Nature-Inspired Design Lab

Pick a human problem. Pick a plant or animal part that could help. Record your design ideas and discover how copying nature, called biomimicry, helps people invent useful things.

Guided Experiment: Biomimicry Design Investigation

Pick one animal like the beaver. Do you think the beaver's front teeth can solve only one human problem, or more than one? Write your prediction.

Write your hypothesis in the Lab Report panel, then click Next.

Pick a Problem to Solve

Need. Something that is good at digging.
Look for an animal with strong teeth or wide paws.

Pick a Nature Part

Tap a plant or animal above to test your design idea.

Controls

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Reference Guide

What Is Biomimicry

Biomimicry means copying good ideas from plants and animals to solve human problems. Nature has been designing for a long time.

Example. Burdock burrs stick to fur. That idea gave us hook-and-loop fasteners on shoes and jackets.

When engineers get stuck, they often ask, "How does nature do this?"

Parts and Functions

Every animal or plant part has a job. Webbed feet help ducks swim. Thick fur keeps polar bears warm. A job is called a function.

Beaver teeth. Cutting and digging.
Duck feet. Swimming.
Gecko toes. Gripping and sticking.

One part can do more than one job. That makes nature a great designer.

Matching Problems to Nature

Start with the job you need done. Then look for a plant or animal that already does that job.

Need to dig a hole. Ask, "What digs well?"
Need to climb a wall. Ask, "What grips?"
Need to stay dry. Ask, "What repels water?"

When the nature part's function matches the need, you have a good design idea.

Real Biomimicry Inventions

Many tools copy nature. Engineers watch animals and plants, then build something that works the same way.

Swim fins. Copy duck feet.
Quiet plane wings. Copy owl feathers.
Wall-climbing robots. Copy gecko toe pads.
Warm coats. Copy polar bear fur.

When you design something new, think about who in nature already does the job.