Biomimetics
Mimicking Natures Inventions
Biomimetics Timeline
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If you would like to view the Timeline Gallery in order of date, scroll to the left
1505-1506 Leonardo da Vinci wrote the Codex on the Flight of Birds. In this book he theorized that human air travel could be modeled after how birds flew. In his lifetime da Vinci had produced a number of works that had to do with the mechanics of avian flight and the nature of air.
1903 The Wright Brothers first successful planes wings were inspired by the way birds fly. Using air currents to lift themselves and change direction. Ten years later the first commercial airplane traveled from St. Petersburg, Florida to Tampa
1969 Biophysicist Otto Schmitt coins the term “biomimetics” in a paper he presented at the International Biophysics Congress. He had made an electrical circuit that was modeled after the neural impulse systems of squids in 1934.
2008 Engineer and entrepreneur pledges $125 million dollars to Harvard, this mans name is Hansjorg Wyss. He pledged this money to create the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering.
1851 Landscape designer Joseph Paxton builds a 990,000 square foot Crystal Palace for Great Exhibition, an international expo of manufactured products. This palace had a distinct structure that was made up of crossed iron girders that supported 300,000 panes of glass. This structure was inspired by the leaf of a water lily.
1955 A swiss engineer by the name of George de Mestral patents Velcro. Velcro was inspired by the way burs had stuck to his dog. He then envisioned a product with two pieces of fabric, one fabric with loops and the other piece with hoops. Later in the 1960s NASA used it in space shuttles to prevent various supplies from floating in zero gravity.
1997 Janine Benyus publishes the book Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. Benyus states that she thinks biomimetics is based around the urgent goal of ending environmental destruction.
2010 Biomimicry 3.8 is co-founded by Janine Benyus.This company teaches companies on how they can incorporate bio-inspired innovation.
