Friday, January 23, 2015 1

Nature Inspired Innovations

Dr S G Deshmukh

ABV-Indian Institute of Information Technology & Management Gwalior

Inauguration session of INSPIRE Internship Programme

@AMITY University, MP, Gwalior, 19 Jan 2015

Acknowledgements.. & Disclaimer

This presentation is motivated and draws heavily from the inspiring work of by Janine Benyus, a champion for Bio-mimicry

Examples and illustrations are taken from various sources/web sites and information in public domain.

Wherever possible , the possible web site is given.

Some Photos/Images are taken from google sources .

You may like to have net connectivity to watch Youtube links given in the presentation.

Friday, January 23, 2015 2

Motivation 1 Where do I work..Green campus \..

Background

India mainstreams S&T sector into the developmental strategy S&T sector needs to respond to the call of people, about

400 million people have now good purchasing power

2010-2020 Decade of Innovations as declared by Government of India : We are already in 2015: Mid of the decade of innovations !!

Designing and developing a National Innovation Ecosystem accorded highest priority by Government of India : Inspire programme is motivated by this !!

Friday, January 23, 2015 4

Nature as a teacher…

Many things to be observed and appreciated.

Symmetry in nature

Co-habitat for many species

Adaptability !

Science’ can be defined as “mankind’s attempt to understand Nature”. “We still do not know one thousandth of one

percent of what Nature has revealed to us.” Einstein

Friday, January 23, 2015 5

Nature as a teacher.. 2..

how to harness energy like a leaf,

build ceramics like an abalone,

self-medicate like a chimp,

create color like a peacock,

compute like a cell, and

run a business like a hickory forest.

Subjects taught by Nature :

Biology, Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics

Civil Engg, Electrical Engg, Computer Science, Textile Engg etc

Friday, January 23, 2015 6

Motivation 2

Have you heard?

Dr Monkey

Friday, January 23, 2015 7

Doctor Monkey. From Kanpur Source: Dainik Bhaskar, Dec 21, 2014

Kanpur: In a heroic act, a monkey saved the life of another monkey who lost consciousness after being electrocuted. The incident happened on the rail track at Kanpur station.

By biting and dipping the unconscious monkey in the water on the tracks, his fellow monkey tried to resuscitate him.

Friday, January 23, 2015 8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5WiGFIUH2A

How to heal ourselves ….

? Humans may have a long way to go towards living sustainably on this planet, but 10-30 million species with time-tested genius have figured it out and maybe we can learn a few things from them

Have you observed and appreciated…

Symmetry in nature (Example: flowers)

Beauty of shells!

Bending of rivers after flowing certain distance

There is a pattern. Mathematical functions can define these patterns !

Friday, January 23, 2015 10

What is Fibonacci series..?

The sequence begins with one. Each subsequent number is the sum of the two preceding numbers.

Fib(n) = Fib(n-1) + Fib(n-2)

Thus the sequence begins as follows:

1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144….

Fibonacci numbers in nature

Look at any seed head, and notice what look like spiral patterns curving out form the center left and right.

Sunflower:

If you count these spirals

you will find a Fibonacci

number.

If you look at the spirals

to the left and then the

right you will notices

these are two

consecutive Fibonacci

numbers.

Fibonacci numbers in nature

These can also be seen in pinecones, pineapples, cauliflower, and much more!

More Fibonacci numbers in nature

Most of the time, the number of petals on a flower is a Fibonacci number!

1 petal-calla lily 2 petals-euphorbia

3 petals-trillium 5 petals-

columbine

8 petals-

bloodroot

13 petals-black

eyed susan

Leaves and branching plants..

Leaves are also found in groups of Fibonacci numbers.

Branching plants always branch off into groups of Fibonacci numbers.

A journal dedicated to Fibonacci series: The Fibonacci Quarterly

http://www.fq.math.ca/

Nature.. Nature as model. Nature is abundant in innovations and full

of creativity. We can see Nature’s models and then imitates or takes inspiration from these designs and processes to solve human problems.

Solar cell inspired by a leaf

Nature as measure. Nature as an ecological standard to judge “rightness” of our innovations.

Efficiency & Effectiveness ?

Nature as mentor. A new way of viewing Nature as a mentor who teaches us and we can learn many thing from nature and he keeps teaching us without fail !

http://sfgirl-thealiennextdoor.blogspot.in/2008/08/biomimicry-nature-as-model-measure-and.html

Watch..

