At the "Biomimicry-Academia and Industry" conference, which will be held at Tel Aviv University in June 2018, several lectures will be heard in the field of biomimicry - imitation and learning from nature
By: Dr. Yael Halfman Cohen
The "Biomimicry-Academia and Industry" conference was founded on the initiative of the Israeli Biomimicry Organization, the Chamber of Engineers and in collaboration with the Biomimicry Laboratory at the Porter School of Environmental Studies, Tel Aviv University, with the aim of promoting curiosity, dialogue and research and applied collaborations between biologists and engineers.
The conference is a platform for revealing fascinating biological mechanisms with applied engineering potential, alongside biomimetic research and developments that already combine biological-engineering knowledge, and are in various research stages or have already been launched as biomimetic products on the market. The purpose of the conference is to arouse curiosity and awareness of the field of biomimicry (imitation of nature) as an engine of innovation in order to promote biomimetic research and development in Israel. For the first time in Israel, this year the conference will be held in an international format, in collaboration with the Technion and the ISBE international organization for mechanical engineering.
The first session of the conference will deal with smart materials. The conference will be opened by Prof. Oded Shusiov's lecture, Nature's Gift, Nano Biomimetics and the Materials of the Future, which will deal with materials with exceptional mechanical properties, which combine the stiffness of cellulose nano fibers from the plant world, with the flexibility and resilience of resilin (a protein that creates elastic structures, which enables, for example, bedbugs jump to a height 100 times higher than their height!) and more. Prof. Boaz Pokoroy from the Technion will lecture on smart ways to control the structures of materials, Prof. Ehud Gazit from Tel Aviv University will lecture on color-responsive photonic crystals inspired by the chameleon, and Prof. Gulian He from Hong Kong will lecture on imitating spider fibers.
The second session of the conference will deal with flow and movement. Filtration systems, underwater vehicles and propellers. Lectures from the USA, Austria, China, and Israel.
The third session of the conference will deal with biomedicine and robotics. Moisture-responsive robots, drug-release devices, and drugs for autoimmune diseases. Lectures from China, Austria and Israel.
The fourth and last session will deal with biomimetic innovation - directions for the future. Lectures by Julian Vincent from England will deal with the topic of garbage - why we throw away so much. The lecture of Manfred Dereck from Germany will deal with the field of biomimetics as a science. The conference will be concluded by a multi-participant panel led by Prof. Yoram Reich and its topic - biomimicry - where?
Alongside the conference this year there will be a poster exhibition of leading and diverse studies from around the world, in the fields of engineering and architecture. The conference will be graced by the musician Naboya Yamagotsi, with music inspired by nature with musical instruments of his own making.
