How do designers impact the biomimetic concepts typology?

Abstract

Biomimetics has undergone an increasing development over the last decade. Most of the conducted research relative to its operational practice has focused on the formalization of biomimetic processes and the development of tools adapted to the specificities of biomimetics. Here we adopt a complementary point of view: The analysis of the impact of the profiles composing the biomimetic design teams. This article focuses more particularly on the analysis of the impact of the involvement of designers from artistic and industrial backgrounds, on the typology of biomimetic concepts generated from biological information. This study was carried out through a student experiment that compares the biomimetic concepts generated by teams composed either of engineers or a mix of designers and engineers. We studied these concepts according to 4 criteria: The number of concepts generated, originality, feasibility and finally their contextualization This analysis allowed us to identify new relevant skills-designers skills-To be integrated in the training of biomimetic practitioners and especially in that of a new profile: The biomimetic "mediator" profile.