You may watch this in your spare time ..

Solarising Lives (Barefoot college) : A documentary on Tilonia- a solar driven village !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPlR0pYOXqU&index=11&list=LLrFukfCQAtSlzjoZbVHwqgg

Friday, January 23, 2015 17

Airplane

Imitated not the bird (product) but the air flow around the wings (process)

Similarly for Ships !

**Source: Defne Apul , Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toledo, “Ecological Design Principles and Biomimicry” https://www.google.co.in/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=ppt+on+ecological+design+principles

Nature as Teacher

When faced with a problem, can we ask the question “What organism ( a living entity !) needs to solve the same problem to survive….

…What Would Nature Do?” Nature’s simple design?

Inspiration - look to nature to transform society Water,energy,,materials,food

Invention - original processing starting with a natural process that solves a similar problem

Information - life adds info in the form of shape/structure

N N

Current scenario..

Depleted natural resources

Habitat loss

Climate change

Endangered/extinct species

Persistent bio-accumulative toxins, plastics !

Dependence on petroleum

Problems! Problems ! Problems !

Nature’s simple design Life creates conditions conducive to life

Energy only from sunlight

No toxic pollution only a few of all of chemically possible structures

are synthesized (humans use the entire periodic table!)

No waste

No problem!

Nature’s Design Principles** P1: Runs on sunlight

P2: Uses only the energy it needs

P3: Recycles everything, no waste

P4: Rewards co-operation

P5: Banks on diversity

P6: Curbs excesses within

P7: Taps the power of limits

**Source: Defne Apul , Department of Civil Engineering, University

of Toledo, “Ecological Design Principles and Biomimicry”

https://www.google.co.in/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=ppt+on+ecological+design+principles

Gecko Tape

Gecko Tape is a material covered with nanoscopic hairs that mimic those found on the feet of gecko lizards. These innumemerables of tiny, flexible hairs exert van der Waals forces that provide a powerful adhesive effect. Applications include underwater and space station uses.

http://uabiomimicry.org/gecko-tape/

Velcro…. Velcro was invented in 1941

by Swiss engineer George de Mestral. Mestral first got the idea for this new material from the burrs that were often stuck to his dog’s hair. When he placed the burrs under a microscope he noticed tiny hooks at the end of each spine. These miniature hooks easily caught on to anything shaped like a loop like animal fur, clothing, or hair.

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/photos/7-amazing-examples-of-biomimicry/burr-velcro

Kingfishers

Transportation: How does Nature travel quickly and smoothly? The Shinkansen Bullet Train in Japan which began commercial operation in Oct 1964, travels between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka at a maximum speed of 270km/h in as short as two hours and 25 minutes.

http://english.jr-central.co.jp/about/outline.html

Termites…

Termites in Zimbabwe build gigantic mounds inside of which they farm a fungus that is their primary food source. The fungus must be kept at exactly 87 degrees F, while the temperatures outside range from 35 degrees F at night to 104 degrees F during the day. The termites achieve this remarkable feat by constantly opening and closing a series of heating and cooling vents throughout the mound over the day. With a system of carefully adjusted convection currents, air is sucked in at the lower part of the mound, down into enclosures with muddy walls, and up through a channel to the peak of the termite mound. The industrious termites constantly dig new vents and plug up old ones in order to regulate the temperature.

http://inhabitat.com/building-modelled-on-termites-eastgate-centre-in-zimbabwe/

Termites teach us how to create sustainable buildings:

Passive Climate Control in the Eastport Building, Harare Zimbabwe

http://inhabitat.com/building-modelled-on-termites-eastgate-

centre-in-zimbabwe/

Houses built by birds..

Simple yet effective design

Sustainable

Locally available material

Naturally air-conditioned

Friday, January 23, 2015 28

Shark skin swim suit

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/news/2008/august/olympic-swimsuit-mimics-shark-skin18219.html

V-shaped ridges on shark skin

Shark skin Michael Phelps

How to clean without cleaners The Lotus Effect

http://biomimicry.net/about/biomimicry/case-examples/natural-cleaning/

Lotus Effect

The Lotus Effect: The surface of lotus leaves are bumpy, and this causes water to bead as well as to pick up surface contaminates in the process. The water rolls off, taking the contaminates with it. Researchers have developed ways to chemically treat the surface of plastics and metal to evoke the same effect.

