Chennai: Indian Institute of Technology Madras is all set to offer a full semester, elective course on Biomimicry under the interdisciplinary stream.
IIT Madras is among the first institutions in India to offer a full-fledged course on biomimicry. The course will be taught by Prof. MS Sivakumar (Dean of Students, IIT Madras), Shiva Subramaniam (Chief Innovation Officer, Gopalakrishnan-Deshpande Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, IIT Madras), Prof. Satyanarayanan Seshadri (Department of Applied Mechanics) and Prof. Srinivasa Chakravarthy (Department of Biotechnology).
Biomimicry, as the name suggests is focused on imitating or to look at nature as a source of inspiration in order to solve complex problems.
Biomimicry is the intersection of biology and engineering. One professor of IIT Madras said "you do not have to be either a biologist or an engineer to learn Biomimicry, all you need is curiosity. Curious enough to look at a lotus leaf and ask the question. How does a lotus leaf remain clean?"
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IIT Madras has also created a community of biomimicry enthusiasts who are exploring opportunities in research, entrepreneurship, new products, processes, and systems. The Institute plans to hold a biomimicry challenge to provoke bold, sustainable ideas from young minds. The UN Sustainable Development Goals can provide students with challenges for which they can design solutions using biomimicry.
Biomimicry is not learning about nature but learning from it. The ethos of biomimicry or the guiding principle of biomimicry is that life creates conditions conducive to life. Some examples of modern engineering inspired by biomimicry include: The ‘Shinkansen’ bullet train in Tokyo, Japan, inspired by the kingfisher, the East gate Centre in Harare, Zimbabwe inspired by the termite mound, town of Kalundborg in Denmark practising industrial symbiosis, Wind turbine blade design inspired by the flippers of humpback whales and self-filling water flasks inspired by the Namib Desert beetle.
Biomimicry has immense potential not only in engineering, technology and design, but also in other areas like management, human resources, administration, social sciences and the arts. School children can benefit from learning biomimicry. It can lead to not just innovating from nature but also creating a sustainable way of life.
