Submitted By: PRIYA KUMARI XII- A ROLL NO:

BIOLOGY INVESTIGATORY

PROJECT

This is to certify that PRIYA KUMARI, student of class

XII-A has successfully completed the research on the topic ‘Biomimcry’ under the guidance of Mrs. ANITHA SARMA ( Subject Teacher ) during the session 2014-15 in partial fulfilment of Biology practical examination conducted by AISSCE, New

Delhi.

Signature of external Signature of Biology

examiner teacher

Signature of Principal

Certificate

I wish to express my deep gratitude and sincere thanks to the Principal, Mrs. Sushma Misar , for her encouragement and for all the facilities that she provided for this project work.

I extend my hearty thanks to Mrs. Anitha Sarma , Biology teacher ,who guided me to the successful completion of this project. I take this opportunity to express my deep sense of gratitude for her invaluable guidance, constant encouragement , immense motivation , which has sustained my efforts at all the stages of this project work…

I also thank Mr. Uttarchand, Lab Assistant who helped me get along with this project.

I can’t forgot to offer my sincere thanks to parents and also to my classmates who helped me to carry out this project work successful and for their valuable advice and support , which I received from them time to time….

Priya Kumari

Acknowledgement

ContentsBiomimicry

1. Introduction2. Examples Of Biomimicry• Velcro• Ultracane• Sleek Shark Skin• Diatoms As Cheap Solar Cell• Spider Silk as strong tape• Beetles show the way to

water conservation• Gecko's Grip and adhesives3.Some future applications

having potential

Biomimicry : INTRODUCTION

BRIEF HISTORYWhen Janine Benyus popularized the term “biomimicry” in her

seminal book Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature (1997), she admits she had no idea it would galvanize an entire movement.

As interest in biomimicry escalated, it soon became clear that an institute dedicated to biomimicry education was needed. In 2005, Bryony Schwan and Janine Benyus co-founded the Biomimicry Institute.

at macro and nanoscales.

DEFINATION Biomimetics or biomimicry is the imitation of the models, systems,

and elements of nature for the purpose of solving complex human problems.

Living organisms have evolved well-adapted structures and materials over geological time through natural selection. Biomimetics has given rise to new technologies inspired by biological solutions at macro and nanoscales.

Velcro is ubiquitous these days, found on

everything from astronaut suits to children's shoes. The sticky material was actually inspired by the way plant burrs stick to dog hair. In 1941, the Swiss engineer George de Mestral looked at the burrs under a microscope and noticed they contained hundreds of tiny hooks that could catch on loops of hair or clothing. He developed a material based on this and called it Velcro, from the French words "velours," meaning velvet, and "crochet," meaning hook.

1.Velcro

2.Ultracane• It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke: A

brain expert, a bat biologist, and an engineer walk into a cafeteria. But that's exactly what happened when a casual meeting of the minds at England's Leeds University led to the invention of the Ultracane, a walking stick for the blind that vibrates as it approaches objects.

• The cane works using echolocation, the same sensory system that bats use to map out their environments. It lets off 60,000 ultrasonic pulses per second and then listens for them to bounce back. When some return faster than others, that indicates a nearby object, which causes the cane's handle to vibrate. Using this technique, the cane not only "sees" objects on the ground, such as �trash cans and fire hydrants, but also senses things above, such as low-hanging signs and tree branches. And because the cane's output and feedback are silent, people using it can still hear everything going on around them. Although the Ultracane hasn't experienced ultra-stellar sales, several companies in the United States and New Zealand are currently trying to figure out how to market similar gadgets using the same bat-inspired technology.

1. Sharks, the stealthy predators of the deep, may have a thing or two to teach the Indian Navy. Shark skin contains sleek scales that resemble tiny teeth and are made of a tough material called dentin. The scales create tiny vortices in the water that reduce drag, studies have shown. Shark skin also prevents barnacles and other organisms from glomming on, something called Bio-fouling (those sticky creatures cost the Navy at least $50 million each year, one Navy scientist estimated.) The scales are constantly in flux, limiting the surface area to which marine hitchhikers can attach.

