What can nature teach us about building better futures?
In this episode of Possible Futures, Gary sits down with Robert Suarez — Fellow for Innovation at Singularity University, longtime IDEO design leader, and expert in biomimicry — to explore how natural systems can inspire breakthrough innovation.
Robert shares stories from his journey in industrial design, his rediscovery of nature as a design partner, and the powerful lessons of biomimicry vs biomimetics. We cover:
- The childhood experiences that shaped Robert’s curiosity - How biomimicry helps us design regenerative, circular systems - Why organizational design is at the heart of innovation - Humane technology, AI as a creative tool, and the risks of outsourcing innovation - His vision for the possible futures of design, work, and human creativity
About Singularity University: Singularity is the leader in educating, inspiring, and empowering leaders to imagine and create breakthroughs powered by exponential technologies.
We transform the way people and organizations think about exponential technology and the future, and enable them to create and accelerate initiatives that will deliver business value and positively impact people and the planet.
In the new global landscape of population, environmental, and energy sustainability, the manufacture of future food products that meet human nutritional and health needs is a major challenge. Biomimetic food, as a new type of food, has made significant progress in the use of plant proteins and...
New perovskite technology combines light sensing and visual memory in an integrated device, emulating aspects of human vision to enable advanced artificial intelligence.
In the world of biomolecules, none is more iconic, nor more versatile, than DNA. Nature uses the famous double helix to store the blueprints of all living forms, drawing on a four-letter alphabet of nucleotides.
A bio-inspired Dry Adhesive that is ultra-strong, reusable, leaves no residue, and requires no force to detach. The product opens new applications in industrial automations, robotic gripping, space and defense.
April 7 -- Janine Benyus is a biologist, innovation consultant, and author of six books, including Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. In this video Benyus explains the practice of biomimicry and what can be learned from the genius of nature.
Bird tails play a key role in aerodynamics and flight stability. They produce extra lift for takeoff and landing maneuvers, enhance wing functions and maintain stability during flight (keeping the bird from yawing, rolling and pitching, or otherwise losing control).
By Miguel Ruiz-García and Eleni Katifori Flow networks comprise a set of connections that carry and transport fluid. In linear networks, the current that circulates through each “duct” increases proportionally with the pressure difference between the inlet and outlet.
How&How partner with www.amphico.co to develop a new strategic position, brand identity and website. Amphico are an award-winning startup leading the outdoor industry towards a circular future.
Numerous strategies involving multiple cross-linking networks have been applied for fabricating robust hydrogels. Inspired by this, the development of mechanically strong and tough biological fibers by the incorporation of intermolecular linking networks is becoming important.
A recent IBEC study has described how cells contact guidance is not only topography-dependent but also affected by the stiffness of the environment. The work highlights the importance of considering the stiffness of the substrate as another variable when studying and understanding in depth the process of cell migration inside the organism. This information is crucial to comprehend multiple physiological and pathological processes associated with cell migration. It is well known that cells can detect chemical, mechanical, or even topography signals from their environment to orient themselves. When cell migration is driven by topography the process is called contact guidance and it can be determined by the presence of grooves, ridges, or other surface patterns. A recent study by the IBEC’s research group of Biomimetic Systems for Cell Engineering, led by Elena Martínez, has described how the contact guidance of cells is also affected by the stiffness of the environment. The work, recently published in the scientific journal Materials Today Bio, highlights the importance of considering the stiffness of the substrate as another variable when studying the effects of topography on the behavior of cells. This information is crucial to comprehend multiple physiological and pathological processes associated with cell migration, such as embryonic development, the immune response, or the spread of tumors during metastasis. “The cells are oriented through aligned protein fibers that work as rails, making cells move in a specific direction as if they were train tracks.” Elena Martínez “The cells are oriented through aligned protein fibers that work as rails, making cells move in a specific direction as if they were train tracks. Using this type of microstructured substrates, we can simulate these rails used by cells to migrate in many physiological and pathological processes.” Explains Elena Martínez, principal investigator at IBEC and professor at the Universitat de Barcelona. The researchers compared the behavior of two breast cancer cell lines. One is considered metastatic – that is, it migrates – and the other is not. In the case of substrates with high stiffness, they observed that both cell types barely migrated. However, when using substrates with a lower stiffness, similar to that of body tissues, the behavior of the cells changed. “We have seen that when we put cells on softer substrates, with a stiffness similar to that of healthy tissue, they don’t migrate. However, when we increase to an intermediate stiffness, equivalent to that of a pathological tissue such as the one found in tumors, cells begin to migrate much more efficiently, even those considered non-metastatic.” details Jordi Comelles, IBEC researcher and first author of the article. When we put cells on substrates with a stiffness equivalent to that of a pathological tissue such as the one found in tumors, cells begin to migrate much more efficiently, even those considered non-metastatic.” Jordi Comelles Most of the studies on contact guidance had been carried out using materials much stiffer than the tissues found in the body. This limitation was due to the lack of microfabrication methods that would allow the creation of topographic patterns in soft materials with a stiffness similar to that of organic tissues. However, Martinez’s group was able to produce a pattern of micrometric grooves on a soft substrate – a polymeric gel – using an advanced microfabrication method developed by the same research team. Reference article: Jordi Comelles, Vanesa Fernández-Majada, Verónica Acevedo, Beatriz Rebollo-Calderon y Elena Martínez. Soft topographical patterns trigger a stiffness-dependent cellular response to contact guidance. Materials Today Bio (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2023.100593
The current research aims to analyze the shape and structural features of the eggs of the lepidoptera species Melitaea sp. (Lepidoptera, Nympalidae) and develop design solutions through the implementation of a novel strategy of biomimetic design.
Humans rely on the ocean for a vast array resources: food, energy, minerals, even the less tangible ones of inspiration and recreation. But one ocean byproduct may not be obvious: glue.
A new groundbreaking innovation known as biomimetic LEDs is setting new benchmarks for efficiency and sustainability.Inspired by the captivating natural...
A high-performance bacterial cellulose/carbon nanotubes conductive fiber is developed through the in-situ biosynthesis. Through mimicking the structure of muscle fascicles, the composite fiber integrates high strength, high stiffness, high fatigue resistance, and stable electrical performance into...
Plastic pollution is a mounting global issue, but scientists at Washington University in St. Louis have taken a bold step forward by creating a new bioplastic inspired by the structure of leaves. Their innovation, LEAFF, enhances strength, functionality, and biodegradability by utilizing cellulose...
Repairing Achilles tendon has emerged as a long-standing challenge in the orthopaedic surgeries. Although suture is the gold standard for re-attaching and repairing the fractured Achilles tendons in clinical surgeries, it is still subjected to numerous adverse side-effects, including chronic...
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