Biology for biomimetics: II. A tutorial on how to diversify a list of biological models

Biomimetics is a powerful tool for problem solving in design and engineering. However, most biomimetic research is limited in the range of biological models considered, for instance with a frequent bias towards vertebrate animals. Diversifying the list of possible models increases the likelihood of discovering innovative solutions to a given problem and can overcome the limitations of sometimes imperfect design in biology. In this tutorial, we review key biology concepts that can assist students and practitioners of biomimetics in diversifying their list of biological models by expanding across evolutionary time and ecological space. First, we draw on evolutionary biology, particularly independent origins of a trait or function, which increases the chance of finding unique mechanisms underlying a function of interest. Second, we discuss core concepts from ecology for sampling across geographical space, considering different biomes or ecoregions where evolution may have played out in different ways to solve similar ecological issues. We show how to distill a biomimetic problem into abiotic and biotic components that have analogies in habitats and biomes across the globe. Finally, we consider both ecological and evolutionary processes jointly. Throughout this tutorial, we review useful and accessible tools, especially online databases, for putting these approaches into practice, even for a non-biologist. We hope to make the biomimetic approach more accessible and impactful by reviewing tools for sampling a broader range of potential biological models for a given biomimetic problem.