Applications are endless, and not just making windshield wipers and car wax jobs obsolete.

Friday, January 23, 2015 32

Butterfly

Scientific classification

Kingdom:Animalia

Phylum:Arthropoda

Class:Insecta

Order:Lepidoptera

Family:PeplionoidaeSubfamily:Danainae

Genus:Euploea

Species: Tree butterfly

Skipper : Super Family hespenoidae

Moth Butterfly : Super Family hespenoidae

Friday, January 23, 2015 33

Importance of Butterfly

Beautiful & Colorful insects size ranging from tiny jewels ( to the gorgeous Birdwings (Wingspan upto 20 cm)

Joy to watch, known and loved insect, fascinated mankind since ages

Butterfly as an indicator of environment and biodiversity

We have a butterfly conservatory on the campus !

Life Cycle of Butterfly

Friday, January 23, 2015 34

Egg Caterpillar Pupa Adult

Learning from Butterfly

Colors and patterns: image processing & cryptography ?

Butterfly effect: Weather dynamics

a butterfly flapping its wings in Tokyo effects the weather patterns in Sydney.

We draw on chaos theory because it is the study of nonlinear dynamics. That is, where seemingly random events are actually related and a pattern emerges

Butterfly Research Centre at Bhimtal :

https://www.facebook.com/ButterflyResearchCentreBhimtal

Friday, January 23, 2015 35

Patterns on wings..

The colourful patterns on a butterfly's wings are not made by any chemicals at all! Butterfly wings are covered by millions of tiny, overlapping scales. These scales reflect light in different ways, so that different scales appear coloured differently. If you see it from different angles, the colours will look different! This is called iridescence.

You can also see this in fish scales, peacock tails, beetles, and even crow feathers. Every butterfly has its own unique pattern, based on the arrangement of its scales (just like every human has their own fingerprint).

Friday, January 23, 2015 36

How does this help?

Nanotechnologists have found a way to make the butterfly

pattern in the lab. They make tiny scales from aluminium oxide and titanium oxide. They then paste these scales onto paper, so it looks just like a butterfly wing. You can 'print' these scales in a way that includes a secret code.

What would the secret code be? Just a simple change of colour! Seen from above, the banknote will have a specific colour. But when you hold it at a particular angle, you can see a different colour effect. That tells you the note is real. If someone tries to fake the note, it may look like a real note from above. But turn it to the correct angle, and it will not change colour. You've caught the fake note!

Friday, January 23, 2015 37

http://www.world-science.net/othernews/100531_butterfly

Friday, January 23, 2015 38

Butterflies Available in the Campus conservatory Please See

Plain Tiger Common Line Blue Common Sailor

Blue Pansy Small Branded Swift Common Evening

African Migrant Lemon Pansy Crimson Rose

Biomimicry.. Science of Nature

or

Nature of Science ?

Biomimicry (from bios, meaning life, and mimesis, meaning to imitate) is a new science that studies nature’s best ideas and then imitates these designs and processes to solve human problems.

Studying a leaf to invent a better solar cell is an example of this “innovation inspired by nature.”

Origin of Biomimicry

Fascinated by the phenomenon of flight, Leonardo da Vinci produced detailed studies of the flight of birds, and plans for several flying machines, including a helicopter and a light hang glider which could have flown.

On January 3, 1496 he unsuccessfullytested a flying machine he had constructed.

Leonardo’s Flying Machine

Friday, January 23, 2015 41

http://www.amazon.in/Biomimicry-Innovation-Inspired-Janine-Benyus/dp/0060533226

Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature book by Janine Benyus

Natural Inspired Algorithms for Computing**

Investigates models and computational techniques inspired by nature

Attempts to understand the world around us in terms of information processing

**Source: Next few slides from this source Lila Kari, Presentation “The Many Facets of Natural Computing”, University of Western

Ontario, Canada

https://www.google.co.in/search?q=biomimicry+innovation+inspired+by+nature&oq=biomimicry&aqs=chrome.0.69i59l2j69i57j69i60l3.4106j0j9&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8#q=ppt+on+nature+inspired+computing

