy-intense.

23. The Namib desert beetle’s exoskeleton has an ingenious system for
collecting moisture.
This has a unique system of peaks and valleys combined with a
smooth coating.
Traps moisture from the air and channels it toward the beetle’s
mouth.
Moisture is plucked out of the morning fog.
ALTERNATE SOURCE OF WATER

24. Scientists at MIT crafted a surface.
Has got hydrophilic and hydrophobic part.
Used to channel airborne water.
This could heavily benefit areas such as Western Sahara.
There water is scarce.
Cost of transporting water from desalination plants is more.

25. Slime mould is a single cell organism.
Always grows in the optimal way in relation to food source.
Creates efficient nutrient transport channels.
Japanese scientists discovered that slime mould can be used to
simulate the optimal network design for a transport system.
Slime mould was grown on a map of Tokyo showing all the railway
connections.
At the end of the experiment mould had spread across the map in
channels.
This was like the real Tokyo rail network.
OPTIMAL NETWORK DESIGN

26. An oat flake was put on each station on the
map.
Growth pattern of the mould was observed.
First it grew in all directions.
On finding an oat flake, it optimised its
nutrient transport channels in relation to the
food source.
Again it set off across the map.
This process repeated itself as each oat flake
was encountered.
This is the most economical solution in
terms of material use. It optimises the
security of the transport network against a
sudden disruption of a channel.

27. PASSIVE
COOLING
SYSTEM
S
Termite mound itself is designed to
catch the breeze.
Includes passages on the top and sides.
Termites can open or block tunnels to
control air flow.
Warm air is expelled and replaced with
cooler air drawn up from below the
ground.
 So it has constant humidity and
temperature inside, regardless of the
climatic conditions outside.

28. Scientists and architects analyzed the
internal structure of the mound and
modeled the Eastgate Centre in
Harare(Zimbabwe).
Passive cooling works by storing heat in
the day and venting it at night as
temperatures drop.
It is made of materials with high heat
capacity. Therefore heat is taken up by the
construction without any appreciable rise in
the air temperature.
It saves 10% of the energy. In the first five years alone, the building
saved upward of $3.5 million in heating and cooling costs.

29. FEATURES & FUTURE OF
BIONICS
Selective pressure placed on all natural life forms minimizes and removes
failures.
Biological solutions is optimized by evolutionary forces.
Bionic tries to develop engineering solutions from biological models.
Till now only a 12% overlap is there between biology and technology in
terms of the mechanisms used.

30. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bionics
http://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=34964.php
http://www.waterworld.com/articles/iww/print/volume-14/issue-3/features/biomimetic-
membranes.html
scienceblogs.com
www.leonardodavincisinventions.com
www.dailytech.com
http://sciencenordic.com/top-10-best-copies-nature-part-2
http://sciencenordic.com/top-10-best-copies-nature-part-1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomimetics
http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/photos/7-amazing-examples-of-
biomimicry/copying-mother-nature
http://www.livescience.com/28873-cool-technologies-inspired-by-nature.html

31. GROUP MEMBERS
Projit Mukherjee
Arunabha Chakraborty
Saket Kumar Singh
Bishnu Prasad Bhakat

32. THANK YOU