Mother Nature Knows Best: Biomimicry in Manufacturing, Pt 1

Looking to nature is a time honoured tradition when it comes to design and engineering. 

The intricate and ruthless process of evolution creates species that are optimised to their environments. 

Marine life and birds boast peak aerodynamic features while desert animals have efficient kidneys and large ears to conserve water and stay cool. 

Innovation that is inspired by nature is termed 'Biomimicry', a term coined by architect Janine Benyus.

She described biomimicry as a process of extracting design principles from nature.

This practice is so prominent throughout human history its been given its own timeline.

Before the 15th century it was the 'Basic Biomimicry Era' where early observations and inspirations were taken.

An example from this time period comes from Chinese architect Lu Ban.

Back in 507 BCE he happened upon a giant lily leaf and later a serrated vine stem. 

Observing how they protected the ground below from the rain, he subsequently invented the humble umbrella. 

Centuries later Velcro was invented when Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral took a walk through the woods in 1940. 

There he happened upon a cocklebur, discovering it had hundreds of tiny hooks that clung intensely to animal fur and fabrics.

This then inspired the hooks and loop fasteners we use on trainers and belts today.

Today according to experts were apparently undergoing a 'Cambrian Explosion of Biomicry'. 

Looking at today's manufacturers we couldn't agree more. 

Here's part one of our discussion, focusing on General Electric.

General Electric

General Electric, a 132 year old manufacturer is no stranger to biomimicry. 

Today the company boasts building cooling systems inspired by termite dens and water collection technology created from observing water beetles. 

GE researchers have also used biomimicry to design more efficient wind turbine blades inspired by the aerodynamics of bird wings and whale fins.

Motivated to value and harnesses the power of data, GE recognises that nature is based in similar patterns.

As Colin Parris, former Vice President of GE Software Research told the New York Times: “It always interests me that birds themselves have to have access to data to fly in formation." 

By evolving these ideas, GE is taking an increasingly digital approach to industry.

A key example of this is GE's wind turbines, which collect data to determine how to position wind farms and individual turbines for maximum output. 

This draws on the same principle that motivates fish to school and birds to flock- the need to reduce drag. 

In alignment with this, GE jet engines also mimic the evolutionary features that help this process: whale fins and birds wings.

“All of our expensive assets are covered in dozens, and often hundreds, of sensors, which, as we get better with big data analytics, start mimicking more and more of a nervous system, like what you have with animals,” Todd Wetzel, thermal systems technology leader at GE Global Research also told the New York Times. 

GE's sensors are an area where biomimicry's capacity to help data collection and usage is especially prominent.

Sensors and wings

In photos, the Morpho species of butterfly often appears to have blue wings.

But in fact, the wings are iridescent, reflecting a kaleidoscope of colors that change based on different environments.

What makes the Morpho different is that the changes are physical instead of chemical.

Its wings are patterned with a series of microscopic ridges 50 times smaller than the width of the average human hair.

These ridges dilate and contract in response to chemical and thermal changes, which results in the butterfly's changing colour. 

GE is pioneering a new kind of sensor inspired by this feature, that works to more accurately detect specific gasses and chemicals. 

Existing chemical-based sensors have a long list of drawbacks.

They degrade easily due to their chemical composition and can't be specific about the gasses they detect, meaning false alarms are more common.

GE's sensors by contrast can provide this specificity, capable of being integrated into a myriad of data and connectivity systems.

“The top requirements for sensors in the Industrial Internet are that they are low cost, low power and high reliability," Radislav Potyrailo, Principal Scientist at GE Global Research told the New York Times.

These sensors are ideal for today's modern manufacturing environments, helping to uncover trace amounts of hazardous gasses and mitigate health and chemical risks.

Looking to ecosystems

An ecosystem refers to the vital interactions and relationships between different animal species. 

These interactions which continue over entire life cycles keep the natural world functioning.

Communication is vital to ecosystems, enabling species to avoid predation, find new sources of food and experience mutual benefit.

The future of manufacturing will also be driven by communication, which is why GE has drawn inspiration from such animal ecosystems. 

With its Predix Industrial internet software platform the company is building a superior picture of how machines within networks communicate and behave using digital twins. 

One area where this is especially prominent is with gas and steam turbine engineering, with Predix enabling both turbines to pair to work at maximum efficiency.

“So this notion of a twin,” Colin Parris adds. “it’s not just a notion of machines thinking. It’s machines collaborating and maybe even at some point helping to direct the creation of future machines.”

To learn more about manufacturing ecosystems, check out this incredible keynote speech on the topic made by Helena Jochberger, Vice President and Global Lead of Manufacturing at CGI at Manufacturing & Mobility LIVE last year.

Make sure you also don't miss our exciting in-person event this year, Manufacturing LIVE Chicago, which will be held on the 28-29th of May at the Convene Willis Tower, Chicago, USA. 

If you want to learn even more about how the world's biggest manufacturers are exploring biomimicry, make sure you check out part two where we focus on Airbus. 

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