Nature = Future! Saison 2

During the course of its evolution, the living world has developed casings with astonishing properties (thermal regulation, insulation, water recovery, etc.). These unique technologies are now inspiring many architects faced with the constraints of contemporary construction.

How could we acclimatise to living conditions on a planet like Mars? To answer this question, scientists are focusing their research on extremophiles, species that live in hostile conditions on Earth. The biomimetic approach can also help find new solutions in the field of space exploration.

Pinecones open and close according to the weather. What is the explanation for this natural phenomenon and why are scientists interested in it? Could these mechanisms be reproduced with biocomposite materials? And for what applications? Let's follow this investigation, which once again reveals the promises of biomimicry.

Can we fish better without overexploiting fish stocks and threatening marine biodiversity ? Philippe Cury, research director at the IRD, believes we can by adopting an ecosystem approach, which considers the interactions in the life cycles of marine species.

What is a smell? How do we sense it and how do we interpret it? Knowledge of this biological and sensory process allows us to develop biomimetic noses that can be used in many fields. Diagnosing and treating diseases by using smell is also one of the most promising advances in the research carried out by Jérôme Golebiowski, researcher at the Nice Institute of Chemistry, part of the University of Côte d'Azur and the CNRS.

Bats hunt and locate themselves using the echo from ultrasound that they emit and analyse very precisely. This system of acoustic waves is called echolocation. As a highly effective ultrasound technology, it is of interest to scientists for a wide variety of military, health or biodiversity applications.

The eye is one of the most developed organs in the living world, particularly in humans. Its main function is to detect movements using photoreceptor cells in the retina, which transmit only a small amount of information to the brain. By copying this operation, the Prophesee company has developed a revolutionary camera which only records data corresponding to moving points. Compared to a digital camera, this leads to an energy and processing speed gain in the order of 100 to 1000. This bio…

Why are there no collisions among schools of fish or flocks of starlings that make extremely rapid changes of direction? And how do these thousands of individuals manage to share so much information? This collective intelligence that exists at different levels of life is vital for many species, but humans do not yet engage in it... Researchers are studying these properties of life with the aim of developing bio-inspired algorithms for numerous applications.

Natural ecosystems have self-organisation, innovation, symbiosis, collaboration or information sharing abilities which are of increasing interest to businesses and human organisations in determining their raison d'être and being able to adapt to changes.

How can the performance of a hexapod robot be optimised by improving both its energy autonomy and its movements? By copying the structure and arrangement of insect legs! The ISM robotics laboratory in Marseille (CNRS, Aix-Marseille University) has developed biomimetic legs designed in 3D for their AntBot robot. A robot already inspired by the desert ant in order to find its way without GPS...

If a natural environment becomes degraded, how can we reconstitute all the complexity of life? In the Crau flatland near Arles, in France's Bouches du Rhône region, scientists turned to ants to restore the biodiversity of an ecosystem degraded by human activities after an oil pipeline burst in the heart of a nature reserve.

What is the biodiversity of a small rocky seabed? What are the best conditions for it to flourish and develop? And how can it be restored if deteriorated? By installing biomimetic artificial reefs in the Cortiou cove near Marseille, the Seaboost company has within a couple of years allowed essential habitats and ecosystems to be recreated for underwater life to persist in the Mediterranean.

Over billions of years, algae have developed very effective biological defence systems. Researchers describe how all-natural, biodegradable methods have been developed to fight common diseases that damage agricultural crops.

How do waves form and propagate? What means do we have to understand this phenomenon and anticipate nature's furies? We now have the ability to study their power and trajectory using mathematical models. The aim of this research carried out by researcher Volker Roeber at the University of Pau and Pays de l'Adour, is to reduce the risks of flooding and to develop systems that harness the power of waves as a form of renewable energy.

What is biomimicry? It is an approach that consists of drawing inspiration from nature to innovate and find new solutions in all areas that are more sustainable, use less energy and fewer raw materials, while also generating less waste and being more resilient. This rapidly expanding approach allows us to rethink the way we produce, design and consume. It responds to the challenges of global warming, the objectives of sustainable development and the fight to preserve biodiversity.

Why don't fish suffer from sunburn like we do when they swim on the surface of the water? What protective mechanisms have they developed? And what inspiration can we draw from them? The answer lies in the red algae they consume, which produce anti-UV molecules. This high-performance natural defence is being studied in the MANTA Department of the University of Pau and Pays de l'Adour to develop sun creams that are safe for human health and the environment.