Beyond analogy: A model of bioinspiration for creative design

International audienceIs biologically inspired design only an analogical transfer from biology to engineering? Actually, nature does not alwaysbring “hands-on” solutions that can be analogically applied in classic engineering. Then, what are the different operations thatare involved in the bioinspiration process and what are the conditions allowing this process to produce a bioinspired design?In this paper, we model the whole design process in which bioinspiration is only one element. To build this model, we use ageneral design theory, concept–knowledge theory, because it allows one to capture analogy as well as all other knowledgechanges that lead to the design of a bioinspired solution.We ground this model on well-described examples of biologicallyinspired designs available in the scientific literature. These examples include Flectofinw, a hingeless flapping mechanismconceived for fac¸ade shading, and WhalePower technology, the introduction of bumps on the leading edge of airfoils toimprove aerodynamic properties. Our modeling disentangles the analogical aspects of the biologically inspired design process,and highlights the expansions occurring in both knowledge bases, scientific (nonbiological) and biological, as well asthe impact of these expansions in the generation of new concepts (concept partitioning). This model also shows that bioinspireddesign requires a special form of collaboration between engineers and biologists. Contrasting with the classic onewaytransfer between biology and engineering that is assumed in the literature, the concept–knowledge framework showsthat these collaborations must be “mutually inspirational” because both biological and engineering knowledge expansionsare needed to reach a novel solution