« Bok om framtidens tekniska utmaningar | Main | Avskaffa tullarna på mediciner och sjukvårdsmateriel »
August 30, 2006
Mimicking nature
By Waldemar Ingdahl
On Thursday the 24th of August I was invited to attended the inauguration for Biomime, the Swedish Center for Biomimetic Fiber Engineering.
Biomime is a new cross-disciplinary strategic center of excellence at Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan (Royal Institute of Technology), financed by the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research. Biomimetics is a cross-disciplinary field of material sciences in order to study the fundamental natural processes with aim of creating new tools for the development of unique and advanced tailor-made materials.
Nature’s design is the source of inspiration for developing cleaner and greener technologies. We at Eudoxa appreciate this new step but also see that a very interesting debate regarding the often perceived dichotomy between nature and culture will flare up. The field is new and there was a contrast two of the main speakers.
Professor Tuula Teeri, the centre’s director presented the objective of the field as producing new biological objects with enhanced inherent capabilities, as demonstrated by her research on the material propensities of wood and the growing of genetically modified trees. In comparison with the heated debate regarding the rather modest first generation of biotechnology (such as BT corn and cotton) these new applications will touch on even more sensitive issues.
Professor Julian Vincent (seen lecturing in the image above) instead presented the field as material sciences adapting the functions of biological objects without creating new organisms.
Both research areas are valid, but they form a distinction that will need to be addressed, otherwise a severe dilution of a very promising field could be the result, as we have seen with other examples such as nanotechnology.
If humanity re-thinks nature by changing it’s functions significantly or re-thinks engineering by adapting to nature’s own evolutionary self-organizing process it is bound to bring on a new wave of thought in not only materials science but philosophy’s perception.
Unfortunately, this was to my perception not sufficiently addressed in the general tone of the speech given by Fredrika Spindler from the Södertörn University College.
This shows the need for cross-disciplinary studies not only between different sciences but also with the humanities. It is necessary to develop technologies of foresight at the same time as scientific advances: social or digital tools to further knowledge exchange, constructive debate, cross-examination of evidence and views, together with institutions to engage the public and special interests in dialogue about potential future technologies and their risks and benefits.
Posted by Waldemar at August 30, 2006 09:30 PM