Creatures have developed many things for their survival. For example, lotus leaves do not get wet, spiders have thin but strong webs, and geckos have sticky soles that do not slip. Since humans do not have these technologies, many things have been created by imitating their abilities. For example, lotus leaves make waterproof clothes, spider webs make fibrous materials, and gecko’s sticky soles make adhesives. Biomimicry is the practice of learning and imitating the strategies that living organisms use to solve similar problems that individuals and societies face.

Honeycomb structure

Honeycombs are used to store honey, collect pollen, and raise young bees. Therefore, the honeycomb should not easily collapse by external shocks. Thus, bees build light and strong houses with hexagonal houses connected side by side. This has the advantage of being balanced and strong with minimum gaps and maximized space utilization as well as a shock-absorbing function. This honeycomb technology was also used in KTX. It acts as a shock absorber that can absorb 80% of the impact even in a sudden collision. Another example is that BMW has implemented lightweight car bodies by imitating the honeycomb structure. This technology has enabled the vehicle to increase fuel efficiency and minimize its impact on the environment. It is also widely used in the construction field for its strong structure.

Bur Seed

In 1948, Swiss inventor George de Mestral was out for a walk when he saw a dog with a cocklebur berry stuck to its body and wondered why it stuck so well and didn't come off easily. Bur seeds have many hook-shaped thorns that are about 2 mm in diameter and are ova. Because of these hook-shaped thorns, they can easily attach to the animal's body and do not fall off easily. Therefore, George de Mestral created Velcro by imitating the shape of thorns. This can be easily attached and can be used in various places such as sneakers, spacesuits, and gloves. Gecko Soles Geckos are reptiles that can climb walls using the numerous fine hairs on their feet. First of all, the soles of geckos' feet are uniquely not sticky but act as adhesive. So people use this feature to make tape. Regular adhesive tape is coated with a sticky substance, so it sticks well, but it doesn't come off easily. On the other hand, gecko tape has a structure where the numerous hairs that were standing up lie down, increasing the adhesiveness, so it sticks well. So when the hairs stand up again, the adhesiveness decreases, so it comes off easily. Unlike regular tape, it has the advantage of being able to be attached and removed.

Humpback Whale

If you look at the pectoral fin of a humpback whale, you will see that the front side is bumpy, and this feature helps the humpback whale to swim better. If there were no bumpy fin, the air would not flow naturally and would separate, causing a phenomenon called flow separation. When this phenomenon occurs, air resistance increases accordingly. On the other hand, the protrusions on the fin reduce the flow separation phenomenon, so the whale can swim better because it receives less air resistance. The advantage of making an axial fan by imitating the fin of this humpback whale is that the noise of the axial fan is reduced by 2 dB by reducing the distribution separation. Butterfly Butterfly wings have brilliant colors, and if you look closely, you can see that they create colors using a unique surface structure, not dye. Butterfly wings have various patterns, but their colors do not fade or change over time. This is because butterfly wings absorb and reflect light by modifying the structure of the wing surface instead of using dyes like paint. The shell layers are arranged in a certain cycle and express color through interaction with light, which is the principle by which butterfly wings express color. People have developed a technology to create color without paint, getting the idea from this. Instead of organic substances, they create color by creating a specific structure with nanomaterials on inorganic substances like stones. Unlike dyes that change color when exposed to fluorescent light, nanostructures have the advantage of maintaining color even when acetone or hydrochloric acid is poured.

Biomimetic technology is developing solutions inspired by nature and is having a great impact in various fields. Technologies imitated from nature have the advantages of efficiency, durability, and environmental friendliness. In the future, biomimetic technology will make an important contribution to maximizing sustainable development and energy efficiency.