Response+4


 * 1. **

Japan’s high speed “500 Series Shinkansen” bullet trains runs quietly due to designers being inspired by birds. Feathers of owls inspire engineers to create serrations to reduce the noise generated by the train's pantograph. The train's nose cone is inspired by a kingfisher's beak. This allows the train to become more aerodynamic to reduce the sonic boom that occurs when the train passes from a tunnel back into open air.
 * Design #1: **** Using avian elements in high speed trains: **

A company in England, Sound Foresight, created the 'Ultracane'. It uses sonar-like technology to prevent collisions and accidents for the vision-impaired, much like how bats use echolocation to navigate in the dark. The cane sends out sound waves in front of its user. It senses upcoming objects, like other pedestrians, and gives out warnings of these objects' location through its handle.
 * Design #2: ****Echolocation to assist the vision-impaired:**

Inspired by the hydrophobic ('water-repelling') surface of lotus leaves, a German company developed a line of self cleaning paints. This means that painted sufaces do not require toxic detergents in order to be cleaned. These paints repel water which allows rainwater to remove and wash away any dirt that occurs on painted surfaces.
 * Design #3: **** Self-cleaning paint: **


 * 2. **

As a business model, biomimicry should be integrated to promote a more sustainable outlook of a company as well as create new innovations. Research into biomimicry for better business practices can help the natural environment to become more sustainable; this creates a better long-term outlook for the company if their resources are still available. Businesses and companies can take cues from nature and greatly reduce pollution as well as create energy-efficient technologies. This has great potential economic value and consequence for a company, as waste and energy input costs are minimized.

Biomimicry consultation can also be an inspiration to other companies. Janine Benyus' research nonprofit Biomimicry Institute and her for-profit consultancy, the Biomimicry Guild, are especially interesting to me. They show engineers and designers from businesses like GE, HP, IDEO, and NASA how to incorporate these nature-inspired ideas into a "corporate commercial context" by employing scientists and experts to properly answer any technical questions. She inspires to "green a whole company", not just a single product. She suggests running a business like a food web, to produce little to no waste or harmful byproducts.

Nature inspired technologies and designs also benefit the consumer in many ways. Ford's anti-collision system is inspired by the way locusts swarm without crashing into one another. This system could sense impeding crashes and send an alarm for the driver. IBM has created processors inspired by abalone shells that reduce energy consumption by 35%. Biomimicry allows for innovation in products, services, and practices in companies and is an advantage economically, aesthetically and ethically to the company, the consumer, and the environment.


 * 4. **

'Champions' are those who are inspired by the functions and adaptation of natural species and apply these aspects to create new innovations and designs.


 * 5. **

Permaculture is form of ecological design, ecological engineering, and environmental design that focuses on creating self-maintained agricultural systems modeled from natural ecosystems and so, is a practice that is biomimetic. The core tenants of permaculture focuses on caring for the Earth, the people, and sharing the surplus. It aims to produce a sustainable gardens and farms and allow communities to rely more on its surrounding natural environment to produce a synergistic relationship. Permaculture should minimize waste, human labor, and energy input.