Page 13 - Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature
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magine you’ve just bought an immensely detailed mod-
                            el airplane kit. How do you set about putting all the hun-
                            dreds of tiny parts together? First, no doubt, you’ll ex-
                            amine the illustrations on the box. Then, following the in-
                            structions inside shortens the whole process of putting a
            model together in the best way possible, making no mistakes.
                 Even lacking any assembly instructions, you can still manage the
            task if you already possess a similar model airplane.  The first plane’s de-
            sign can serve as an important guide in assembling any later one. In the
            exact same way, using a flawless design in nature as a model provides
            shortcuts to designing technological equipment with the same functions
            in the most perfect possible manner. Aware of this, most scientists and re-
            search and development (R&D) experts study the examples of living
            things before embarking on any new designs, and imitate the systems and
            designs that already exist. In other words, they examine the designs God
            has created in nature and, then inspired, go on to develop new technolo-
            gies.
                 This approach has given birth to a new branch of science: biomimet-
            ics, which means the imitation of living things in nature. This new study
            is being spoken of more and more often in technological circles and is
            opening up important new horizons for mankind.
                 As biomimetics emerges, imitating the structures of living systems, it
            presents a major setback for those scientists who still support the theory
            of evolution. From an evolutionist’s point of view, it’s entirely unaccept-
            able for men—whom they regard as the highest rung on the evolutionary



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