Eureka - the moment of inspiration from nature

If Archimedes was a biomimetic planner, he would most likely have shouted his famous cry while in nature, perhaps bathing in a lake. The biomimetic development process also begins with a single moment of diagnosis that catches our eye. Knowing this we will try to stand on this moment and characterize when it occurs.

By: Yael Halfman Cohen

If Archimedes was a biomimetic planner, he would most likely have shouted his famous cry while in nature, perhaps bathing in a lake. The biomimetic development process also begins with a single moment of diagnosis that catches our eye. Knowing this we will try to stand on this moment and characterize when it occurs.

If we review biomimetic invention stories we will find that they started at one moment when the developer noticed a natural phenomenon, which caused him wonder and curiosity. A phenomenon that is contrary to our expectations of the world around us, to the assumptions of our work, and to the way we are used to thinking. The moment of wonder, the WOW moment, is the moment when the bridge between biology and technology begins to be built. The bridge to transfer the solution from the biological to the engineering knowledge space.

For example, Yossi Ben, the entrepreneur of the Amorphical company, noticed that the crabs he raised built a new skeleton in just four days. A puzzling phenomenon in light of the fact that calcium is not abundant in their habitat. How, then, was the skeleton built so quickly?

The lotus effect was discovered after scientists noticed that the lotus plant always remained clean even though it grew in a muddy environment. Where and how did the mud disappear?

The development of the AngioSeal company's surgical thread began after the designer was stabbed by a spur thorn and noticed that removing the thorn hurt much more than inserting it. why?

We tend to assume that an oversized body cannot move efficiently through water. How then does the humpback whale manage to chase its prey efficiently and quickly in the water despite its size? The answer was implemented in the whalepower biomimetic turbine.

Another biomimetic eureka occurs the moment the planner notices an analogous solution in nature to the challenge that preoccupies him. So, for example, the railway engineer in Japan who was a bird lover watched the kingfisher diving into the water. He noticed that the entry of the kingfisher into the water is smooth and does not involve the creation of a noise wave, even though the kingfisher moves from one medium to another, similar to the passage of the train from the tunnel to the open air. This insight led to the study of the kingfisher and the redesign of the train locomotive based on the origin of the kingfisher.

The biomimetic eureka requires observation through biomimetic "glasses", "glasses" that distinguish the difference from the known and known. Such "glasses" ignite the wonder and scientific curiosity that drive research and development processes. These "glasses" help to free oneself from planning fixations and identify the innovative solutions in nature's solution pool.

So the next time you are in nature, try wearing biomimetic "glasses". Eureka!