Natural Computing

Nature as Inspiration

Nature as Computation

Swarm Intelligence – group behaviour

Genetic Algorithms

Individuals = fixed-length bit strings

Mutation = cut-and-paste of a prefix of a parent with a suffix of another

Fitness function is problem-dependent

If initial population encodes possible solutions to a given problem, then the system evolves to produce a near-optimal solution to the problem

Applications: real-valued parameter optimization

Particle Swarm Optimization

Inspired by flocking behaviour of birds

Start with a swarm of particles (each representing a potential solution)

Particles move through a multidimensional space and positions are updated based on

* previous own velocity

* tendency towards personal best

* tendency toward neighbourhood best

Swarming – The Definition aggregation of similar animals, generally cruising in

the same direction

Termites swarm to build colonies (see the slide on the termites as source for inspiration for buildings!)

Birds swarm to find food or Bees swarm to reproduce

Motivation for swarming

To forage better, To migrate and To act as a defense against predators

Remember : Social Insects have survived for

millions of years.

Swarming - Characteristics

Simple rules for each individual

No central control :Decentralized and hence robust

Emergent: Performs complex functions

Computer Systems are getting complicated

Hard to have a master control

Swarm intelligence systems are:

Robust

Relatively simple

Particle Swarm Optimization:

Biomimicry

Particle swarm optimization imitates human or insects social behavior.

Individuals interact with one another while learning from their own experience, and gradually move towards the goal.

It is easily implemented and has proven both very effective and quick when applied to a diverse set of optimization problems.

Algorithm of PSO

Each particle (or agent) evaluates the function to maximize at each point it visits in spaces.

Each agent remembers the best value of the function found so far by it (pbest) and its co-ordinates.

Secondly, each agent know the globally best position that one member of the flock had found, and its value (gbest).

Applications

Movie effects

Lord of the Rings https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jF5sAqBp4w

Watch : Swarm intelligence in Honeys

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEQoRYqm1w8

Swarm Robotics

Swarm bots

Swarm of One thousand robots https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1t4M2XnIhI

Summary

We are facing increasing pressures: Energy, Water, Materials, Food

Nature has already “figured out” how to avoid these problems

Look to nature as a teacher/role model

Use nature’s design principles to inspire and innovate

Keep your eyes, ears and heart open !!

Observe, Observe, Observe and LEARN to adapt

Assignment..

Find information on Bio-toilets designed by DRDE Gwalior..

Find out what are the nano-particles in nature.

Find out how nature produces energy

Find out how does nature conserve energy

Find how nature inspired algorithms are used in real life applications

Friday, January 23, 2015 52

Biodiversity referred to in this

presentation

Monkey

Termite

Fish

Butterfly

Ant

Honeybee

Bird : Kingfisher

Peacock

Lizard

Lotus, Lily , Marigold

Sunflower, Cauliflower,

Friday, January 23, 2015 53

Thank your guru (teacher) for his/her patience

Thank your Jagad Guru (Nature) for the inspiration

References & Acknowledgements .. The web sources are gratefully acknowledged

Techtalks@kpit Cummins , Vol 4, Issue 4, Oct-Dec 2011

http://www.bloomberg.com/slideshow/2013-08-18/14-smart-inventions-inspired-by-nature-biomimicry.html#slide1

http://www.ted.com/talks/janine_benyus_biomimicry_in_action?language=en

http://biomimicry.org/

http://biomimicry.net/

Source of slides :

https://www.google.co.in/search?q=biomimicry+innovation+inspired+by+nature&oq=biomimicry&aqs=chrome.0.69i59l2j69i57j69i60l3.4106j0j9&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8#q=ppt+on+nature+inspired+computing

Presentation of Llila Kari, Univ of Western Ontario,

https://www.google.co.in/search?q=biomimicry+innovation+inspired+by+nature&oq=biomimicry&aqs=chrome.0.69i59l2j69i57j69i60l3.4106j0j9&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8#q=ppt+on+Fibonacci

https://www.google.co.in/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=ppt%20on%20biomimicry

http://www.bloomberg.com/slideshow/2013-08-18/14-smart-inventions-inspired-by-nature-biomimicry.html

http://www.indiawaterportal.org/articles/primer-biomimicry-nature-inspired-innovations-buildings-processes-sustainable-living

http://www.powershow.com/view/135862-ZmExN/BIOMIMICRY_powerpoint_ppt_presentation

Thanks deshmukh.sg@gmail.com