TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER), Academia Sinica, Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), and Agri-Dragon Biotech Co. teamed up to hold a 2014 Biomimicry International Forum, invited Janine Benyus, an American natural sciences writer, innovation consultant, and author to give a speech, concerning about nature and technology.
“Biomimicry is the practice of learning from and then emulating life's best ideas to create a more sustainable world.” said Janine Benyus, “by mimicking nature's time-tested strategies, biomimics are learning to capture fog like a desert beetle, preserve like a resurrection fern, resist bacteria like a shark, mimic ecosystems to create a more resilient agriculture, and more.”
Based on 3.8 billion of years of R&D, these designs sip energy, shave material use, eliminate toxins, and turn waste into opportunities. Janine Benyus stated that once a specialty science, Biomimicry has spread virally in the last 15 years. Hundreds of Biomimicry start-ups, incluing many in Asia, are making headlines with nature-inspired technologies that solve global challenges and disrupt business as usual.
“Leading companies such as Arup, Airbus, Boeing, Fuji-Xerox, HOK, IDEO, Interface, JR West, Nike, Nissan, and Qualcomm, use biomimicry in their labs as well as their boardrooms, finding inspiration for product and organizational design.” Janine Benyus added.
Since the publication of her seminal book, Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature, Janine Benyus and her colleagues at Biomimicry 3.8 have brought bio-inspired solutions to 250 clients, redesigning everything from carpets to cities.
She gave many examples to illustrate the concept of Biomimicry, for example, Shark's skin, which is an uncomfortable place for bacteria, repelling bacteria without resistance. That's really a lesson for us.
