Scientists and designers have often sought inspiration from nature to mimic natural processes and ecosystems. Biomimicry is at the intersection of biology and technology, where nature’s best ideas are integrated into design thinking and functional processes to solve human problems and complex product requirements.
Biomimicry can be viewed as inspirational for design guidance or literal mimicry, which is referred to as biomimetics and relies on the natural intersection of biology and engineering.
According to Grandview Research, the global medical biomimetics market size was valued at $29.21 billion in 2021 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 6.7% from 2022 to 2030. Applying biomimetics in pharmaceutics and medicine is a promising method for tissue engineering, diagnostics, regenerative medicine and treating a wide variety of diseases. Increased government funding for biomimetics research and innovations in healthcare are also propelling market growth.
Examples of biomimicry applications are surgical instruments and devices that take inspiration from self-cleaning properties of lotus leaves. The microscopic structure of a lotus leaf is hydrophobic and repels water and unwanted microbial particles, a phenomenon known as the “Lotus Effect.” Other examples are temperature-sensitive medical devices created over the past decade that mimic termite mounds that maintain constant temperature regardless of outside fluctuations. The design approach helps to lower the energy consumption of the devices.
Another inspiration came from fish that generate electrical fields to navigate their surroundings. Mimicking these traits inspired the development of a medical catheter that navigates through complex blood vessel pathways, minimizing the need for fluoroscopic dyes and radiation. Natural electroreceptors that detect the electrical fields of nearby prey inspired engineers to integrate electrodes at the catheter’s distal tip to gather feedback about its location within the human vasculature. Mapping the feedback guides the user to the exact location where the catheter is needed, thus expanding diagnostic and interventional possibilities for patients not suitable for traditional fluoroscopic visualization.
Whether the perspective of biomimicry is purely inspirational or leveraged for design guidance, there are benefits for medical device designers, engineers and end users.
The healthcare market is ripe for even more exciting innovations inspired by nature’s “engineers” as trends move toward empowering patient self-care and clinical environments demand more technology-enhanced medical devices. Looking to develop new and less complicated ways to deliver medical technologies at home and in clinical environments, designers and engineers can benefit from biomimicry and biomimetics in the conceptualization and development of these exciting new medical devices.
While finding inspiration from nature is not a new concept, technology has given manufacturers new tools to successfully transform innovative ideas into design solutions. For medical devices that interact with the human anatomy, which is itself a fantastic example of nature’s engineering, leveraging design inspiration from our natural environment can yield extraordinary benefits.
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