Designing a better world with nature's help
In a new video from Vox and 99% Invisible, Janine Benyus explores the power of biomimicry as a design tool.
Japan’s Shinkansen doesn’t look like your typical train. With its long and pointed nose, it can reach top speeds up to 150–200 miles per hour. It didn’t always look like this. Earlier models were rounder and louder, often suffering from the phenomenon of "tunnel boom," where deafening compressed air would rush out of a tunnel after a train rushed in. But a moment of inspiration from engineer and birdwatcher Eiji Nakatsu led the system to be redesigned based on the aerodynamics of three species of birds.
Nakatsu’s case is a fascinating example of biomimicry, the design movement pioneered by biologist and writer Janine Benyus. She's a co-founder of the Biomimicry Institute and Biomimicry 3.8, a non-profit and consultancy, encouraging and empowering creators to discover how big challenges in design, engineering, and sustainability have often already been solved through 3.8 billion years of evolution on earth. We just have to go out and find them.
(Excerpted from Vox)
DISCOVER MORE ABOUT BIOMIMICRY
Check out our Biomimicry DesignLens to get an outline of the core components of the biomimicry methodology.