Important Terms!

Even though it is well established that Biomimicry is one type of bioinspired design, it is worth mentioning that not all bioinspired design is biomimicry.

As you begin to explore mimicking nature, you may come across a number of other "bio" terms used in reference to nature-inspired engineering design. It can get confusing because of some of these have overlapping usages or are used inconsistently. However, "Bio-inspired design" is a term that is widely accepted as an umbrella term for the design and engineering approaches, including biomimetics, that use biology as a resource for solving. 

An important element that differentiates biomimetics from bio-inspired design approaches is the focus on learning and simulating sustainable solutions to certain functional challenges.

Below is a summary of the frequently used terms with a clarification on differences:

Biophilia is defined as the innate human instinct to communicate with nature and other living organisms.

Biomorphism is a term that describes designs that "look like" nature. This makes it different to a biomimetic design, as it may or may not look like the organisms that inspired it. Instead, the important indicator is functionality. 

Bio-utilization refers to using biological materials or living organisms as part of a design or technology. For example, trees are used as a material (wood) for furniture or a living plant wall is used to purify the air in an office building. Bio-exploitation can be beneficial and biomimetic designs sometimes include bio-utilization for this reason. But, just because a design or technology uses a natural substance or an organism does not make it a biological mimic.

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