Bionics is a stunning and exciting technique that attempts to solve difficult engineering problems and challenges by harnessing knowledge of nature and biology.
Bionics is much more than a method; it is also often referred to as an interdisciplinary science in its own right. However, since it is of very great importance, we have decided to include it in this book anyway.
In bionics, biological processes are directly transferred to a given problem and completely new solution possibilities are derived from this.
Bionics (also biomimicry, biomimetics or biomimesis) deals with the transfer of phenomena from nature to technology. A well-known example from history of this is Leonardo da Vinci’s idea to transfer bird flight to flying machines. A common example from modern everyday life is the hook and loop fastener inspired by Velcro. Bionics is based on the assumption that living nature develops optimized structures and processes through evolutionary processes, from which humans can learn efficiently.
As an interdisciplinary field of research, bionics attracts natural scientists, engineers, architects, philosophers and designers. Bionics is concerned with the systematic recognition of solutions of animate nature; it thus distinguishes itself from the purposeless inspiration of nature. Its goal is always a technical object or process separate from nature. This distinguishes bionics from sciences that use and extend biological processes, such as bioinformatics, biophysics, and biochemistry.
Bionics is typically used for problem solving and brainstorming in engineering and process applications. An important requirement of bionics is not to “copy” details of a living system, but to consider that system as a model. The question to be asked is why things are like this or react like this in nature, and conclusions are to be drawn from this.
Examples:
– “Ground Speed Gauges” of Aircraft. The mode of action of a beetle’s eye served as a biological analogy.
– For the production of paper, cardboard and cardboard, the nest building of the wasp served as a model.
– Material-saving designs of optimum strength have numerous role models in nature.