Pune: The practice of learning from nature’s designs and processes to solve human problems — from energy and architecture to healthcare and technology — biomimicry offers real-world applications at a time when sustainability conversations often remain surface-level.Educator and biomimicry practitioner Prashant Dhawan mentioned innovations emerging from students’ projects — such as safer electrical switches inspired by the Venus flytrap that can distinguish between a socket and a finger or neonatal transport designs modelled on how a hen’s head maintains stability, while its body is in motion. “Nature is producing an apple out of solar energy,” he said, underscoring the deep efficiency of natural systems.Biomimicry is the idea that millions of years of evolution have already engineered efficient, sustainable solutions which humans can adapt, rather than reinvent the wheel. For example, the structure of a spider’s web inspires lightweight, yet strong material and plants produce energy without batteries, relying only on sunlight.However, Dhawan said the gap between ideas and implementation was large in India. “Biomimicry is often treated like a fashion accessory, at present. People talk about it at conferences, but it rarely becomes a foundational part of how we design, think or build,” he said. Students in engineering and design schools generate “over 100 amazing project ideas,” but a lack of funding and institutional support prevents them from moving forward, he added.Biomimicry India and the New Acropolis School of Philosophy is organising a two-day biomimicry exhibition which will explore the intersection of science, design and philosophy. Pune branch manager of the school Shraddha Shetty said, “The exhibition aims to bridge a deeper gap between knowing about things and applying it in daily life. People mimic the form, but don’t go deeper into the process or the harmony with nature.“The exhibition is designed as an experiential journey. “Visitors will move from a sense of awe and wonder at nature’s existing solutions to understanding the functioning and application of these systems. Interactive installations and examples will highlight how natural principles can lead to more harmonious, economical systems that work with the environment, rather than against it,” said Dhawan.He framed it as a shift in perspective. “We are aware of the economy and society. However, we forget that every solution we create exists within a larger planetary system and nature is the most integrated of it all. The divisions created between disciplines like engineering, philosophy or science are artificial. In reality, everything is interconnected,” said Dhawan.The exhibition will be held on April 18 and 19 at Monalisa Kalagram, Koregaon Park, Pune.