2. Researchers in Germany have developed a synthetic shark skin made of elastic silicone that reduces bio-fouling by 67 percent in tests. The U.S. Navy has funded work to develop similar critter-repellent coatings.

3.Sleek Shark Skin

4.DIATOMS AS CHEAP SOLAR CELL

Optical and photonic properties of diatom silica with unique optical and photonic properties is a link toward cheap optical devices and solar cells.

Diatom Nanotechnology :Nature Inspired Technology

Diatoms are unicellular eukaryotic photosynthetic algae present in every aquatic environments, with enormous ecological

importance on this planet and an unique optical, photonic, transport, tribological and mechanical properties generated by

pore structures and patterns of their protective silica wall. Diatom nanotechnology is recently emerged as a new

interdisciplinary area. Diatoms are called as Nature's unique nanofabrication factories able to produce 3-d silica structure for

several minutes with extraordinary diversity of patterns and structures from nano to micron scale structures and fascinating

properties. In following years we used diatom silica for template synthesis of 2-d and 3-d metal and polymer structures

with complex morphologies and unique optical properties for applications in optics and biosenising. Our research is focused

on transforming of cheap diatom silica into new valuable nanomaterials and their composites for diverse applications including advanced water purification, extraction of precious and heavy metals, catalysis, drug delivery, solar cells and pest

control.

5.Spider Silk as strong tape

• Even outside Spider-Man comic books, Spider Silk is known to be one of nature's strongest materials — five times stronger than steel by weight. Silk is both stretchy and lightweight. It must be sticky in some places to catch prey, and not sticky in others so that the spider can scuttle across it.

• Scientists have created a medical product that mimics this property: a flexible tape that can be peeled off a wound without damaging the tissue underneath. The sticky material could be useful for attaching tubes or sensors to the delicate skin of newborns and the elderly. Traditional medical tape is made by applying a sticky substance onto a thin backing material.

• To make the silk-inspired tape, researchers applied a silicon-based film to the backing material first, and used a laser to etch a grid pattern onto the silicon. The grid makes some parts of the material sticky and other parts non-sticky, just like a spider's web.

6. Beetles show the way to water conservation

• The tiny Namib Desert beetle has a clever way of surviving in its parched habitat: It collects water by condensing fog into droplets on the ridges of its back.

• Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a bumpy material made out of glass and plastic that mimics the beetle's back. That material could be used to collect water or other liquids, make a "lab on a chip" or build cooling devices, scientists said. U.S. military officials think the material could even be useful for cleaning up toxic spills.

7.Gecko's

Grip and adhesive

Geckos can walk along walls and ceilings, because their feet

contain dense clumps of projections, each thinner than a human hair, that end in tufts of

tiny fibres called spatulae. A new adhesive is under

development that mimics how gecko feet stick to and release

from a surface. Made of millions of plastic fibers, the adhesive can

support almost a pound of weight, and the material gets

even stronger with use. Possible applications include climbing

equipment and medical devices.

Organism mimicked

Ability mimicked

Application

1.Plant burs Hooks that catch on loop of hair Velcro2.Bat Echolocation Ultracane for visually impaired3.Shark(skin) Sleek scales that prevent barnacle growth (biofouling)

Making outer surface of ship, submarine dirt resistant4.Diatoms Optical And Photonic Properties Solar Cell5.Spider(spider silk) Strong , elastic silk making Medical tape which protects the underlying tissue onpeeling off.6.Beetles To collect water droplets on back from fog

Collection of water from atmosphere7.Gecko Sticking on surface with grip Adhesive

Bibliography :

1. biomimicry.net2. www.livescience.com3.Photos from Google images.4. www.wikipedia.com

5. Newspaper clipping from THE TIMES OF INDIA

3.Some future applications having potential