Developing a Common Ground for Learning from Nature

Background, Motivation and Goals The potential for tapping nature’s storehouse of so lutions, solution pathways and systems’ principles has captured the world’s imagin tion, especially after the publication of Benyus’ Biomimicry, Innovation Inspired by Nature (1997). A growing number of proponents have been using biomimicry, biomimetics and biologically inspired design (BD for short, pronounced “B-cubed-D”) in diverse con texts and employing a wide range of approaches. The language and cultural iss ues that challenge effective communication in the practice of B D among experts in the biological and technological domains are well known. There are also communicati on issues within the B D community itself, exemplified by the proliferation f terms used to describe what we do: biomimicry, biomimetics, bioinspiration, biologically inspired design, biologically inspired engineering, bionics, biognosis, bioreplication, biomorphosis, and so on. BD is intended to represent the common elements underlyin g these diverse terms.