Biomimicry Creates New Tires that can't go flat.

Biomimicry Creates New Tires that can't go flat.

 

Biomimicry (from bios, meaning life, and mimesis, meaning to imitate) is a design discipline that seeks sustainable solutions by emulating nature’s time-tested patterns and strategies, e.g., a solar cell inspired by a leaf.  The core idea is that Nature, imaginative by necessity, has already solved many of the problems we are grappling with: energy, food production, climate control, non-toxic chemistry, transportation, packaging, and a whole lot more.

Animals, plants, and microbes are the consummate engineers. They have found what works, what is appropriate, and most importantly, what lasts here on Earth. Instead of harvesting organisms, or domesticating them to accomplish a function for us, biomimicry differs from other "bio-approaches" by consulting organisms and ecosystems and applying the underlying design principles to our innovations. This approach introduces an entirely new realm for entrepreneurship that can contribute not only innovative designs and solutions to our problems but also to awakening people to the importance of conserving the biodiversity on Earth that has so much yet to teach us.

Looking at Nature as Model, Measure, and Mentor

Consciously emulating Nature's genius means viewing and valuing the natural world differently. In biomimicry, we look at Nature as model, mentor, and measure.

Model:  Biomimicry is a new science that studies Nature’s models and then emulates these forms, processes, systems, and strategies to solve human problems – sustainably.

Mentor:  Biomimicry is a new way of viewing and valuing nature. It introduces an era based not on what we can extract from the natural world, but what we can learn from it.

Measure:  Biomimicry uses an ecological standard to judge the sustainability of our innovations. After 3.8 billion years of evolution, Nature has learned what works and what lasts.

Honeycomb Tyres

 

A Wisconsin based  company, has created a tyre that can’t go flat.  Instead of using an air-filled tube, the tyre design relies on a geometric pattern of six-sided cells that are arranged in a matrix, like a honeycomb.
This is an airless, tubeless tyre with uniform flexibility and can take on tremendous wear and tear and still perform well.
You guessed it – It is being funded by the US army, so that they can drive their vehicles in hostile conditions and not have flat tyres. It would be useful for their next desert war, you see !!
But, I am amazed at all the good, that this can do to our Indian farmers and public transport who need such heavy-duty tyres.   Ofcourse our army too would benefit.
But what got the WoW was the revelation that the best design was found in nature, which was the honeycomb!

Biomimicry 3.8 Institute

The Biomimicry 3.8 Institute is a not-for-profit organization that promotes the study and imitation of nature’s remarkably efficient designs, bringing together scientists, engineers, architects and innovators who can use those models to create sustainable technologies.
The Institute offers short-term workshops and two-year certificate courses in biomimicry for professionals, and helps to develop and share resources including biomimicry-related K-12 and university curricula used in a range of educational venues, from K-12 classrooms to universities, as well as informal settings such as zoos, aquariums and museums. The Institute also serves as a resource for biological researchers around the world and a clearinghouse for their insights, data, and reports.
The Institute was founded in 2006 by science writer and consultant Janine Benyus in response to overwhelming interest in the subject following the publication of her book, Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature.  See Janine’s TED Talk video for her groundbreaking introduction to biomimicry.
Today, the Biomimicry 3.8 Institute focuses on three areas:
• Developing educational programs for students, professionals and the general public.
• Working to create public policies that use biomimicry as a solution to sustainability challenges.
• Encouraging companies that are profiting from biomimicry to provide financial support for biodiversity.