Technical Biology and Biomimetics

Abstract

Practicing biomimetics means learning from nature for the improvement of technol-ogy; in the various technical subject areas it is practiced with varying intensity. Of course it can be interesting or even fascinating for the engineer and the architect to dare a peek over the fence into the wealth of living nature. One must only then be cautious of a too direct interpretation. Inspirations from nature for building engi-neering or architecture will not function if they do not follow the in between step of abstraction. The approach of biomimetics is then a three-step process: Research → Abstraction → Implementation (Nachtigall 2010). There will repeatedly be oc-casions to point out this process chain, but first it is necessary to introduce some fundamental questions. How did the term " biomimetics " come into existence? Are there definitions? Why does analogue research lie at the basis? 1.1 The Term " Biomimetics " The view that " BIONICS " is an artificial word, combined from BIOlogy and tech-NICS, is unavoidable. Since the 1950s this description has existed; at that time it was formulated during attempts to study the echolocation of bats for yet-to-be de-veloped radar technology. Recently, a different terminology has been found: " BIO-MIMICRY " , which literally means the " imitation of life " and does not match the goal of this book. " BIOMIMETICS " is the more recent terminology and is profes-sionally accepted. For this reason this term will be used in this book. The term " biomimetics " implies the understanding of biological structures and processes and their comparable technological applications, methods, or procedures. Biomimetics is not the mere imitation of nature, neither in material and func-tional nor in creative regard, rather the grasping of natural principles to aid in the comprehension of analogous, technological questions, which could then be solved by the applications of optimized technologies. The term " technological applica-tion " contains all applications of the present time, be they of machine or computer technology. The term covers materials, applications, modes of operation, entities,