WHAT IS BIOMIMICRY

BIOMIMICRY

• The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras will soon offer a course on biomimicry. It would be a full semester,
elective course and would teach students to imitate nature as a source of inspiration to solve complex problems, the IIT-Madras informed.
• “Biomimicry is the intersection of biology and engineering. You do not have to be either a biologist or an engineer to learn biomimicry, all you need is curiosity. Curious enough to look at a lotus leaf and ask the questions like How does a lotus leaf remain clean?”, the IIT said in an official statement.

WHAT IS IT?

• Students can have multiple applications from one organism, and there are millions of such organisms that have evolved strategies over billions of years of adaptation to our planet.
• We can use these blueprints and recipes from nature to design and build solutions for our world, the IIT-Madras informed.

The institute claims that ‘Shinkansen’ – the bullet train in Tokyo, Japan, are inspired by the kingfisher bird and Eastgate Centre in Harare, Zimbabwe inspired by the termite mound.

• IIT-Madras claims to be among the first institutions in India to offer a full-fledged course on biomimicry. The course will be taught by MS Sivakumar – dean of students, IIT-Madras, Shiva Subramaniam, CIO, Gopalakrishnan-Deshpande Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, IIT-Madras, Satyanarayanan Seshadri, department of applied mechanics, and
Srinivasa Chakravarthy a professor at Department of Biotechnology.

• IIT-Madras has also claims to have created a community of biomimicry enthusiasts who are exploring opportunities in research, entrepreneurship, new products, processes, and systems.
• The Institute plans to hold a biomimicry challenge to provoke bold, sustainable ideas from young minds. The UN Sustainable Development Goals can provide students with challenges for which they can design solutions using biomimicry.