S. Vishnu Sharma
Biomimicry is the subject on which IIT Madras is planning to start a full semester course.
Biomimicry is said to be one-of-its-kind elective course under the interdisciplinary stream. Biomimicry as the name suggests is about imitating or looking at Nature as a source of inspiration to solve complex problems.
Biomimicry 2020
Sources at IIT Madras said Biomimicry is the intersection of biology and engineering.
One does not need to be either a biologist or an engineer to learn biomimicry, all one requires is curiosity.
Curious enough to look at a lotus leaf and ask the question “How does a lotus leaf remain clean?”
The next step would be to observe and the leaf and learn that it has microscopic bumps on its surface that repel water due to which water droplets roll off the leaf’s surface along with any dirt particles.
Learning this part from Biomimicry and take that and apply it and build a similar structure in clothing.
If one does this, very soon one can have school uniforms that would not get dirty. This is just one example of application of Biomimicry.
One organism can give multiple examples, and there are millions of such organisms that have evolved their strategies which can give us lot of inspiration to workout solutions for issues bothering us.
Sources from IIT Madras further say, the subject deals with not learning about nature but learning from it.
The ethos of it or the guiding principle of biomimicry is that life creates conditions conducive to life.
Some examples of modern engineering inspired by biomimicry include:
$ The Shikansen bullet train in Tokyo which was inspired by Kingfisher.
$ The Eastgate Centre in Harare of Zimbabwe which is inspired by the termite mound.
$ The town of Kalundborg in Denmark practising industrial symbiosis.
$ Wind turbine blade design inspired by the flippers of humpback whales.
$ Self-filling water flasks inspired by Namib Desert beetle.
Sources further say, IIT Madras is among the first institutions in India to offer a full-fledged course on Biomimicry.
The subject will be taught by Professor M.S. Sivakumar (Dean of Students, IIT Madras), Mr. Shiva Subramaniam (Chief Innovation Officer, Gopalakrishnan-Deshpande Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, IIT Madras).
Professor Satyanarayanan Seshadri (Department of Applied Mechanics) and Professor Srinivasa Chakravarthy (Department of Biotechnology) will also be teaching the subject.
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 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 it. Biomimicry can lead to not just innovating from nature but also creating a sustainable way of life.
Those interested in getting more information on Biomimicry can contact Mr. Shiva Subramaniam (Chief Innovation Officer, Gopalakrishnan-Deshpande Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, IIT Madras at Mobile No 91766 12393.
He can be emailed for seeking more information regarding Biomimicry at ‘shiva@thinkpaperclip.com’
Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) was established in 1959 by the Government of India as an ‘Institute of National Importance.
The activities of the Institute in various fields of Science and Technology are carried out in 16 academic departments and several advanced interdisciplinary research academic centres.
The Institute offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes leading to B.Tech., M.Sc., M.B.A., M.Tech., M.S., and Ph.D., degrees in a variety of specialisations.
IITM is a residential institute with more than 580 faculty and 9,500 students. Students from 18 countries are enrolled here.
IITM fosters an active entrepreneurial culture with strong curricular support and through the IITM Incubation Cell.
IITM has been ranked No.1 in the ‘Overall’Categoryfor the second consecutive year in India Ranking 2020 released by National Institutional Ranking Framework, Ministry of Human Resources Development, Govt. of India.
The Institute has also been ranked No.1 in the Engineering Institutions category in the same Rankings for five consecutive years – 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.
It was also adjudged as the ‘Top innovative Institution’ in the country in the Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) 2019 launched by Innovation Cell of MHRD.