Biomimicry: Taking Inspiration from Nature

By transforming Da Vinci's mechanical drawings into biometric robots, this project charts the centuries-old challenge of humanity's balance with nature and artificiality.

This book explores the concept of biomimicry by establishing a dialogue between the work of Leonardo da Vinci and Renaissance engineers on the one hand and contemporary researchers on the other. It shows the way in which the living can be a source of inspiration for our technological future and the extent to which the Renaissance understood this. Biomimicry brings together drawings by da Vinci and Albrecht Dürer, models of machines based on the artists' drawings, Renaissance manuscripts and biomimetic robots from LAASCNRS and the University of Lausanne. In this way, it highlights the extraordinary modernity of da Vinci's work on materials, animal anatomy, bird and fish behavior, and locomotion techniques, bringing together history, art, technology and current scientific developments in a cross-disciplinary approach.