Plagiarizing Nature: Biomimicry Pitch Video (ST)

$15.00

You and your team have developed a product that mimics a natural phenomenon or process – what we call biomimicry. But to fully develop your concept and successfully bring it to market, you need financing. This is your lucky break: you have been selected to present your idea to a team of investors who can propel your project forward. Make the case for why this product or process will make the most difference for society: Is it the strongest? Lightest? Most energy efficient? Time is short, competition for funding is fierce, and you need a financial boost.

Description

The Project: Humans have learned a lot from natural processes and forms, and copied that to our advantage – what we call biomimicry. You and your team are challenged to a) develop a hypothetical product that mimics one such natural phenomenon or process; and b) pitch your idea to a team of investors who can propel your project forward, …if they like it. Specifically, in this challenge, your team will begin by researching background information about biomimicry – examples: from the lowly cocklebur, we got Velcro; the action of a helicopter’s rotor mimics a falling maple seed – and then choose a natural phenomenon that can be potentially mimicked (one that is not already commercialized) and the problem that its application solves. Develop, on paper (or in mock-up form) a product – give your select form of biomimicry shape and definition and functionality – with the understanding that your final product will be a mix of real science and imaginative application. Time is short, competition for funding is fierce, and you need a financial boost. Make the case for why this product or process will make the most difference for society: Is it the strongest? Lightest? Most energy efficient? Your investor pitch should explain how “plagiarizing from nature” and turning it into a product has the greatest potential for advancing civilization. In your video, show two existing examples of biomimicry to provide context for your invention.