topic Research

Bionics - Learning from Nature

The central principle of bionics can be summed up under the motto of "Learning from Nature". Nature reaches its goals economically, with a minimum of energy, and it always recycles its waste completely into the natural cycle. The wealth of experience available in animate nature must be used by humans. In order to develop the resulting great innovation potential, the BMBF has established the bionics network BIOKON and is funding new research approaches of bionics within the framework of the ideas competition BIONICS - Innovations from Nature.

The central principle of bionics can be summed up under the motto of "Learning from Nature". In the course of the evolutionary process, nature has - over millions of years - developed numerous solutions which even today confront scientists and engineers, with all their advanced knowledge, with major challenges. Nature's solutions include robust materials compounds, sophisticated mobility mechanisms, functional ways of building and living, highly perfected information and communication systems and highly sensitive sensors. Many of nature's innovative solutions are in keeping with the principles of sustainable development: Nature reaches its goals economically, with a minimum of energy, and always recycles its waste completely into the natural cycle. The wealth of experience available in animate nature and the resulting high innovation potential must be used by and for humans.

As a result of the dynamic developments in biological research and technology - mainly at the molecular level - totally new approaches are emerging for innovations in the field of bionics. What is characteristic of bionics is the interdisciplinary approach that is taken when solving application-oriented questions which can by no means be reduced to one-to-one copies of biological models.

In the past, the broad application of ideas from bionics failed due to the rigid adherence of scientists to their own disciplines and due to the absence of an effective technology transfer between research and industrial application. This is where the new ideas competition "Bionics - Innovations from Nature" comes in: Industrial companies, universities and research institutions are called upon to formulate ideas relating to the new approaches of bionics and to test them in feasibility studies. At the same time the bionics network BIOKON is intended to contribute to the establishment of cross-disciplinary networks between companies and public research institutions.