Mimicry

This principle refers to the use of properties from organisms, objects and environments to shape a products design, improving its function. Mimicry is very popular in designers as it solves important issues in the advance of technology, especially biomimicry, which analyses organisms with the designer reverse engineering certain aspects of their evolved form. One example would be the use of research into bird flight being used to help make the design of the aeroplane successful in flight.

There is three types of mimicry that any designer including myself can use to help in a products design and these are:

• Surface mimicry - Making a design look like something else.


• Behavioural mimicry - Creating a design that acts like something else.


• Functional mimicry - development of a design to work like something else.

Use of the three types of mimicry in design provides very positive results but in different ways, examples of these follow. The first example shown is the Black & Decker Snakelight which is designed to provide lighting at awkward angles and is typically used in D.I.Y or whilst working on cars.

As can be seen on the picture the torch functionally mimics the snakes ability to coil round and grip objects, having a flexible vertebrae structure covered by rubber membrane to give the desired result. The second example provides a link a video that shows an example of biomimicry in robotics, using the Robosapien robot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqDsV1mdO1c

This video shows a perfect example of behavioural mimicry with the robot reacting to its surrounding and also showing a form of basic human personality. However though this form of mimicry provides likeability to a product I feel there is no positive benefits to copying the behaviour of other creatures within my designs.

Moving on to the final example showing surface mimicry, the image shows a set of icons every computer user is familiar with.

Each icon is designed to mimic the image of a familiar object, using this to indicate the icons function or use. These simple images allow the desktop and other files to catalogue a PC's icons in a space efficient manner. For more information on products which use mimicry to improve the design, follow he links below.

Catseyes:

http://inventors.about.com/od/cstartinventions/a/cat_eyes.htm

Velcro:

http://www.velcro.com/index.php?page=who-is-velcro-r

Self Cleaning Paint:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/09/sto_lotusan_bio.php

Following the search into use of mimicry in products and the evidence above, I still believe that using this principle to design can be very productive and successful. However I feel my personal designs will be influenced more from using functional and surface mimicry, rather than behavioural mimicry. This is down to feelings that behavioural mimicry has to many complex issues in the future regarding morals.