TECH INNOVATIONS INSPIRED BY NATURE

A riveting investigation into how biomimicry influences design.

Inventions that imitate nature have emerged from centuries of research and development: Nardo describes Leonardo da Vinci’s famous bird-inspired flight designs as an example. The introduction describes a shopping center in Harare, Zimbabwe, whose architect used termite mounds as a model for cost-effective and efficient temperature control; throughout the rest of the book, sustainability benefits are also emphasized. Burdock burrs inspired Velcro; less benignly, briars gave us barbed wire. Eiffel’s tower mimics the femur; kingfisher beaks solved the problem of sonic booms from bullet trains. In addition to engineering and construction, Nardo covers applications in medicine (including semaglutide, the focus of much recent excitement in treatment of Type 2 diabetes, inspired by Gila monster venom); military and athletic gear (like an aircraft coating developed from studying sharks’ skin; energy (quieter wind turbine blades modeled on owl wings); and robotics (a gecko- and inchworm-inspired robot). An additional bonus to these informative forays is the clear presentation of evidence that nature has many mysteries still to be decoded, which may inspire young people to explore STEM fields; the concise but information-packed chapters offer examples from engineering, medicine, the military, athletics, energy, and robotics. Ample color photographs enhance the text in this overview that is equally successful for pleasure reading or supplementing research.

Intriguingly explores natural design and celebrates the human benefits of studying and conserving nature for inspiration.